title: Morphology of Marburg virus NP-RNA.
abstract: When Marburg virus (MBGV) nucleoprotein (NP) is expressed in insect cells, it binds to cellular RNA and forms NP-RNA complexes such as insect cell-expressed nucleoproteins from other nonsegmented negative-strand RNA viruses. Recombinant MBGV NP-RNA forms loose coils that resemble rabies virus N-RNA. MBGV NP monomers are rods that are spaced along the coil similar to the nucleoprotein monomers of the rabies virus N-RNA. High salt treatment induces tight coiling of the MBGV NP-RNA, again a characteristic observed for other nonsegmented negative-strand virus N-RNAs. Electron microscopy of fixed Marburg virus particles shows that the viral nucleocapsid has a smaller diameter than the free, recombinant NP-RNA. This difference in helical parameters could be caused by the interaction of other viral proteins with the NP-RNA. A similar but opposite phenomenon is observed for rhabdovirus nucleocapsids that are condensed by the viral matrix protein upon which they acquire a larger diameter. Finally, there appears to be an extensive and regular protein scaffold between the viral nucleocapsid and the membrane that seems not to exist in the other negative-strand RNA viruses.
authors.affiliation: EMBL Grenoble Outstation, Grenoble Cedex 9, France.
authors.forename: Manos
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mavrakis
authors.forename: Larissa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kolesnikova
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schoehn
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: Rob W H
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Ruigrok
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel / Q000379:methods; D029024:Marburgvirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D019590:Nucleocapsid Proteins; D012313:RNA / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D012261:Ribonucleoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D014764:Viral Proteins
chemical_list: D019590:Nucleocapsid Proteins; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D012261:Ribonucleoproteins; D014764:Viral Proteins; C073094:nucleoprotein, Marburg virus; D012313:RNA