Skip to main content
. 2022 Aug 15;13:4802. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-32223-1

Fig. 2. Structure of the helical VSV nucleocapsid.

Fig. 2

a Top views of the helical nucleocapsids from virions with different numbers of subunits per turn. The nucleoprotein (N) is colored green, the RNA red, and the two matrix proteins (M1 and M2) are colored orange and purple, respectively. b Schematic organization of the VSV negative-strand genomic RNA. Open reading frames encoding the five viral proteins are indicated by solid black lines. Transcription start sites are indicated by arrows. The 3′ end of the single-stranded RNA terminates at the tip of the virion, the 5′ at the base of the trunk. c Structure of the helical nucleocapsid with N = 38.5 in top (left) and side (right) view. Molecules are colored as in a. The three protein layers are labeled N (nucleoprotein), M1 (inner layer matrix protein), and M2 (outer layer matrix protein). d Structural comparison of the subunit arrangement in nucleocapsids with different N. Two adjacent asymmetric units (RNA-N-M1-M2) of each class are shown in ribbon representation and are superimposed on one N protein (colored in gray).