ROLE OF DOUBLE-MEMBRANE VESICLES

Like that of other positive-strand RNA viruses, coronavirus RNA synthesis is associated with extensively rearranged intracellular membranes. High-resolution three-dimensional images obtained by electron tomography in SARS-CoV-infected cells showed a unique reticulovesicular network of modified endoplasmic reticulum that integrated convoluted membranes (CMs), interconnected double-membrane vesicles (DMVs), and vesicle packets apparently rising from DMV merger.