Coronavirus membrane pores – MemPoco

Coronaviral infection involves remodelling of the host endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to form double membrane vesicles (DMVs); compartments that house the viral replication complexes and RNA. A recent study identified a transmembrane pore that crosses both membranes of the DMV, providing a point of exchange with the cytosol for exchange of metabolites and extrusion of RNA. Data suggests that this pore is composed minimally of viral non-structural proteins nsp3 and nsp4. This proposal seeks to use several parallel methods to purify and isolate this pore for structural characterisation by cryo-EM in vitro, and biochemical analysis. Different systems will be used to analyse how nsp34 processing affects pore formation.