Unlike most of the viral structural proteins which are glycosylated in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi apparatus by host-encoded glycosyltransferases, PBCV-1 glycosylates its major capsid protein independently by encoding most of the enzymes necessary for constructing the complex oligosaccharides, which then attach to the major capsid protein of PBCV-1 to form the glycoprotein.
PBCV-1 differs from most viral structural proteins in that it glycosylates its major capsid protein independently, utilizing enzymes to construct complex oligosaccharides that then attach to the protein. Unlike other viruses, these processes occur outside the ER and Golgi apparatus.