A conserved influenza A virus nucleoprotein code controls specific viral genome packaging

• DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12861
• Publication Date: 2016-09-21T10:25:30Z
• Authors: Étori Aguiar Moreira; Anna Weber; Hardin Bolte; Larissa Kolesnikova; Sebastian Giese; Seema Lakdawala; Martin Beer; Gert Zimmer; Adolfo García-Sastre; Martin Schwemmle; Mindaugas Juozapa...
• Keywords: Nucleoprotein

Abstract Packaging of the eight genomic RNA segments influenza A viruses (IAV) into viral particles is coordinated by segment-specific packaging sequences. How signals regulate specific incorporation each segment virions and whether other or host factors are involved in this process unknown. Here, we show that distinct amino acids nucleoprotein (NP) required for segments. This was determined studying NP a bat A-like virus, HL17NL10, context conventional IAV (SC35M). Replacement conserved SC35M residues those HL17NL10 resulted defective IAV. Surprisingly, substitution these with led to altered efficiencies subsets suggests harbours an acid code dictates genome infectious virions.