Transcript Slide 1

About the Speaker:
Program in Emerging Infectious
Diseases (EID)
Flavivirus Capsid Protein
Dr Mary Ng, PhD
Department of Microbiology
Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine
National University of Singapore
Abstract:
Flavivirus capsid (C) protein is a small structural protein.
The main function of C protein is to package viral RNA into
the nucleocapsid core during viral assembly. The positivelycharged C protein binds to negatively-charged viral RNA,
homo-oligomerizes
and assembles into cage-like
nucleocapsid.
Our study demonstrated that C protein-RNA association
was regulated by the phosphorylation / dephosphorylation
of C protein. Phosphorylated C protein was unable to bind
to viral RNA but it was transported into the cell nucleus via
direct interaction with importin proteins.High throughput
protoarray analysis using purified biotinylated full-length C
protein unravelled several novel host interacting proteins
that are involved in modulating ribosomal RNA processing,
cell cycle control, apoptosis and other signal transduction
pathways.
In addition to interactions with nuclear proteins, flaviviral C
protein also interacts with cytoplasmic proteins during
replication process. One such example is the specific
interaction with human Sec3 protein (hSec3p). hSec3p is
an exocyst component found to be a host anti-viral
response against the infecting virus but the C protein was
found to be able to abolish this response.
Most of the anti-viral research targets viral envelope or the
enzymatic activity of non-structural proteins such as
NS3/NS5 proteins. Our study pinpointed C protein as one of
the
potential
anti-viral
target
because of its multifunctional
Date
: August
2, 2013
(Friday)
roles
Time in: nucleocapsid
3.00 – 4.00 pmformation and C -host protein
interplay.
Host : Dr Manoj N Krishnan
Program in Emerging Infectious Diseases(EID)
Venue : Duke-NUS, Amphitheatre, 2nd Floor
Professor Mah-Lee Ng is Professor
of Department of Microbiology and
is concurrently the Director of the
Electron Microscopy Unit, Yong Loo
Lin School of Medicine, NUS.
She has mentored/mentoring 50
post-graduate students and over 70
B Sc (Honours) students in addition
to
her
teaching
for
the
undergraduate Science and Dental
students. Her primary research
interest is on the pathogenesis and
anti-viral strategies for flavivirus
infections with focus on dengue
and West Nile viruses.
Other strength of her research
team is on innovative imaging
techniques for biomedical research.
Professor Ng has been successful
in obtaining several external
competitive grants for her research.
She has over 110 international
publications on her research and
has given
numerous
invited
lectures at conferences.
Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, 8 College Road, S169857. For more information, please visit our website www.duke-nus.edu.sg