Structural genomics of the SARS coronavirus: cloning, expression, crystallization and preliminary crystallographic study of the Nsp9 protein.

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Citation

Campanacci V, Egloff MP, Longhi S, Ferron F, Rancurel C, Salomoni A, Durousseau C, Tocque F, Bremond N, Dobbe JC, Snijder EJ, Canard B, Cambillau C

Structural genomics of the SARS coronavirus: cloning, expression, crystallization and preliminary crystallographic study of the Nsp9 protein.

Acta Crystallogr D Biol Crystallogr. 2003 Sep;59(Pt 9):1628-31. Epub 2003 Aug 19.

PubMed ID
12925794 [ View in PubMed
]
Abstract

The aetiologic agent of the recent epidemics of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is a positive-stranded RNA virus (SARS-CoV) belonging to the Coronaviridae family and its genome differs substantially from those of other known coronaviruses. SARS-CoV is transmissible mainly by the respiratory route and to date there is no vaccine and no prophylactic or therapeutic treatments against this agent. A SARS-CoV whole-genome approach has been developed aimed at determining the crystal structure of all of its proteins or domains. These studies are expected to greatly facilitate drug design. The genomes of coronaviruses are between 27 and 31.5 kbp in length, the largest of the known RNA viruses, and encode 20-30 mature proteins. The functions of many of these polypeptides, including the Nsp9-Nsp10 replicase-cleavage products, are still unknown. Here, the cloning, Escherichia coli expression, purification and crystallization of the SARS-CoV Nsp9 protein, the first SARS-CoV protein to be crystallized, are reported. Nsp9 crystals diffract to 2.8 A resolution and belong to space group P6(1/5)22, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 89.7, c = 136.7 A. With two molecules in the asymmetric unit, the solvent content is 60% (V(M) = 3.1 A(3) Da(-1)).

DrugBank Data that Cites this Article

Polypeptides
NameUniProt ID
Replicase polyprotein 1abP0C6X7Details
Replicase polyprotein 1aP0C6U8Details