The NS3 protein from dengue virus : structure and function

Abstract

The Dengue virus belongs to the flavivirus genus which includes other important human pathogens such as Yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis and West Nile virus within the Flaviviridae family of enveloped viruses. Dengue virus affects several million people annually, with no effective therapy at hand. The Dengue virion contains a single stranded, positive sense (+) RNA genome of approximately 11 kb which is translated into a large polyprotein containing both structural proteins and nonstructural proteins during the infectious life cycle. The non-structural protein 3 (NS3) is a multifunctional protein of 69 kDa. The N terminal domain of NS3 is a serine protease with NS2B as a cofactor essential for viral polyprotein processing. The C terminal domain is a RNA helicase and a nucleoside 5* triphosphatase, involved in viral replication and virus particle assembly. Thus, NS3 plays an important role in viral life cycle and represents a target for the development of specific antiviral inhibitors.