Analysis of natural variants of the hepatitis C virus internal ribosome entry site reveals that primary sequence plays a key role in cap-independent translation.

ABSTRACT: The HCV internal ribosome entry site (IRES) spans a region of approximately 340 nt that encompasses most of the 5' untranslated region (5'UTR) of the viral mRNA and the first 24-40 nt of the core-coding region. To investigate the implication of altering the primary sequence of the 5'UTR on IRES activity, naturally occurring variants of the 5'UTR were isolated from clinical samples and analyzed. The impact of the identified mutations on translation was evaluated in the context of RLuc/FLuc bicistronic RNAs. Results show that depending on their location within the RNA structure, these naturally occurring mutations cause a range of effects on IRES activity. However, mutations within subdomain IIId hinder HCV IRES-mediated translation. In an attempt to explain these data, the dynamic behavior

SUBMITTER: Barria MI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2647302 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature