title: Mutations in the RNA-binding domains of tombusvirus replicase proteins affect RNA recombination in vivo.
abstract: RNA recombination, which is thought to occur due to replicase errors during viral replication, is one of the major driving forces of virus evolution. In this article, we show evidence that the replicase proteins of Cucumber necrosis virus, a tombusvirus, are directly involved in RNA recombination in vivo. Mutations within the RNA-binding domains of the replicase proteins affected the frequency of recombination observed with a prototypical defective-interfering (DI) RNA, a model template for recombination studies. Five of the 17 replicase mutants tested showed delay in the formation of recombinants when compared to the wild-type helper virus. Interestingly, two replicase mutants accelerated recombinant formation and, in addition, these mutants also increased the level of subgenomic RNA synthesis (Virology 308 (2003), 191-205). A trans-complementation system was used to demonstrate that mutation in the p33 replicase protein resulted in altered recombination rate. Isolated recombinants were mostly imprecise (nonhomologous), with the recombination sites clustered around a replication enhancer region and a putative cis-acting element, respectively. These RNA elements might facilitate the proposed template switching events by the tombusvirus replicase. Together with data in the article cited above, results presented here firmly establish that the conserved RNA-binding motif of the replicase proteins is involved in RNA replication, subgenomic RNA synthesis, and RNA recombination.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Pathology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546, USA.
authors.forename: Zivile
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Panaviene
authors.forename: Peter D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Nagy
mesh_terms: D020816:Amino Acid Motifs; D001483:Base Sequence; D018553:Cucumis sativus / Q000821:virology; D003673:Defective Viruses; D004742:Enhancer Elements, Genetic; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D034622:RNA Interference; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012324:RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D013698:Templates, Genetic; D017864:Tombusvirus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014779:Virus Replication
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins; D012324:RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase