Cryo-EM structure of Nipah virus RNA polymerase complex
Nipah virus, a member of the <i>Paramyxoviridae</i> family, is a highly pathogenic nonsegmented, negative-sense RNA virus (nsNSV) which causes severe neurological and respiratory illnesses in humans. There are no available drugs or vaccines to combat this virus. A complex of large polymerase protein (L) and phosphoprotein (P) of Nipah virus supports replication and transcription and affords a target for antiviral drug development. Structural information required for drug development is lacking. Here we report the 2.9-angstrom cryo-electron microscopy structure of the Nipah virus polymerase-phosphoprotein complex. The structure identifies conserved amino acids likely important for recognition of template RNA by nsNSVs and reveals the locations of mutation-prone sites among Nipah virus strains, which may facilitate the development of therapeutic agents against Nipah virus by targeting regions unaffected by these mutation sites.
Authors
- Heqiao Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0314-1573)
- Huihan Gao
- Roger D. Kornberg (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2425-7519)
- Luca Zinzula (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6489-7070)
- Simiao Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8012-7973)
- Xiaoxiao Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3762-2287)
- Jiao Tang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9673-3713)
- Yi Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5914-8024)
- Yuhan Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-4152-3280)
- Lixia Zhao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2068-4732)
- Yiru Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-9521-2641)
Institutions
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- ShanghaiTech University (CN)
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics (CN)
- Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology (CN)
- Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CN)
- Institute of Apiculture Research (CN)
- Stanford University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Science Advances
- Published
- 2024-12-11
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adr7116
- Citations
- 10
- Primary Topic
- Virology and Viral Diseases
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 3.87
Funders
- ShanghaiTech University