Rudolf K. F. Beran

TL;DR: A novel role for the Smc5/6 complex as a restriction factor selectively blocking extrachromosomal DNA transcription is uncovered, and HBx relieves the inhibition to allow productive hepatitis B virus gene expression.

TL;DR: This work follows in real time, at a resolution of two base pairs and 20 ms, the RNA translocation and unwinding cycles of a hepatitis C virus helicase (NS3) monomer, a representative superfamily-2 helicase essential for viral replication, and therefore a potentially important drug target.

TL;DR: It is demonstrated that one member of this family, CsdA, whose expression is induced by cold shock, interacts physically and functionally with RNase E, and is shown to be a flexible macromolecular machine capable of adapting to altered environmental conditions.

TL;DR: A reverse genetic analysis of NS2 in the context of a chimeric genotype 2a infectious cell culture system reveals a complex network of interactions involving NS2 and other viral structural and nonstructural proteins during virus assembly.

TL;DR: The structure and function of the C-terminal acidic region of NS4A is examined through site-directed mutagenesis of a Con1 subgenomic replicon and through biophysical characterization of a synthetic peptide corresponding to this region, indicating that this region can adopt an alpha-helical conformation but that this folding requires neutralization of a cluster of acidic residues.