title: New model for the secondary structure of the 5' non-coding RNA of poliovirus is supported by biochemical and genetic data that also show that RNA secondary structure is important in neurovirulence.
abstract: A secondary structure model for the 5' non-coding RNA of poliovirus has been derived by comparing computer-generated folding patterns of equivalent sequences from a number of related enteroviruses and rhinoviruses and identifying compensating mutations that suggest conservation of a common secondary structure. Although certain elements are similar, the new model differs considerably from a previously published minimal energy structure and is consistent with the observed sensitivity of in vitro RNA transcripts of infectious poliovirus cDNA to RNases and modifying chemicals. The sequence of a neurovirulent revertant of an attenuated mutant provides additional evidence for an interaction between a region known to be important for neurovirulence, sequence 471-483, and nucleotides 528 to 538.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Reading, England.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Skinner
authors.forename: V R
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: Racaniello
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dunn
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.forename: P D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Minor
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Almond
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D051379:Mice; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D017955:Poliovirus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral