Recombinant Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 Nucleoprotein (N) (D103Y) (Active)

Function

May induce inflammasome responses in cultured cells and mice. Acts by interacting with host NLRP3 to facilitate inflammasome assembly, which induces cytokine release that may play a role in COVID lung injury. Disrupts the association betwen NLRP3 and ABHD8, enhancing NLRP3 stability and leading to increased inflammasome activation (PubMed:39225180)

Subcellular Location

Virion; Host cytoplasm; Secreted; Host extracellular space

Subunit

Homodimer, homotetramer, homooligomer with RNA (PubMed:32654247, PubMed:38172120). Both monomeric and oligomeric forms interact with RNA. Interacts with protein M (By similarity). Interacts with protein E (By similarity). Interacts with NSP3; this interaction serves to tether the genome to the newly translated replicase-transcriptase complex at a very early stage of infection (PubMed:35044811). Interacts with host NLRP3 and ABHD8; these interactions disrupt the association between NLRP3 and ABHD8, increasing NLRP3 stability, ultimately leading to increased inflammasome activation (PubMed:34341353, PubMed:39225180). Interacts with host G3BP1; the interaction is enhanced by host HDAC6 which deacetylates the viral N protein and promotes N protein association with G3BP1, disrupting stress granule formation and facilitating viral replication (PubMed:39135075)

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• Gordon D.E. et al. Comparative host-coronavirus protein interaction networks reveal pan-viral disease mechanisms. — Science (2020)
• Yang S. et al. ABHD8 antagonizes inflammation by facilitating chaperone-mediated autophagy-mediated degradation of NLRP3. — Autophagy (2025)
• Ye Q. et al. Architecture and self-assembly of the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein. — Protein Sci. (2020)
• Nikolakaki E. et al. SR/RS Motifs as Critical Determinants of Coronavirus Life Cycle. — Front. Mol. Biosci. (2020)
• Leung K. et al. Early transmissibility assessment of the N501Y mutant strains of SARS-CoV-2 in the United Kingdom, October to November 2020. — Eurosurveillance (2021)
• Pan P. et al. SARS-CoV-2 N protein promotes NLRP3 inflammasome activation to induce hyperinflammation. — Nat. Commun. (2021)
• Kang S. et al. Crystal structure of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein RNA binding domain reveals potential unique drug targeting sites. — Acta Pharmacol. Sin. (2020)