Structure and Assembly of the Influenza A Virus Ribonucleoprotein Complex
Wenjie Zheng, Wenting Zhang, Yusong R. Guo and Yizhi Jane Tao
from: Influenza: Current Research (Edited by: Qinghua Wang and Yizhi Jane Tao). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2016) Pages: 55-76.
Abstract
The genome of the influenza A virus as well as other orthomyxoviruses is comprised of eight segments of single-stranded, negative-sense RNA that are encapsidated as individual rod-shaped ribonucleoprotein complexes (RNPs). Influenza A virus RNPs play critical roles during virus infection by directing viral RNA replication and transcription, intracellular trafficking of the viral RNA, gene reassortment as well as genome packaging into progeny viruses. Biochemically each RNP contains a viral RNA, a viral polymerase and multiple copies of the viral nucleoprotein (NP). Built on over 40 years of intensive research, exciting developments in recent years have substantially enhanced our understanding of the structure and function of various molecular components of RNP as well as the double-helical RNP structure itself read more ...
