Vesicular stomatitis virus nucleoprotein (VSV-N)

The Vesicular stomatitis virus nucleoprotein (VSV-N) is a primary structural protein of the Vesicular stomatitis virus, a prototypic rhabdovirus (UniProt P03521). Its fundamental biological function is the encapsidation of the single-stranded, negative-sense viral RNA genome, which protects the RNA from host-cell nucleases and maintains it in a specific conformation required for recognition by the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (PubMed: 16778892). VSV-N monomers polymerize along the length of the genomic RNA to form a rigid, helical nucleocapsid, which serves as the essential template for both transcription and replication (PubMed: 10666350). In terms of disease, VSV causes vesicular stomatitis in livestock, characterized by mucosal lesions, and can occasionally cause mild, flu-like symptoms in humans (CDC). As a therapeutic target, VSV-N is a focus for antiviral development, with experimental small molecules like G08 and Suramin demonstrating the ability to interfere with nucleocapsid assembly or RNA binding (PubMed: 22114337, 25455981). Furthermore, VSV-N is a critical component in the engineering of VSV-based vaccine vectors, such as those used for Ebola virus, where its stability and expression levels are vital for vaccine efficacy (PubMed: 26232171).

Other names

Nucleocapsid proteinN proteinNucleoprotein NVSV-N protein

Inhibition of viral RNA encapsidation and disruption of the nucleocapsid template required for RNA synthesis.