The Structure Analysis and Antigenicity Study of the N Protein of SARS-CoV

(整期优先)网络出版时间:2003-02-12
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TheCoronaviridaefamilyischaracterizedbyanucleocapsidthatiscomposedofthegenomeRNAmoleculeincombinationwiththenucleoprotein(Nprotein)withinavirion.ThemoststrikingphysiochemicalfeatureoftheNproteinofSARS-CoVisthatitisatypicalbasicproteinwithahighpredictedpIandhighhydrophilicity,whichisconsistentwithitsfunctionofbindingtotheribophosphatebackboneoftheRNAmolecule.ThepredictedhighextentofphosphorylationoftheNproteinonmultiplecandidatephosphorylationsitesdemonstratesthatitwouldberelatedtoimportantfunctions,suchasRNA-bindingandlocalizationtothenucleolusofhostcells.SubsequentstudyshowsthatthereisanSR-richregionintheNproteinandthisregionmightbeinvolvedintheprotein-proteininteraction.TheabundantantigenicsitespredictedintheNprotein,aswellasexperimentalevidencewithsynthesizedpolypeptides,indicatethattheNproteinisoneofthemajorantigensoftheSARS-CoV.Comparedwithotherviralstructuralproteins,thelowvariationrateoftheNproteinwithregardstoitssizesuggestsitsimportancetothesurvivalofthevirus.