This Article Full Text 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 Chen, I-H. Articles by Tsai, C.-H. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Chen, I-H. Articles by Tsai, C.-H.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Virology, December 2005, p. 14555-14561, Vol. 79, No. 23
0022-538X/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JVI.79.23.14555-14561.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

The AAUAAA Motif of Bamboo Mosaic Virus RNA Is Involved in Minus-Strand RNA Synthesis and Plus-Strand RNA Polyadenylation

I-Hsuan Chen,^1, Wen-Jen Chou,^1, Pei-Yu Lee,² Yau-Heiu Hsu,¹ and Ching-Hsiu Tsai^1,3*

Graduate Institute of Biotechnology, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan,¹ Institute of Medical Biotechnology, Central Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taichung, Taiwan,² Center of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan³

Received 1 June 2005/ Accepted 6 September 2005

Bamboo mosaic virus (BaMV) has a single-stranded positive-sense RNA genome with a 5'-cap structure and a 3' poly(A) tail. Deleting the internal loop that contains the putative polyadenylation signal (AAUAAA) in the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of BaMV genomic RNA appeared to diminish coat protein accumulation to 2% (C. P. Cheng and C. H. Tsai, J. Mol. Biol. 288:555-565, 1999). To investigate the function of the AAUAAA motif, mutations were introduced into an infectious BaMV cDNA at each residue except the first nucleotide. After transfection of Nicotiana benthamiana protoplasts with RNA transcript, the accumulations of viral coat protein and RNAs were determined. Based on the results, three different categories could be deduced for the mutants. Category 1 includes two mutants expressing levels of the viral products similar to those of the wild-type virus. Six mutations in category 2 led to decreased to similar levels of both minus-strand and genomic RNAs. Category 3 includes the remaining seven mutations that also bring about decreases in both minus- and plus-strand RNA levels, with more significant effects on genomic RNA accumulation. Mutant transcripts from each category were used to infect N. benthamiana plants, from which viral particles were isolated. The genomic RNAs of mutants in category 3 were found to have shorter poly(A) tails. Taken together, the results suggest that the AAUAAA motif in the 3' UTR of BaMV genomic RNA is involved not only in the formation of the poly(A) tail of the plus-strand RNA, but also in minus-strand RNA synthesis.

---

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Graduate Institute of Biotechnology, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan. Phone: 886 4 2284 0451. Fax: 886 4 2286 0260. E-mail: chtsai1{at}dragon.nchu.edu.tw.

I-Hsuan Chen and Wen-Jen Chou made equal contributions to the study.

---

Journal of Virology, December 2005, p. 14555-14561, Vol. 79, No. 23
0022-538X/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JVI.79.23.14555-14561.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Verchot-Lubicz, J., Ye, C.-M., Bamunusinghe, D. (2007). Molecular biology of potexviruses: recent advances. J. Gen. Virol. 88: 1643-1655 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• van Ooij, M. J. M., Polacek, C., Glaudemans, D. H. R. F., Kuijpers, J., van Kuppeveld, F. J. M., Andino, R., Agol, V. I., Melchers, W. J. G. (2006). Polyadenylation of genomic RNA and initiation of antigenomic RNA in a positive-strand RNA virus are controlled by the same cis-element. Nucleic Acids Res 34: 2953-2965 [Abstract] [Full Text]