title: Close structural relationship between two hammerhead viroid-like RNAs associated with cherry chlorotic rusty spot disease.
abstract: Analysis of the population of cherry small circular RNAs (cscRNAs) from trees affected by cherry chlorotic rusty spot (CCRS) showed two groups of variants with similar sequence but differing in size (394-415 and 372-377 nt for cscRNA1 and cscRNA2, respectively) because of the presence or absence of a 27-nt fragment folding into a hairpin in their predicted quasi-rod-like secondary structures. These structures were preserved by co-variations and compensatory mutations, as well as by additional complex rearrangements. The variability also preserved the central conserved core and the stability of the helices of the plus and minus hammerhead ribozymes, supporting their role in replication of cscRNAs. The smaller variants most likely derive from the larger through recombination events. Possible functional relationships between cscRNAs and certain mycoviral-like double-stranded RNAs, also associated with CCRS, are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Instituto di Virologia Vegetale del CNR, Sezione di Bari, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Di Serio
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Daròs
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ragozzino
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Flores
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000821:virology; D010942:Plant Viruses / Q000235:genetics*; D027861:Prunus / Q000821:virology*; D012313:RNA / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D016337:RNA, Catalytic / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D000079962:RNA, Circular; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014772:Viroids / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D016337:RNA, Catalytic; D000079962:RNA, Circular; D012367:RNA, Viral; C427204:hammerhead ribozyme; D012313:RNA