Near-atomic cryo-EM structure of the helical measles virus nucleocapsid

Measles virus capsid at high resolution Viruses rely on their capsid proteins to package and protect their genome. For measles virus and other Mononegavirales family members, multiple capsid proteins together form a helical shell around the viral RNA (collectively called the nucleocapsid). Gutsche et al. now report a high-resolution cryoelectron microscopy structure of the measles virus nucleocapsid. The structure reveals how the nucleocapsid assembles and how the nucleo-protein and viral RNA interact, both of which may inform drug design Science , this issue p. 704