Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 14, 2026

Structure of HIV-1 Capsid Assemblies by Cryo-electron Microscopy and Iterative Helical Real-space Reconstruction
Published on: August 9, 2011
Structural virology. Near-atomic cryo-EM structure of the helical measles virus nucleocapsid
Irina Gutsche1, Ambroise Desfosses2, Grégory Effantin3
1CNRS, Unit for Virus Host-Cell Interactions, 38042 Grenoble, France. Université Grenoble Alpes, Unit for Virus Host-Cell Interactions, 38042 Grenoble, France. gutsche@embl.fr.
Abstract:
Measles is a highly contagious human disease. We used cryo-electron microscopy and single particle-based helical image analysis to determine the structure of the helical nucleocapsid formed by the folded domain of the measles virus nucleoprotein encapsidating an RNA at a resolution of 4.3 angstroms. The resulting pseudoatomic model of the measles virus nucleocapsid offers important insights into the mechanism of the helical polymerization of nucleocapsids of negative-strand RNA viruses, in particular via the exchange subdomains of the nucleoprotein. The structure reveals the mode of the nucleoprotein-RNA interaction and explains why each nucleoprotein of measles virus binds six nucleotides, whereas the respiratory syncytial virus nucleoprotein binds seven. It provides a rational basis for further analysis of measles virus replication and transcription, and reveals potential targets for drug design.
Related Concept Videos
Viral Structure
Size and Structure of Viral Genomes
Cryo-electron Microscopy
Introduction to Virus
Nucleic Acid Structure
DNA Structure
DNA...
Viruses with RNA Genomes

