Hantaviruses use the endogenous host factor P58IPK to combat the PKR antiviral response.

Hantavirus nucleocapsid protein (NP) inhibits protein kinase R (PKR) dimerization by an unknown mechanism to counteract its antiviral responses during virus infection. Here we demonstrate that NP exploits an endogenous PKR inhibitor P58IPK to inhibit PKR. The activity of P58IPK is normally restricted in cells by the formation of an inactive complex with its negative regulator Hsp40.

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus nucleocapsid protein harbors distinct RNA-binding sites in the stalk and head domains.

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is a tick-borne that causes severe hemorrhagic fever with a mortality rate of up to 30% in certain outbreaks worldwide. The virus has wide endemic distribution. There is no effective antiviral therapeutic or FDA approved vaccine for this zoonotic viral illness.