Coinciding with their NP-binding abilities (Fig 4F and 4G), the full-length METTL3, ΔNTD, and ΔMTD, rather than ΔZFD, were able to enhance SFTSV infection (Fig 4J), indicating that ZFD-mediated METTL3-NP interaction is indispensable for augmented SFTSV lifecycle. This evidence concerns the gene METTL3 and infection.