Nucleotide-bound crystal structures of the SARS-CoV-2 helicase NSP13

Acta Crystallogr F Struct Biol Commun. 2025 Aug 1. doi: 10.1107/S2053230X25005266. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

Nucleotide-bound crystal structures of SARS-CoV-2 NSP13 in ADP- and ATP-bound states were resolved to 1.8 and 1.9 Å, respectively. The ADP-bound model captures a state immediately following ATP hydrolysis, with both ADP and orthophosphate still present in the active site. Further comparative analysis revealed that crystal packing influences NSP13 by stabilizing the nucleotide-binding site, underscoring the importance of accounting for these effects in structure-based drug design targeting NSP13.

Keywords: ADP-bound structure; ATP-bound structure; COVID-19; NSP13 helicase; SARS-CoV-2; inorganic phosphate; nucleotide-binding sites.