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Updated: Aug 24, 2026

Engineering Antiviral Agents via Surface Plasmon Resonance
Published on: June 14, 2022
Structure of the N-terminal RNA-binding domain of the SARS CoV nucleocapsid protein
Qiulong Huang1, Liping Yu, Andrew M Petros
1Global Pharmaceutical Discovery Division, Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, Illinois 60064-6098, USA.
Abstract:
The severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus belongs to the Coronaviridea family of viruses. Its virion encodes several proteins including a replicase and four structural proteins. Here we describe the three-dimensional structure of the N-terminal domain of the SARS coronavirus (CoV) nucleocapsid protein. The protein consists of a five-stranded beta sheet with a folding topology distinct from other RNA-binding proteins. Single-stranded RNAs bind to the protein surface at the junction between a flexible, positively charged beta hairpin and the core structure. NMR-based screening was used to identify low molecular weight compounds that bind to this site.
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