Structure of the vesicular stomatitis virus nucleoprotein-RNA complex.

Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1025 18th Street South, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
Science (Impact Factor: 31.2). 08/2006; 313(5785):357-60. DOI:10.1126/science.1126953
Source: PubMed

ABSTRACT Vesicular stomatitis virus is a negative-stranded RNA virus. Its nucleoprotein (N) binds the viral genomic RNA and is involved in multiple functions including transcription, replication, and assembly. We have determined a 2.9 angstrom structure of a complex containing 10 molecules of the N protein and 90 bases of RNA. The RNA is tightly sequestered in a cavity at the interface between two lobes of the N protein. This serves to protect the RNA in the absence of polynucleotide synthesis. For the RNA to be accessed, some conformational change in the N protein should be necessary.

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Todd J Green