title: Identification of cis-acting packaging signals in the coding regions of the influenza B virus HA gene segment.
abstract: For influenza A and B viruses to be infectious, they require eight viral RNA (vRNA) genome segments to be packaged into virions. For efficient packaging, influenza A viruses utilize cis-acting vRNA sequences, containing both non-coding and protein coding regions of each segment. Whether influenza B viruses have similar packaging signals is unknown. Here we show that coding regions at the 3' and 5' ends of the influenza B virus vRNA segment 4 are required for genome packaging, with the first 30 nt at each end essential for this process. Synonymous mutation of these regions led to virus attenuation, an increase in defective particle production and a reduction in packaging of multiple vRNAs. Overall, our data suggest that the influenza B virus vRNA gene segments likely interact with each other during the packaging process, which is driven by cis-acting packaging signals that extend into protein coding regions of the vRNA.
authors.affiliation: Biomolecular Sciences Research Complex, University of St Andrews, North Haugh, St Andrews KY16 9ST, UK.
authors.forename: Lee
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sherry
authors.affiliation: Biomolecular Sciences Research Complex, University of St Andrews, North Haugh, St Andrews KY16 9ST, UK.
authors.forename: Karolina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Punovuori
authors.affiliation: Biomolecular Sciences Research Complex, University of St Andrews, North Haugh, St Andrews KY16 9ST, UK.
authors.forename: Louisa E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Wallace
authors.affiliation: Biomolecular Sciences Research Complex, University of St Andrews, North Haugh, St Andrews KY16 9ST, UK.
authors.forename: Eliza
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Prangley
authors.affiliation: Biomolecular Sciences Research Complex, University of St Andrews, North Haugh, St Andrews KY16 9ST, UK.
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: DeFries
authors.affiliation: Biomolecular Sciences Research Complex, University of St Andrews, North Haugh, St Andrews KY16 9ST, UK.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jackson
mesh_terms: D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D009981:Influenza B virus / Q000502:physiology*; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D022661:RNA, Untranslated; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D019065:Virus Assembly
chemical_list: D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus; D022661:RNA, Untranslated; D012367:RNA, Viral