Abstract

Rhabdoviridae are single stranded negative sense RNA viruses. The viral RNA condensed by the nucleoprotein (N), the phosphoprotein (P) and the large subunit (L) of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase are the viral components of the transcription/replication machineries. Both P and N contain intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) that play different roles in the virus life cycle. Here, we describe the modular organization of P based on recent structural, biophysical and bioinformatics data. We show how flexible loops in N participate in the attachment of P to the N-RNA template by an induced- fit mechanism. Finally, we discuss the roles of IDRs in the mechanism of replication/transcription, and propose a new model for the interaction of the L subunit with its N-RNA template.

Keywords: Rhabdoviridae, replication complex, phosphoprotein, nucleoprotein, intrinsically disordered regions