3.3 Å resolution structure of Hantaan virus nucleocapsid revealed by cryo-EM

The virus Hantaan, that belongs to the Hantaviridae family (Bunyavirales order) and is transmitted by rats and mice, can give rise in human to fatal hemorrhagic fevers against which no treatment is currently available. The genomic segments of this negative strand RNA virus are surrounded by multiple copies of nucleoproteins that together form helical nucleocapsids. The Methods and Electron Microscopy Group used state-of-the art cryo-electron microscopy to determine the 3.3 Å resolution structure of recombinant non-pathogenic Hantaan virus nucleocapsid, thereby revealing how nucleoproteins interact to form nucleocapsids that contain a continuous groove able to encompass and protect the RNA genome. This work greatly beneficiated from the IBS state-of-the-art cryo-EM platform and from the high-end Titan Krios ESRF cryo-electron microscope.

High resolution cryo-EM structure of the helical RNA-bound Hantaan virus nucleocapsid reveals its assembly mechanisms. Arragain B, Reguera J, Desfosses A, Gutsche I, Schoehn G, Malet H. Elife ; 8. pii : e43075.