title: The "SARS-unique domain" (SUD) of SARS coronavirus is an oligo(G)-binding protein.
abstract: Caused by a new coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a highly contagious disease associated with significant fatality that emerged in 2003. The molecular cause of the unusually high human pathogenicity of the SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV) is still unknown. In an effort to characterize molecular components of the virus that are absent in other coronaviruses, all of which are considerably less pathogenic for humans, we recombinantly produced the SARS-unique domain (SUD) within non-structural protein 3 (Nsp3) of SARS-CoV and characterized its nucleic-acid binding properties. Zone-interference gel electrophoresis and electrophoretic mobility shift assays revealed a specific affinity of SUD for oligo(G)-strings. A few such segments are present in the SARS-CoV genome, but also in mRNAs of host proteins involved in the regulation of signaling pathways. A putative role of SUD in virus-induced apoptosis or survival of host cells is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biochemistry, Center for Structural and Cell Biology in Medicine, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany.
authors.forename: Jinzhi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Yuri
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kusov
authors.forename: Doris
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mutschall
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tech
authors.forename: Krishna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nagarajan
authors.forename: Rolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hilgenfeld
authors.forename: Christian L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Schmidt
mesh_terms: D006150:Guanine Nucleotides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D009843:Oligoribonucleotides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D012324:RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D045473:Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus / Q000378:metabolism*; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D006150:Guanine Nucleotides; D009843:Oligoribonucleotides; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins; C036895:oligo(G); C510959:Nsp3 protein, SARS-CoV; D012324:RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase