In vitro characterization of a base pairing interaction between the primer binding site and the minimal packaging signal of avian leukosis virus genomic RNA.

ABSTRACT: The 5' leader region of avian sarcoma-leukosis viruses (ASLVs) folds into a series of RNA secondary structures which are involved in key steps in the viral replication cycle such as reverse transcription, dimerization and packaging of genomic RNA. The O3 stem and three stem-loops (O3SLa, O3SLb and O3SLc) form the minimal packaging signal that is located downstream of the primer binding site (PBS). The U5-PBS region contributes to packaging via a mechanism that remains unknown. In this in vitro study, we have investigated the possibility of interactions between the R-U5-PBS region and the minimal packaging signal using chemical and enzymatic probing, antisense oligonucleotides and site-directed mutagenesis. We have identified a base pairing interaction between the PBS sequence and the termi

SUBMITTER: Kanevsky I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC291877 | biostudies-literature | 2003 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature