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bioRxiv · 10.1101/658419

A live-cell imaging system for visualizing the transport of Marburg virus nucleocapsid-like structures

Takamatsu, Y.·Noda, T.·Becker, S.
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Abstract

Live-cell imaging is a powerful tool for visualization of the spatio-temporal dynamics of living organisms. Although this technique is utilized to visualize nucleocapsid transport in Marburg virus (MARV)- or Ebola virus-infected cells, the experiments require biosafety level-4 (BSL-4) laboratories, which are restricted to trained and authorized individuals. To overcome this limitation, we developed a live-cell imaging system to visualize MARV nucleocapsid-like structures using fluorescence-conjugated viral proteins, which can be conducted outside BSL-4 laboratories. Our experiments revealed that nucleocapsid-like structures have similar transport characteristics to nucleocapsids observed in MARV-infected cells. This system provides a safe platform to evaluate antiviral drugs that inhibit MARV nucleocapsid transport.

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Takamatsu, Y., Noda, T., Becker, S.. 2019-06-03. A live-cell imaging system for visualizing the transport of Marburg virus nucleocapsid-like structures. https://doi.org/10.1101/658419

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