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Journal of Virology, February 2008, p. 1993-2003, Vol. 82, No. 4
0022-538X/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JVI.01957-07
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

The Picornavirus Avian Encephalomyelitis Virus Possesses a Hepatitis C Virus-Like Internal Ribosome Entry Site Element{triangledown}

Mehran Bakhshesh,1,{dagger} Elisabetta Groppelli,1,{ddagger} Margaret M. Willcocks,1 Elizabeth Royall,1 Graham J. Belsham,2 and Lisa O. Roberts1*

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, United Kingdom,1 The National Veterinary Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Lindholm, DK-4771 Kalvehave, Denmark2

Received 6 September 2007/ Accepted 26 November 2007

Avian encephalomyelitis virus (AEV) is a picornavirus that causes disease in poultry worldwide, and flocks must be vaccinated for protection. AEV is currently classified within the hepatovirus genus, since its proteins are most closely related to those of hepatitis A virus (HAV). We now provide evidence that the 494-nucleotide-long 5' untranslated region of the AEV genome contains an internal ribosome entry site (IRES) element that functions efficiently in vitro and in mammalian cells. Unlike the HAV IRES, the AEV IRES is relatively short and functions in the presence of cleaved eIF4G and it is also resistant to an inhibitor of eIF4A. These properties are reminiscent of the recently discovered class of IRES elements within certain other picornaviruses, such as porcine teschovirus 1 (PTV-1). Like the PTV-1 IRES, the AEV IRES shows significant similarity to the hepatitis C virus (HCV) IRES in sequence, function, and predicted secondary structure. Furthermore, mutational analysis of the predicted pseudoknot structure at the 3' end of the AEV IRES lends support to the secondary structure we present. AEV is therefore another example of a picornavirus harboring an HCV-like IRES element within its genome, and thus, its classification within the hepatovirus genus may need to be reassessed in light of these findings.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, United Kingdom. Phone: 44 1483 686499. Fax: 44 1483 300374. E-mail: l.roberts{at}surrey.ac.uk

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 12 December 2007.

{dagger} Present address: Poultry Vaccines Department, Razi Vaccine & Serum Research Institute, P.O. Box 31975/148, Karaj, Iran.

{ddagger} Present address: Institute for Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom.

Journal of Virology, February 2008, p. 1993-2003, Vol. 82, No. 4
0022-538X/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JVI.01957-07
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Yang, Y., Yi, M., Evans, D. J., Simmonds, P., Lemon, S. M. (2008). Identification of a Conserved RNA Replication Element (cre) within the 3Dpol-Coding Sequence of Hepatoviruses. J. Virol. 82: 10118-10128 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Belsham, G. J., Nielsen, I., Normann, P., Royall, E., Roberts, L. O. (2008). Monocistronic mRNAs containing defective hepatitis C virus-like picornavirus internal ribosome entry site elements in their 5' untranslated regions are efficiently translated in cells by a cap-dependent mechanism. RNA 14: 1671-1680 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Stone, J. K., Rijnbrand, R., Stein, D. A., Ma, Y., Yang, Y., Iversen, P. L., Andino, R. (2008). A Morpholino Oligomer Targeting Highly Conserved Internal Ribosome Entry Site Sequence Is Able To Inhibit Multiple Species of Picornavirus. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 52: 1970-1981 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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