Structural basis for recognition and regulation of arenavirus polymerase L by Z protein

Abstract

Junin virus (JUNV) causes Argentine hemorrhagic fever and encodes the large protein (L) of the RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) and its regulator, the matrix zinc-binding protein (Z). Here, the authors present the 3.54 Å cryo-EM structure of the complex of JUNV L with Z, and they propose a model of how JUNV L is regulated by Z during the viral life cycle and RNA synthesis.