This preprint reports construction of virtual viruses within a spatial minimal cell derived from JCVI-syn3A. The authors aim to connect molecular-level viral processes — gene expression and genome replication — to emergent particle formation, membrane interactions and release behavior inside a defined host cell model. Two viral systems are reconstructed to illustrate distinct developmental behaviors and host interactions.
The investigations are performed in a spatial minimal-cell framework based on JCVI-syn3A. The minimal-cell environment provides a simplified, spatially resolved host in which molecular events can be linked to mesoscale particle behavior and cell morphology during infection-like processes. The article extends the virtual-cell platform by placing developing viral particles inside this spatial host context.
For mycoplasma virus P1, the reconstruction links expression and replication of viral components to a coarse-grained packaging process. The authors present a spatial reconstruction that includes a membrane-opening event and subsequent particle release. Simulated particle behavior shows that individual finite-size virions can coexist inside the host, translocate toward and across the membrane boundary, and experience partial crossings with returns before achieving complete exit. These dynamics emphasize transient membrane interactions and stepwise release in the modeled P1 system.
In the reconstructed lifecycle of Acholeplasma phage MV-L1 (L1), viral gene expression and genome accumulation occur while the host cell continues to grow and adopts a constricted shape. Unlike the P1 reconstruction that emphasizes discrete release events, the L1 reconstruction shows ongoing viral activity that coexists with host growth. The authors note that this qualitative behavior aligns with the reported non-lytic biology of group 1 acholeplasmaviruses.
The two reconstructions illustrate distinct host–virus relationships in the spatial minimal cell: P1 development culminates in packaging and spatially resolved membrane opening with particle exit events characterized by partial translocations and returns, while L1 development proceeds concurrently with host growth and cell-shape changes consistent with non-lytic propagation. Together, these examples demonstrate how the virtual-cell approach can capture divergent viral strategies and the spatial consequences of viral development on host morphology.
By embedding viral processes within a spatial minimal cell, the reconstructions link molecular activity (expression and replication), particle-scale behaviors (coexistence, motion, partial crossings, release) and host growth dynamics (continued growth, constriction, membrane opening). The work therefore represents an extension of virtual-cell modeling to include viruses that develop inside the simulated host, providing a platform to investigate how intracellular spatial organization and host morphology influence viral assembly and egress.
The article cites a GitHub repository in the footnotes (https://github.com/dmaskhhh/VirtualVirus) for code and related resources. Supplementary material, data and code links are referenced in the source metadata. The abstract and article metadata indicate that supplementary materials and external links for data/code are available, but full methodological and parameter details were not reported in the abstract excerpt used here.
This work is presented as a bioRxiv preprint posted September 23, 2026, and has not been peer reviewed. The authors declare no competing interests. Important methodological specifics, quantitative results and validation details are not provided in the abstract; readers should consult the full preprint and supplementary materials for complete technical information.
Funder information reported in the source includes support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant numbers listed in the article metadata). Copyright is held by the authors/funder and the preprint is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license. The source also lists institutional and community acknowledgments typical for bioRxiv-hosted content.
Full text, figures, supplementary material and data/code links are available through the bioRxiv entry for the preprint. Users interested in technical implementation or replication should review the complete manuscript and the referenced GitHub repository for code and additional resources.