A serine-to-asparagine mutation at position 314 of H5N1 avian influenza virus NP is a temperature-sensitive mutation that interferes with nuclear localization of NP.

We have generated a temperature-sensitive (ts) mutant from a human isolate of the H5N1 avian influenza virus by classical adaptation in cell culture. After 20 passages at low temperature, the virus showed a ts phenotype. The ts mutant also showed an attenuated phenotype after nasal inoculation in mice. Using reverse genetics, we generated reassortants carrying individual genomic segments of the wild-type and mutant viruses in an A/Puerto Rico/8/34 background, and found that the nucleoprotein (NP) gene could confer the ts phenotype. This mutant NP contains a serine-to-asparagine mutation at position 314 (S314N). The mutant NP protein showed a defect in nuclear localization at high temperature in mammalian cells.