The Role of the Stem-Loop A RNA Promoter in Flavivirus Replication.

ABSTRACT: An essential challenge in the lifecycle of RNA viruses is identifying and replicating the viral genome amongst all the RNAs present in the host cell cytoplasm. Yet, how the viral polymerase selectively recognizes and copies the viral RNA genome is poorly understood. In flaviviruses, the 5'-end of the viral RNA genome contains a 70 nucleotide-long stem-loop, called stem-loop A (SLA), which functions as a promoter for genome replication. During replication, flaviviral polymerase NS5 specifically recognizes SLA to both initiate viral RNA synthesis and to methylate the 5' guanine cap of the nascent RNA. While the sequences of this region vary between different flaviviruses, the three-way junction arrangement of secondary structures is conserved in SLA, suggesting that viruses recognize a commo

SUBMITTER: Choi KH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8226660 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature