2020/05/25 by Coscio, Federico, Nadra, Alejandro D., Ferreiro, Diego U.
#Biomolecules (q-bio.BM) #FOS: Biological sciences
paper · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2005.12165
We propose a mesoscale model structure for the coronavirus nucleocapsid, assembled from the high resolution structures of the basic building blocks of the N-protein, CryoEM imaging and mathematical constraints for an overall quasi-spherical particle. The structure is a truncated octahedron that accommodates two layers: an outer shell composed of triangular and quadrangular lattices of the N-terminal domain and an inner shell of equivalent lattices of coiled parallel helices of the C-terminal domain. The model is consistent with the dimensions expected for packaging large viral genomes and provides a rationale to interpret the apparent pleomorphic nature of coronaviruses.