Construction of Minigenome Replicon of Nipah Virus and Investigation of Biological Activity

Nipah virus (NiV), a highly lethal zoonotic pathogen causing encephalitis and respiratory diseases with mortality rates up to 40-70%, faces research limitations due to its strict biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) containment requirements, hindering antiviral development. To address this, we generated two NiV minigenome replicons (Fluc- and EGFP-based) expressed via helper plasmids encoding viral N, P, and L proteins, enabling replication studies under BSL-2 conditions. The minigenome replicon recapitulated the cytoplasmic inclusion body (IB) formation observed in live NiV infections. We further demonstrated that IB assembly is driven by liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), with biochemical analyses identifying the C-terminal N core domain of the N protein, as well as N₀ and XD domains and the intrinsically disordered region (IDR) of the P protein, as essential structural determinants for LLPS-mediated IB biogenesis. The targeted siRNA silencing of the 5' and 3' untranslated regions (UTRs) significantly reduced replicon-derived mRNA levels, validating the regulatory roles of these regions. Importantly, the minigenome replicon demonstrated sensitivity to type I/II/III interferons and antivirals (remdesivir, azvudine, molnupiravir), establishing its utility for drug screening. This study provides a safe and efficient platform for investigating NiV replication mechanisms and accelerating therapeutic development, circumventing the constraints of BSL-4 facilities while preserving key virological features.