Structure of influenza virus RNP. I. Influenza virus nucleoprotein melts secondary structure in panhandle RNA and exposes the bases to the solvent.
The influenza virus genome consists of eight segments of negative-sense RNA, i.e. the viral (v) RNA forms the template for the mRNA. Each segment is encapsidated by the viral nucleoprotein to form a ribonucleoprotein (RNP) particle and each RNP carries its own polymerase complex. We studied the interaction of purified nucleoprotein with RNA in vitro, by using a variety of enzymatic and chemical probes for RNA conformation. Our results suggest that the nucleoprotein binds to the vRNA backbone without apparent sequence specificity, exposing the bases to the outside and melting all secondary structure. In this way, the viral polymerase may transcribe the RNA without the need for dissociating the nucleoprotein and without being stopped by RNA secondary structure, and the viral RNPs are ready to start transcription as soon as they enter the host cell.
EMBL Grenoble Outstation, France.
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D001482:Base Composition; D001483:Base Sequence; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D004279:DNA, Viral; D004047:Diethyl Pyrocarbonate; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D019590:Nucleocapsid Proteins; D009698:Nucleoproteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D009975:Orthomyxoviridae / Q000378:metabolism*; D011131:Polyribonucleotides / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D011485:Protein Binding; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D012997:Solvents; D013463:Sulfuric Acid Esters; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
D004279:DNA, Viral; C048842:NP protein, Influenza A virus; D019590:Nucleocapsid Proteins; D009698:Nucleoproteins; D011131:Polyribonucleotides; D012367:RNA, Viral; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D012997:Solvents; D013463:Sulfuric Acid Esters; D014758:Viral Core Proteins; C007482:dimethyl sulfate; D004047:Diethyl Pyrocarbonate