The non-uniform charge distribution along the N-terminal domain of virus coat proteins modifies the stability of virus icosahedral shells.

Many spherical viruses encapsulate their genome in protein shells with icosahedral symmetry. This process is spontaneous and driven by electrostatic interactions between positive domains on the virus coat proteins and the negative genome. We study the effect of the non-uniform charge distribution along the N-terminal domain of virus coat proteins and icosahedral charge distribution of the protein shell using a mean-field theory. Our goal is to study the impact of non-uniform charge distribution on the free energy and stability of viral particles.