Download MendeleyThe Respiratory Syncytial Virus Nucleoprotein-RNA Complex Forms a Left-Handed Helical Nucleocapsid.
Bakker, S.E., Duquerroy, S., Galloux, M., Loney, C., Conner, E., Eleouet, J.F., Rey, F.A., Bhella, D.(2013) J Gen Virol 94: 1734
- PubMed: 23677789
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1099/vir.0.053025-0
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
4BKK - PubMed Abstract:
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an important human pathogen. Its nucleocapsid (NC), which comprises the negative sense RNA viral genome coated by the viral nucleoprotein N, is a critical assembly that serves as template for both mRNA synthesis and genome replication. We have previously described the X-ray structure of an NC-like structure: a decameric ring formed of N-RNA that mimics one turn of the helical NC. In the absence of experimental data we had hypothesized that the NC helix would be right-handed, as the N-N contacts in the ring appeared to more easily adapt to that conformation. We now unambiguously show that the RSV NC is a left-handed helix. We further show that the contacts in the ring can be distorted to maintain key N-N-protein interactions in a left-handed helix, and discuss the implications of the resulting atomic model of the helical NC for viral replication and transcription.
Organizational Affiliation:
Medical Research Council - University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Church Street, Glasgow, G11 5JR, UK.
