title: Structure of the nucleoprotein binding domain of Mokola virus phosphoprotein.
abstract: Mokola virus (MOKV) is a nonsegmented, negative-sense RNA virus that belongs to the Lyssavirus genus and Rhabdoviridae family. MOKV phosphoprotein P is an essential component of the replication and transcription complex and acts as a cofactor for the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. P recruits the viral polymerase to the nucleoprotein-bound viral RNA (N-RNA) via an interaction between its C-terminal domain and the N-RNA complex. Here we present a structure for this domain of MOKV P, obtained by expression of full-length P in Escherichia coli, which was subsequently truncated during crystallization. The structure has a high degree of homology with P of rabies virus, another member of Lyssavirus genus, and to a lesser degree with P of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), a member of the related Vesiculovirus genus. In addition, analysis of the crystal packing of this domain reveals a potential binding site for the nucleoprotein N. Using both site-directed mutagenesis and yeast two-hybrid experiments to measure P-N interaction, we have determined the relative roles of key amino acids involved in this interaction to map the region of P that binds N. This analysis also reveals a structural relationship between the N-RNA binding domain of the P proteins of the Rhabdoviridae and the Paramyxoviridae.
authors.affiliation: UPRE Lyssavirus Dynamics and Host Adaptation, WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Rabies, Institut Pasteur, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France.
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Assenberg
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Delmas
authors.forename: Jingshan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: Pierre-Olivier
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Vidalain
authors.forename: Anil
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Verma
authors.forename: Florence
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Larrous
authors.forename: Stephen C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Graham
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tangy
authors.forename: Jonathan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Grimes
authors.forename: Hervé
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bourhy
mesh_terms: D001665:Binding Sites; D003460:Crystallization; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018114:Lyssavirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D019590:Nucleocapsid Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D020798:Two-Hybrid System Techniques; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D019590:Nucleocapsid Proteins; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D014764:Viral Proteins