nucleocapsid

[ noo-klee-uh-kap-sid, nyoo- ]

/ ˌnu kli əˈkæp sɪd, ˌnyu- /

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noun Microbiology.

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

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Origin of nucleocapsid

First recorded in 1960–65; nucleo- + capsid¹

Words nearby nucleocapsid

nucleiform, nuclein, nuclei nervi vestibulocochlearis, nuclei of origin, nucleo-, nucleocapsid, nucleofugal, nucleohistone, nucleoid, nucleolar, nucleolar satellite

How to use nucleocapsid in a sentence

The scientists tested both aerosols and large droplets in the air samples for coronavirus RNA and calculated how many copies of the virus’s nucleocapsid protein gene, or N gene, were present.
New studies hint that the coronavirus may be evolving to become more airborne|Tina Hesman Saey|August 17, 2021|Science News
Antibody tests usually test for antibodies against the virus’s nucleocapsid, or N protein.
As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, we answer 7 lingering vaccine questions|Tina Hesman Saey|May 11, 2021|Science News
Vaxart’s vaccine contains instructions for making the spike protein, and also for the nucleocapsid, or N protein.
Here’s what makes 4 promising COVID-19 vaccines unique — and potentially useful|Tina Hesman Saey|March 23, 2021|Science News
Scientists leading the trial say the nucleocapsid may be less likely to mutate than the spike protein, which since the start of the pandemic has changed in ways that lower the protection provided by vaccines that target the spike alone.
Cape Town is testing a Covid-19 vaccine designed to protect against new variants|Brian Browdie|February 23, 2021|Quartz

It targets both a protein known as a nucleocapsid, which coronaviruses use to infect their host, and the so-called spike protein zeroed in on by vaccines authorized for use already.
Cape Town is testing a Covid-19 vaccine designed to protect against new variants|Brian Browdie|February 23, 2021|Quartz

Medical definitions for nucleocapsid

nucleocapsid

[ nōō′klē-ō-kăp′sĭd ]

The basic structure of a virus, consisting of a core of nucleic acid enclosed in a protein coat.