Human protection against Ebola and Marburg viruses remains limited. However, this is about to change as breakthrough research is poised to fast-track the development of new antivirals against these deadly filoviruses.

Scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) led by Dr. Reika Watanabe, LJI Staff Scientist and the study's first author, secured complete, detailed images of the Ebola virus nucleocapsid—a first in science. Using the imaging technique cryo-electron tomography, Watanabe successfully depicted what the viral structure looks like and how it works inside infected cells.

In the study published in Cell, the team shared that the nucleocapsid has a cylindrical shape akin to a coiled telephone cord. The viral structure has three layers, with each designed with unique roles to replicate in host cells.

Watanabe's research also revealed the composition of the nucleocapsid's outer layer and how it connects the nucleocapsid to the viral membrane. 

It also showed the interaction between proteins in different layers inside the host cells and how the Ebola virus alters protein structures as the nucleocapsid contributes to new viral particle formation.

Dr. Erica Ollmann Saphire, the study's senior author and LJI President and CEO, said:

    "We found that the core protein adopts different forms in the distinct layers of the nucleocapsid to play different roles...This study solves several puzzles in the field."

Watanabe emphasized the nucleocapsid's integral function in the virus's survival, more so even in its ability to infect cells. She also conjectured that it may have preserved its overall structure as filoviruses evolved, explaining how Ebola and Marburg viruses share a conserved nucleocapsid structure. 

Taking off from this discovery, Watanabe plans to focus next on the Marburg virus and its nucleocapsid assembly. 

Read the full article here to learn more about Ebola's nucleocapsid structure. 

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