An unexpected RNA distal interaction mode found in an essential region of the hepatitis C virus genome.

ABSTRACT: The 3'X tail is a functionally essential 98-nt sequence located at the 3'-end of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA genome. The domain contains two absolutely conserved dimer linkage sequence (DLS) and k nucleotide segments involved in viral RNA dimerization and in a distal base-pairing interaction with stem-loop 5BSL3.2, respectively. We have previously shown that domain 3'X forms an elongated structure comprising two coaxially stacked SL1' and SL2' stem-loops. This conformation favors RNA dimerization by exposing a palindromic DLS segment in an apical loop, but buries in the upper stem of hairpin SL2' the k nucleotides involved in the distal contact with 5BSL3.2. Using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and gel electrophoresis experiments, here we show that the establishment of the com

SUBMITTER: Cantero-Camacho A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5934655 | biostudies-literature | 2018 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature