%0 Journal Article %A You, Jaehwan %A Dove, Brian K. %A Enjuanes, Luis %A DeDiego, Marta L. %A Alvarez, Enrique %A Howell, Gareth %A Heinen, Paul %A Zambon, Maria %A Hiscox, Julian A. %T Subcellular localization of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus nucleocapsid protein %D 2005 %J Journal of General Virology, %V 86 %N 12 %P 3303-3310 %@ 1465-2099 %R https://doi.org/10.1099/vir.0.81076-0 %I Microbiology Society, %X The coronavirus nucleocapsid (N) protein is a viral RNA-binding protein with multiple functions in terms of virus replication and modulating cell signalling pathways. N protein is composed of three distinct regions containing RNA-binding motif(s), and appropriate signals for modulating cell signalling. The subcellular localization of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) N protein was studied. In infected cells, SARS-CoV N protein localized exclusively to the cytoplasm. In contrast to the avian coronavirus N protein, overexpressed SARS-CoV N protein remained principally localized to the cytoplasm, with very few cells exhibiting nucleolar localization. Bioinformatic analysis and deletion mutagenesis coupled to confocal microscopy and live-cell imaging, revealed that SARS-CoV N protein regions I and III contained nuclear localization signals and region II contained a nucleolar retention signal. However, cytoplasmic localization was directed by region III and was the dominant localization signal in the protein. %U https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/vir.0.81076-0