nucleocapsid

American  

[noo-klee-uh-kap-sid, nyoo-] / ˌnu kli əˈkæp sɪd, ˌnyu- /

noun

Microbiology.

1. the nucleic acid core and surrounding capsid of a virus; the basic viral structure.

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Etymology

Origin of nucleocapsid

First recorded in 1960–65; nucleo- + capsid ¹

Example Sentences

Delta has several mutations in the nucleocapsid protein, for example, which has many jobs, “like a Swiss Army Knife protein,” says virologist David Bauer of the Francis Crick Institute.

From Science Magazine

“It seems that by default, they just give you the nucleocapsid one,” Mr. Lat said.

From New York Times

Early in the pandemic, many commercial tests were designed to look for antibodies to a coronavirus protein called the nucleocapsid, or just N, because after infection, those antibodies were plentiful in the blood.

From New York Times

Preliminary phase 1 data indicate that Vaxart’s vaccine, which consists of an engineered adenovirus encoding both SARS-CoV-2’s spike and and nucleocapsid proteins, elicits a strong T cell response, which could provide long-term protection.

From Scientific American

Most antigen tests target the nucleocapsid protein.

From New York Times