Latest Publications

Esra Balıkçı, Franziska Günl, Loïc Carrique, Jeremy R Keown, Ervin Fodor, Jonathan M Grimes

Nipah virus is a highly virulent zoonotic paramyxovirus causing severe respiratory and neurological disease. Despite its lethality, there is no approved treatment for Nipah virus infection. The viral polymerase complex, composed of the polymerase (L) and phos-phoprotein (P), replicates and transcribes the viral RNA genome. Here, we describe structures of the Nipah virus L-P polymerase complex and the L-protein’s Connecting Domain (CD). Our findings offer insights into the structural details of the L-P polymerase complex and the molecular interactions between L-proteinand P-protein, shedding light on the mechanisms of the replicationmachinery. This work will underpin efforts to develop antiviraldrugs that target the polymerase complex of Nipah virus.

Structural characterization of the full-length Hantaan virus polymerase

Jeremy R. Keown, Loïc Carrique, Benjamin E. Nilsson-Payant, Ervin Fodor, Jonnathan M. Grimes

Hantaviridae are a family of segmented negative-sense RNA viruses that contain important human and animal pathogens. Hantaviridae contain a viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase that replicates and transcribes the viral genome. Here we establish the expression and purification of the polymerase from the Old World Hantaan virus and characterise the structure using Cryo-EM. The insights gained here guide future mechanistic studies of both the transcription and replication activities of the hantavirus polymerase and for the development of therapeutic targets.

PLoS Pathogens. December 2024