A Focus on Ebola Virus Polymerase

The Ebola virus causes an acute, serious illness, which is often fatal if untreated. The 2014-2016 outbreak in West Africa was the largest and most complex Ebola outbreak since the first discovery of this virus in 1976. This chapter gives an overview about the Ebola virus RNA polymerase describing its structure, functions, and inhibitors. Ebola L-polymerase is an essential protein for the replication of the virus and thus it constitutes a good target for antiviral therapy. It is an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase that catalyzes the transcription of viral mRNAs, their capping and polyadenylation. Till now, no 3D structure of Ebola virus L-polymerase has been experimentally characterized, but its homology model based on crystal structures of other proteins, obtained theoretically, permitted to obtain its important functional and structural data. This chapter also summarizes the status quo of drugs currently used to treat Ebola virus infection.