image: This is a decameric ring formed by the RSV nucleoprotein with RNA. The complex mimics one turn of the authentic nucleocapsid, which acts as template for RSV replication and transcription by the viral polymerase. In the complex, seven RNA nucleotides interact with each N protein. The N protein is represented as a ribbon, with alpha-helices in gold and the rest in blue. The RNA is shown as sticks, with the phospho-ribose backbone in pink and the bases in black. This image relates to an article that appeared in the Nov. 27 issue of Science, published by AAAS. The study, by Dr. R.G. Tawar of the Institut Pasteur in Paris, France, and colleagues, was titled, "3-D Structure of a Nucleocapsid-Like Nucleoprotein-RNA Complex of Respiratory Syncytial Virus." view more
Credit: Image © <i>Science</i>/AAAS