Functional and genetic plasticities of the poliovirus genome: quasi-infectious RNAs modified in the 5'-untranslated region yield a variety of pseudorevertants.
Poliovirus RNA species with nucleotides 564 to 571 deleted or with a secondary structure domain (positions 564 to 629) replaced by a shorter irregular oligonucleotide have been engineered previously; these RNAs have been considered quasi-infectious (yielding a single late revertant plaque) and dead, respectively (E. Pilipenko, A. Gmyl, Y. Svitkin, S. Maslova, A. Sinyakov, and V. Agol, Cell 68:119-131, 1992). By using large amounts of these RNAs for transfections, revertant clones with a great variety of genetic changes (point mutations, insertions of foreign sequences, short or extended deletions) were isolated. The pattern of these changes supported the notion that an appropriately spaced oligopyrimidine-AUG tandem is important for efficient poliovirus RNA translation. Structural features within and around this tandem modulated the initiation efficiency. The functional and genetic plasticities of the poliovirus genome are briefly discussed.
Institute of Poliomyelitis and Viral Encephalitides, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Moscow Region.
A P
AP
Gmyl
E V
EV
Pilipenko
S V
SV
Maslova
G A
GA
Belov
V I
VI
Agol
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D016679:Genome, Viral; D005838:Genotype; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D017354:Point Mutation; D017955:Poliovirus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D013698:Templates, Genetic; D010948:Viral Plaque Assay; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics; D014779:Virus Replication
D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D012367:RNA, Viral