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Updated: Dec 21, 2025

Engineering Antiviral Agents via Surface Plasmon Resonance
Published on: June 14, 2022
Biochemical characterization of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein
Weihong Zeng1, Guangfeng Liu2, Huan Ma3
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Molecular Medicine, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China; Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, Laboratory of Structural Immunology, CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230027, China.
Abstract:
The nucleocapsid (N) protein is an important antigen for coronavirus, which participate in RNA package and virus particle release. In this study, we expressed the N protein of SARS-CoV-2 and characterized its biochemical properties. Static light scattering, size exclusive chromatography, and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) showed that the purified N protein is largely a dimer in solution. CD spectra showed that it has a high percentage of disordered region at room temperature while it was best structured at 55 °C, suggesting its structural dynamics. Fluorescence polarization assay showed it has non-specific nucleic acid binding capability, which raised a concern in using it as a diagnostic marker. Immunoblot assays confirmed the presence of IgA, IgM and IgG antibodies against N antigen in COVID-19 infection patients' sera, proving the importance of this antigen in host immunity and diagnostics.
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