This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Cobrinik, D Articles by Leis, J Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Cobrinik, D Articles by Leis, J

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

J Virol. 1988 October; 62(10): 3622-3630

A retroviral RNA secondary structure required for efficient initiation of reverse transcription.

Department of Biochemistry, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio 44106.

ABSTRACT

Genetic evidence is presented which suggests the existence of an important structural element in the 5' noncoding region of avian retrovirus RNA. The proposed structure, which we term the U5-leader stem, is composed of sequences in the middle of U5 and in the leader, flanking the primer-binding site. U5 and leader mutations which would disrupt this structure caused a partial replication defect. However, nucleotide substitutions in the leader, which would structurally compensate for a U5 deletion mutation, restored normal replication. Analysis of replication intermediates of viruses with the above mutations suggests that the U5-leader stem is required for efficient DNA synthesis in vivo and for initiation of DNA synthesis from the tRNA(Trp) primer in melittin-activated virions. However, this structure does not appear to be required for binding of the tRNA(Trp) primer to viral RNA. These results support a role for the U5-leader stem structure, independent of its primary sequence, in the initiation of retroviral replication.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Abbink, T. E. M., Beerens, N., Berkhout, B. (2004). Forced Selection of a Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Variant That Uses a Non-Self tRNA Primer for Reverse Transcription: Involvement of Viral RNA Sequences and the Reverse Transcriptase Enzyme. J. Virol. 78: 10706-10714 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Voronin, Y. A., Pathak, V. K. (2004). Frequent Dual Initiation in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Based Vectors Containing Two Primer-Binding Sites: a Quantitative In Vivo Assay for Function of Initiation Complexes. J. Virol. 78: 5402-5413 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Rigourd, M., Goldschmidt, V., Brule, F., Morrow, C. D., Ehresmann, B., Ehresmann, C., Marquet, R. (2003). Structure-function relationships of the initiation complex of HIV-1 reverse transcription: the case of mutant viruses using tRNAHis as primer. Nucleic Acids Res 31: 5764-5775 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Huthoff, H., Bugala, K., Barciszewski, J., Berkhout, B. (2003). On the importance of the primer activation signal for initiation of tRNAlys3-primed reverse transcription of the HIV-1 RNA genome. Nucleic Acids Res 31: 5186-5194 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Goldschmidt, V., Ehresmann, C., Ehresmann, B., Marquet, R. (2003). Does the HIV-1 primer activation signal interact with tRNA3Lys during the initiation of reverse transcription?. Nucleic Acids Res 31: 850-859 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Goldschmidt, V., Rigourd, M., Ehresmann, C., Le Grice, S. F. J., Ehresmann, B., Marquet, R. (2002). Direct and Indirect Contributions of RNA Secondary Structure Elements to the Initiation of HIV-1 Reverse Transcription. J. Biol. Chem. 277: 43233-43242 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Morris, S., Johnson, M., Stavnezer, E., Leis, J. (2002). Replication of Avian Sarcoma Virus In Vivo Requires an Interaction between the Viral RNA and the T{psi}C Loop of the tRNATrp Primer. J. Virol. 76: 7571-7577 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Beerens, N., Berkhout, B. (2002). The tRNA Primer Activation Signal in the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Genome Is Important for Initiation and Processive Elongation of Reverse Transcription. J. Virol. 76: 2329-2339 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Zhou, H., Rainey, G. J., Wong, S.-K., Coffin, J. M. (2001). Substrate Sequence Selection by Retroviral Integrase. J. Virol. 75: 1359-1370 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Beerens, N., Groot, F., Berkhout, B. (2000). Stabilization of the U5-leader stem in the HIV-1 RNA genome affects initiation and elongation of reverse transcription. Nucleic Acids Res 28: 4130-4137 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Guan, Y., Whitney, J. B., Diallo, K., Wainberg, M. A. (2000). Leader Sequences Downstream of the Primer Binding Site Are Important for Efficient Replication of Simian Immunodeficiency Virus. J. Virol. 74: 8854-8860 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Dettenhofer, M., Cen, S., Carlson, B. A., Kleiman, L., Yu, X.-F. (2000). Association of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Vif with RNA and Its Role in Reverse Transcription. J. Virol. 74: 8938-8945 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Lund, A. H., Duch, M., Pedersen, F. S. (2000). Selection of functional tRNA primers and primer binding site sequences from a retroviral combinatorial library: identification of new functional tRNA primers in murine leukemia virus replication. Nucleic Acids Res 28: 791-799 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Morris, S., Leis, J. (1999). Changes in Rous Sarcoma Virus RNA Secondary Structure near the Primer Binding Site upon tRNATrp Primer Annealing. J. Virol. 73: 6307-6318 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Masuda, T., Kuroda, M. J., Harada, S. (1998). Specific and Independent Recognition of U3 and U5 att Sites by Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Integrase In Vivo. J. Virol. 72: 8396-8402 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Miller, J. T., Ehresmann, B., Hubscher, U., Le Grice, S. F. J. (2001). A Novel Interaction of tRNALys,3 with the Feline Immunodeficiency Virus RNA Genome Governs Initiation of Minus Strand DNA Synthesis. J. Biol. Chem. 276: 27721-27730 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Beerens, N., Groot, F., Berkhout, B. (2001). Initiation of HIV-1 Reverse Transcription Is Regulated by a Primer Activation Signal. J. Biol. Chem. 276: 31247-31256 [Abstract] [Full Text]