Structural and functional conservation of the programmed -1 ribosomal frameshift signal of SARS coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

ABSTRACT: Approximately 17 years after the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) epidemic, the world is currently facing the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). According to the most optimistic projections, it will take more than a year to develop a vaccine, so the best short-term strategy may lie in identifying virus-specific targets for small molecule-based interventions. All coronaviruses utilize a molecular mechanism called programmed -1 ribosomal frameshift (-1 PRF) to control the relative expression of their proteins. Previous analyses of SARS-CoV have revealed that it employs a structurally unique three-stemmed mRNA pseudoknot that stimulates high -1 PRF rates and that it also harbors a -1 PRF attenuation element. Altering -1 PRF activity impairs v

SUBMITTER: Kelly JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7397099 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature