Rotavirus mRNAs are capped but not polyadenylated, and viral proteins are translated by the cellular translation machinery. This is accomplished through the action of the viral Nonstructural Protein NSP3 which specifically binds the 3' consensus sequence of viral mRNAs and interacts with the eukaryotic translation initiation factor eIF4G I.
RoXaN (rotavirus X protein associated with NSP3) is 110-kDa cellular protein that contains a minimum of three regions predicted to be involved in protein–protein or nucleic acid–protein interactions. A tetratricopeptide repeat region, a protein–protein interaction domain most often found in multiprotein complexes, is present in the amino-terminal region. In the carboxy terminus, at least five zinc finger motifs are observed, further suggesting the capacity of RoXaN to bind other proteins or nucleic acids. Between these two regions exists a paxillin leucine-aspartate repeat (LD) motif which is involved in protein–protein interactions.