RNA secondary structure of the feline immunodeficiency virus 5'UTR and Gag coding region.

ABSTRACT: The 5' untranslated region (5'UTR) of lentiviral genomic RNA is highly structured, and is the site of multiple RNA-RNA and RNA-protein interactions throughout the viral life cycle. The 5'UTR plays a critical role during transcription, translational regulation, genome dimerization, reverse transcription priming and encapsidation. The 5'UTR structures of human lentiviruses have been extensively studied, yet the respective role and conformation of each domain is still controversial. To gain insight into the structure-function relationship of lentiviral 5'UTRs, we modelled the RNA structure of the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), a virus that is evolutionarily distant from the primate viruses. Through combined chemical and enzymatic structure probing and a thorough phylogenetic study, we e

SUBMITTER: James L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2504303 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature