AcMNPV enters the nucleus through nuclear pores. (A) Deconvolved images showing virus (red; 3mC), actin (green; FITC-phalloidin), and nuclear pores (NP; blue; anti–nuclear pore immunofluorescence). (top) Viral colocalization with a pore. (middle) Virus adjacent to a pore. (bottom) Virus on the nuclear membrane in the space between pores. Bars, 2 µm. (B) Deconvolved sections of nuclei from cells expressing mCherry (left) or importin-β71–876–mCherry (right) infected with AcMNPV at 2 h after infection. Colors show virus (green; anti-VP39 immunofluorescence), nuclear DNA (blue; DAPI), and mCherry or importin-β71–876–mCherry (red). Arrowheads indicate capsids within the nucleus. Bars, 5 µm. (C) Numbers of capsids per nucleus (mean ± SD) counted from z stacks of nuclei in infected cells expressing either mCherry (mCh; n = 30) or importin-β71–876–mCherry (β-mCh; n = 30) or microinjected with dextran tetramethylrhodamine (n = 49) or WGA (n = 47). ***, P < 0.0001 (by unpaired t test).
