Structure and function of nucleoproteins from Orthomyxoviruses

The nucleoprotein (NP) is a core protein in viruses within the Orthomyxoviridae family. It performs multiple vital roles in support of the viral life cycle. Protein crystallography has provided high resolution structures of NP, revealing the fundamental structural features of the protein which are essential for structure-based drug design. In order to gain insights on how NP supports its functional roles with its structure, we present here an overview on the structural and functional information of NP from different Orthomyxoviruses, with a focus on domain dissection, oligomer association, RNA encapsidation and interaction with polymerase to form a ribonucleoprotein and explore how they are related to each other.