Structural analysis of the putative SARS-CoV-2 primase complex

We report the crystal structure of the SARS-CoV-2 putative primase composed of the nsp7 and nsp8 proteins. We observed a dimer of dimers (2:2 nsp7-nsp8) in the crystallographic asymmetric unit. The structure revealed a fold with a helical core of the heterotetramer formed by both nsp7 and nsp8 that is flanked with two symmetry-related nsp8 β-sheet subdomains. It was also revealed that two hydrophobic interfaces one of approx. 1340 Å2 connects the nsp7 to nsp8 and a second one of approx. 950 Å2 connects the dimers and form the observed heterotetramer. Interestingly, analysis of the surface electrostatic potential revealed a putative RNA binding site that is formed only within the heterotetramer.

• Publication year

  2020

• Venue

  Journal of Structural Biology

• Publication date

  2020-06-11

• Fields of study

  Medicine, Chemistry

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1016/j.jsb.2020.107548PMID 32535228PMCID 7289108
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

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