title: Structure and function of HCV IRES domains.
abstract: The HCV IRES is a highly structured RNA which mediates cap-independent translation initiation in higher eukaryotes. This function is encoded in conserved structural motifs in the two major domains of HCV and HCV-like IRESs, which play crucial and distinct roles along the initiation pathway. In this review, I discuss structural features of IRES domains and how these RNA motifs function as RNA-based initiation factors to form 48S initiation complexes and 80S ribosomes with only a subset of canonical, protein-based eukaryotic initiation factors.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Biology, MRC, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK. pjl@mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Lukavsky
mesh_terms: D039621:Eukaryotic Initiation Factor-3 / Q000737:chemistry; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics*; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D010442:Peptide Chain Initiation, Translational; D010448:Peptide Initiation Factors / Q000235:genetics; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry*; D012270:Ribosomes / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D039621:Eukaryotic Initiation Factor-3; D010448:Peptide Initiation Factors; D012367:RNA, Viral