Bovine coronavirus I protein synthesis follows ribosomal scanning on the bicistronic N mRNA.
The mRNA encoding the 49-kDa nucleocapsid protein (N) of the bovine coronavirus is bicistronic. A 23-kDa protein, termed the I protein for the 'internal' open reading frame (ORF), is also synthetized but in the +1 reading frame beginning 61 nt downstream of the N start codon. Sequences flanking the N and I start codons suggest that the I ORF might be accessed by scanning ribosomes passing over the N start codon. Here we test this idea and demonstrate with translation studies both in vitro and in vivo that the I protein is synthesized according to the leaky scanning model for initiation of translation on the subgenomic N mRNA molecule.
Senanayake
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Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville 37996-0845, USA.
Brian
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DA
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D018387:Codon, Initiator; D017938:Coronavirus, Bovine / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005814:Genes, Viral; D019251:Nucleocapsid / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011817:Rabbits; D012270:Ribosomes / Q000378:metabolism; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins / Q000235:genetics
D018387:Codon, Initiator; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014764:Viral Proteins; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins; C076115:internal ORF protein, bovine coronavirus