scholarly journals The 5′UTR-specific mutation in VEEV TC-83 genome has a strong effect on RNA replication and subgenomic RNA synthesis, but not on translation of the encoded proteins

Virology ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 387 (1) ◽  
pp. 211-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raghavendran Kulasegaran-Shylini ◽  
Varatharasa Thiviyanathan ◽  
David G. Gorenstein ◽  
Ilya Frolov
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabio Chizzolini ◽  
Alexandra Kent ◽  
Luiz F. M. Passalacqua ◽  
Andrej Lupták

<p>A mechanism of nucleoside triphosphorylation would have been critical in an evolving “RNA world” to provide high-energy substrates for reactions such as RNA polymerization. However, synthetic approaches to produce ribonucleoside triphosphoates (rNTPs) have suffered from conditions such as high temperatures or high pH that lead to increased RNA degradation, as well as substrate production that cannot sustain replication. We demonstrate that cyclic trimetaphosphate (cTmp) can react with nucleosides to form rNTPs under mild, prebiotically-relevant conditions, with second-order rate constants ranging from 1.7 x 10<sup>–6</sup> to 6.5 x 10<sup>–6</sup> M<sup>–1</sup> s<sup>–1</sup>. The ATP reaction shows a linear dependence on pH and Mg<sup>2+</sup>, and an enthalpy of activation of 88 ± 4 kJ/mol. At millimolar nucleoside and cTmp concentrations, the rNTP production rate is sufficient to facilitate RNA synthesis by both T7 RNA polymerase and a polymerase ribozyme. We suggest that the optimized reaction of cTmp with nucleosides may provide a viable connection between prebiotic nucleotide synthesis and RNA replication.</p>


2000 ◽  
Vol 74 (16) ◽  
pp. 7375-7380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucy E. Modahl ◽  
Michael M. C. Lai

ABSTRACT Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) contains two types of hepatitis delta antigens (HDAg) in the virion. The small form (S-HDAg) is required for HDV RNA replication, whereas the large form (L-HDAg) potently inhibits it by a dominant-negative inhibitory mechanism. The sequential appearance of these two forms in the infected cells regulates HDV RNA synthesis during the viral life cycle. However, the presence of almost equal amounts of S-HDAg and L-HDAg in the virion raised a puzzling question concerning how HDV can escape the inhibitory effects of L-HDAg and initiate RNA replication after infection. In this study, we examined the inhibitory effects of L-HDAg on the synthesis of various HDV RNA species. Using an HDV RNA-based transfection approach devoid of any artificial DNA intermediates, we showed that a small amount of L-HDAg is sufficient to inhibit HDV genomic RNA synthesis from the antigenomic RNA template. However, the synthesis of antigenomic RNA, including both the 1.7-kb HDV RNA and the 0.8-kb HDAg mRNA, from the genomic-sense RNA was surprisingly resistant to inhibition by L-HDAg. The synthesis of these RNAs was inhibited only when L-HDAg was in vast excess over S-HDAg. These results explain why HDV genomic RNA can initiate replication after infection even though the incoming viral genome is complexed with equal amounts of L-HDAg and S-HDAg. These results also suggest that the mechanisms of synthesis of genomic versus antigenomic RNA are different. This study thus resolves a puzzling question about the early events of the HDV life cycle.


2002 ◽  
Vol 76 (23) ◽  
pp. 12008-12022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon L. Walter ◽  
Todd B. Parsley ◽  
Ellie Ehrenfeld ◽  
Bert L. Semler

ABSTRACT The limited coding capacity of picornavirus genomic RNAs necessitates utilization of host cell factors in the completion of an infectious cycle. One host protein that plays a role in both translation initiation and viral RNA synthesis is poly(rC) binding protein 2 (PCBP2). For picornavirus RNAs containing type I internal ribosome entry site (IRES) elements, PCBP2 binds the major stem-loop structure (stem-loop IV) in the IRES and is essential for translation initiation. Additionally, the binding of PCBP2 to the 5′-terminal stem-loop structure (stem-loop I or cloverleaf) in concert with viral protein 3CD is required for initiation of RNA synthesis directed by poliovirus replication complexes. PCBP1, a highly homologous isoform of PCBP2, binds to poliovirus stem-loop I with an affinity similar to that of PCBP2; however, PCBP1 has reduced affinity for stem-loop IV. Using a dicistronic poliovirus RNA, we were able to functionally uncouple translation and RNA replication in PCBP-depleted extracts. Our results demonstrate that PCBP1 rescues RNA replication but is not able to rescue translation initiation. We have also generated mutated versions of PCBP2 containing site-directed lesions in each of the three RNA-binding domains. Specific defects in RNA binding to either stem-loop I and/or stem-loop IV suggest that these domains may have differential functions in translation and RNA replication. These predictions were confirmed in functional assays that allow separation of RNA replication activities from translation. Our data have implications for differential picornavirus template utilization during viral translation and RNA replication and suggest that specific PCBP2 domains may have distinct roles in these activities.


2006 ◽  
Vol 80 (6) ◽  
pp. 3108-3111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valeria Lulla ◽  
Andres Merits ◽  
Peter Sarin ◽  
Leevi Kääriäinen ◽  
Sirkka Keränen ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT We have sequenced the nonstructural protein coding region of Semliki Forest virus temperature-sensitive (ts) mutant strains ts1, ts6, ts9, ts10, ts11, ts13, and ts14. In each case, the individual amino acid changes uncovered were transferred to the prototype strain background and thereby identified as the underlying cause of the altered RNA synthesis phenotype. All mutations mapping to the protease domain of nonstructural protein nsP2 caused defects in nonstructural polyprotein processing and subgenomic RNA synthesis, and all mutations in the helicase domain of nsP2 affected subgenomic RNA production. These types of defects were not associated with mutations in other nonstructural proteins.


2004 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 793-796 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laval Chan ◽  
Sanjoy K. Das ◽  
T.Jagadeeswar Reddy ◽  
Carl Poisson ◽  
Mélanie Proulx ◽  
...  

2004 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 1129-1138 ◽  
Author(s):  
John N. Barr ◽  
Gail W. Wertz

ABSTRACT Bunyamwera virus (BUNV) is the prototype of both the Orthobunyavirus genus and the Bunyaviridae family of segmented negative-sense RNA viruses. The tripartite BUNV genome consists of small (S), medium (M), and large (L) segments that are each transcribed to yield a single mRNA and are replicated to generate an antigenome that acts as a template for synthesis of further genomic strands. As for all negative-sense RNA viruses, the 3′- and 5′-terminal nontranslated regions (NTRs) of the BUNV S, M, and L segments exhibit nucleotide complementarity and, except for one conserved U-G pairing, this complementarity extends for 15, 18, and 19 nucleotides, respectively. We investigated whether the complementarity of 3′ and 5′ NTRs reflected a functional requirement for terminal cooperation to promote BUNV RNA synthesis or, alternatively, was a consequence of genomic and antigenomic NTRs having similar functions requiring sequence conservation. We show that cooperation between 3′- and 5′-NTR sequences is required for BUNV RNA synthesis, and our results suggest that this cooperation is due to nucleotide complementarity allowing 3′ and 5′ NTRs to associate through base-pairing interactions. To examine the importance of complementarity in promoting BUNV RNA synthesis, we utilized a competitive replication assay able to examine the replication ability of all possible combinations of interacting nucleotides within a defined region of BUNV 3′ and 5′ NTRs. We show here that maximal RNA replication was signaled when sequences exhibiting perfect complementarity within 3′ and 5′ NTRs were selected.


2000 ◽  
Vol 74 (13) ◽  
pp. 5988-5996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gennadiy Koev ◽  
W. Allen Miller

ABSTRACT Numerous RNA viruses generate subgenomic mRNAs (sgRNAs) for expression of their 3′-proximal genes. A major step in control of viral gene expression is the regulation of sgRNA synthesis by specific promoter elements. We used barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) as a model system to study transcriptional control in a virus with multiple sgRNAs. BYDV generates three sgRNAs during infection. The sgRNA1 promoter has been mapped previously to a 98-nucleotide (nt) region which forms two stem-loop structures. It was determined that sgRNA1 is not required for BYDV RNA replication in oat protoplasts. In this study, we show that neither sgRNA2 nor sgRNA3 is required for BYDV RNA replication. The promoters for sgRNA2 and sgRNA3 synthesis were mapped by using deletion mutagenesis. The minimal sgRNA2 promoter is approximately 143 nt long (nt 4810 to 4952) and is located immediately downstream of the putative sgRNA2 start site (nt 4809). The minimal sgRNA3 core promoter is 44 nt long (nt 5345 to 5388), with most of the sequence located downstream of sgRNA3 start site (nt 5348). For both promoters, additional sequences upstream of the start site enhanced sgRNA promoter activity. These promoters contrast to the sgRNA1 promoter, in which almost all of the promoter is located upstream of the transcription initiation site. Comparison of RNA sequences and computer-predicted secondary structures revealed little or no homology between the three sgRNA promoter elements. Thus, a small RNA virus with multiple sgRNAs can have very different subgenomic promoters, which implies a complex system for promoter recognition and regulation of subgenomic RNA synthesis.


2004 ◽  
Vol 78 (23) ◽  
pp. 13007-13018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher T. Cornell ◽  
Jo Ellen Brunner ◽  
Bert L. Semler

ABSTRACT We have previously described the RNA replication properties of poliovirus transcripts harboring chimeric RNA polymerase sequences representing suballelic exchanges between poliovirus type 1 (PV1) and coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) utilizing an in vitro translation and RNA replication assay (C. Cornell, R. Perera, J. E. Brunner, and B. L. Semler, J. Virol. 78:4397-4407, 2004). We showed that three of the seven chimeras were capable of RNA replication in vitro, although replication levels were greatly reduced compared to that of wild-type transcripts. Interestingly, one of the replication-competent transcripts displayed a strand-specific RNA synthesis defect suggesting (i) a differential replication complex assembly mechanism involving 3D and/or precursor molecules (i.e., 3CD) required for negative- versus positive-strand RNA synthesis or (ii) effect(s) on the ability of the 3D polymerase to form higher-ordered structures required for positive-strand RNA synthesis. In this study, we have attempted to rescue defective RNA replication in vitro by cotranslating nonstructural proteins from a transcript encoding a large precursor polyprotein (P3) to complement 3D polymerase and/or precursor polypeptide functions altered in each of the chimeric constructs. Utilization of a wild-type P3 construct revealed that all transcripts containing chimeric PV1/CVB3 polymerase sequences can be complemented in trans for both negative- and positive-strand RNA synthesis. Furthermore, data from experiments utilizing genetically modified forms of the P3 polyprotein, containing mutations within 3C or 3D sequences, strongly suggest the existence of different protein-protein and protein-RNA interactions required for positive- versus negative-strand RNA synthesis. These results, combined with data from in vitro RNA elongation assays, indicate that the delivery of active 3D RNA polymerase to replication complexes requires a series of macromolecular interactions that rely on the presence of specific 3D amino acid sequences.


2016 ◽  
Vol 90 (12) ◽  
pp. 5735-5749 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao-Dan Li ◽  
Cheng-Lin Deng ◽  
Han-Qing Ye ◽  
Hong-Lei Zhang ◽  
Qiu-Yan Zhang ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTFlavivirus nonstructural protein 2B (NS2B) is a transmembrane protein that functions as a cofactor for viral NS3 protease. The cytoplasmic region (amino acids 51 to 95) alone of NS2B is sufficient for NS3 protease activity, whereas the role of transmembrane domains (TMDs) remains obscure. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that flavivirus NS2B plays a critical role in virion assembly. Using Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) as a model, we performed a systematic mutagenesis at the flavivirus conserved residues within the TMDs of NS2B. As expected, some mutations severely attenuated (L38A and R101A) or completely destroyed (G12L) viral RNA synthesis. Interestingly, two mutations (G37L and P112A) reduced viral RNA synthesis and blocked virion assembly. None of the mutations affected NS2B-NS3 protease activity. Because mutations G37L and P112A affected virion assembly, we selected revertant viruses for these two mutants. For mutant G37L, replacement with G37F, G37H, G37T, or G37S restored virion assembly. For mutant P112A, insertion of K at position K127 (leading to K127KK) of NS2B rescued virion assembly. A biomolecular fluorescent complementation (BiFC) analysis demonstrated that (i) mutation P112A selectively weakened NS2B-NS2A interaction and (ii) the adaptive mutation K127KK restored NS2B-NS2A interaction. Collectively, our results demonstrate that, in addition to being a cofactor for NS3 protease, flavivirus NS2B also functions in viral RNA replication, as well as virion assembly.IMPORTANCEMany flaviviruses are important human pathogens. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of the viral infection cycle is essential for vaccine and antiviral development. In this study, we demonstrate that the TMDs of JEV NS2B participate in both viral RNA replication and virion assembly. A viral genetic study and a BiFC assay demonstrated that interaction between NS2B and NS2A may participate in modulating viral assembly in the flavivirus life cycle. Compensatory-mutation analysis confirmed that there was a correlation between viral assembly and NS2B-NS2A interaction. TMDs of NS2B may serve as novel antiviral targets to prevent flavivirus infection, and the structure determination of NS2B will help us to understand the functional mechanism of NS2B in viral RNA replication and assembly. The results have uncovered a new function of flavivirus NS2B in virion assembly, possibly through interaction with the NS2A protein.


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