# MULTIPLICATION OF PARAMYXOVIRUSES

> **NIH NIH R01** · ST. JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL · 1989 · $304,018

## Abstract

We are studying molecular mechanisms of RNA synthesis by Sendai virus, a
useful laboratory model of the medically important paramyxovirus family.
Structure-function relationships of the three virus nucleocapsid proteins,
L, P and NP, will be explored by site-specific mutagenesis of recombinant
DNA molecules representing the genes that specify these proteins.  Each
mutated gene will be transfected into eukaryotic cells, where the protein
it expresses can be complemented by a virus mutant nonconditionally
defective in the same gene.

NP protein functions in question are assembly into nucleocapsids,
interactions within the nucleocapsid with viral and RNA and the P and L
protein, interactions with the viral envelope proteins that culminate in
virus budding, and regulation of virus RNA replication.

The auxiliary nucleocapsid proteins, P and L, cooperate to synthesize viral
RNA; we aim to determine which species possesses the catalytic site for
each of the enzymatic activities involved in 5'-terminal modifications of
viral transcripts and map the amino acids that make up those sites.  We
will also map sites involved in P-L interactions and the assembly of P and
L into nucleocapsids, and we will identify the functions of the
nonstructural C proteins whose genetic elements are embedded within the P
gene.

We propose an in vitro system for generating viral RNA species from
recombinant DNA, enabling us to identify the nucleation site for DNA
encapsidation and to generate artificial deletion mutant (DI) viral
nucleocapsids containing nucleotide sequences that regulate replicative and
transcriptional RNA synthesis.  We plan to define the regulatory roles of
the nucleotide in these sequences by introducing site-specific mutations
into recombinant DNA molecules that encode them.  We will then introduce DI
nucleocapsids made from the DNA templates into eukaryotic cells infected
with nondefective helper virus, and assess the effects of the mutations on
RNA synthesis specified by the DI genomes.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3124233
- **Project number:** 5R01AI005343-26
- **Recipient organization:** ST. JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL
- **SAM.gov UEI:** JL4JHE9SDRR3
- **Principal Investigator:** ALLEN PORTNER
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1989
- **Award amount:** $304,018
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1976-09-01 → 1991-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3124233

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3124233, MULTIPLICATION OF PARAMYXOVIRUSES (5R01AI005343-26). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3124233. Licensed CC0.

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