Characterization of a nodavirus replicase revealed a de novo initiation mechanism of RNA synthesis and terminal nucleotidyltransferase activity.

ABSTRACT: Nodaviruses are a family of positive-stranded RNA viruses with a bipartite genome of RNAs. In nodaviruses, genomic RNA1 encodes protein A, which is recognized as an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) and functions as the sole viral replicase protein responsible for its RNA replication. Although nodaviral RNA replication has been studied in considerable detail, and nodaviruses are well recognized models for investigating viral RNA replication, the mechanism(s) governing the initiation of nodaviral RNA synthesis have not been determined. In this study, we characterized the RdRP activity of Wuhan nodavirus (WhNV) protein A in detail and determined that this nodaviral protein A initiates RNA synthesis via a de novo mechanism, and this RNA synthesis initiation could be independent of other vir

SUBMITTER: Wang Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3829395 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature