Structure and function of HCV IRES domains.

ABSTRACT: The HCV IRES is a highly structured RNA which mediates cap-independent translation initiation in higher eukaryotes. This function is encoded in conserved structural motifs in the two major domains of HCV and HCV-like IRESs, which play crucial and distinct roles along the initiation pathway. In this review, I discuss structural features of IRES domains and how these RNA motifs function as RNA-based initiation factors to form 48S initiation complexes and 80S ribosomes with only a subset of canonical, protein-based eukaryotic initiation factors.

SUBMITTER: Lukavsky PJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2726286 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature