title: Initiation of protein-primed picornavirus RNA synthesis.
abstract: Plus strand RNA viruses use different mechanisms to initiate the synthesis of their RNA chains. The Picornaviridae family constitutes a large group of plus strand RNA viruses that possess a small terminal protein (VPg) covalently linked to the 5'-end of their genomes. The RNA polymerases of these viruses use VPg as primer for both minus and plus strand RNA synthesis. In the first step of the initiation reaction the RNA polymerase links a UMP to the hydroxyl group of a tyrosine in VPg using as template a cis-replicating element (cre) positioned in different regions of the viral genome. In this review we will summarize what is known about the initiation reaction of protein-primed RNA synthesis by the RNA polymerases of the Picornaviridae. As an example we will use the RNA polymerase of poliovirus, the prototype of Picornaviridae. We will also discuss models of how these nucleotidylylated protein primers might be used, together with viral and cellular replication proteins and other cis-replicating RNA elements, during minus and plus strand RNA synthesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11790, United States. Electronic address: aniko.paul@stonybrook.edu.
authors.forename: Aniko V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11790, United States.
authors.forename: Eckard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wimmer
mesh_terms: D008954:Models, Biological; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D010849:Picornaviridae / Q000502:physiology*; D011485:Protein Binding; D059370:RNA Folding; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000378:metabolism*; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D012324:RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase / Q000378:metabolism; D061785:Transcription Initiation, Genetic; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D014779:Virus Replication
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins; D012324:RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase
keywords: Cis-replicating RNA element (cre); Picornavirus; RNA polymerase; RNA replication; Terminal protein VPg; Uridylylation of VPg