Speaker: Bo Liang, PhD, EMORY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

Time: 10:00-11:30 a.m., July 12, 2024, GMT+8

Venue: B106, Lui Che-woo Building, PKU

Abstract: 

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a nonsegmented negative-sense (NNS)
RNA virus and the leading cause of respiratory infections, especially in infants and older adults. There is an urgent need to understand the RSV RNA synthesis mechanism and facilitate the development of effective antiviral treatments. The RSV polymerase is a multifunctional RNA-dependent RNA polymerase composed of the large (L) protein and the phosphoprotein (P). It transcribes the RNA genome into ten viral mRNAs and replicates full-length viral genomic and antigenomic RNAs. We have determined the cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of the RSV polymerase alone and its complex with genomic and antigenomic RNA promoters. Our findings offer critical mechanistic insights into the RNA synthesis mechanism of RSV and other NNS RNA viral polymerases, such as those of rabies (RABV), Nipah(NiV), and Ebola(EBOV).

Source: School of Life Sciences, PKU