title: Structure and Associated Biological Functions of Viroids.
abstract: Mature viroids consist of a noncoding, covalently closed circular RNA that is able to autonomously infect respective host plants. Thus, they must utilize proteins of the host for most biological functions such as replication, processing, transport, and pathogenesis. Therefore, viroids can be regarded as minimal parasites of the host machinery. They have to present to the host machinery the appropriate signals based on either their sequence or their structure. Here, we summarize such sequence and structural features critical for the biological functions of viroids.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany. Electronic address: steger@biophys.uni-duesseldorf.de.
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Steger
authors.affiliation: Département de biochimie, Faculté de médecine et des sciences de la santé, Pavillon de recherche appliqueé sur le cancer, Université de Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada. Electronic address: jean-pierre.perreault@usherbrooke.ca.
authors.forename: Jean-Pierre
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Perreault
mesh_terms: D017124:Conserved Sequence; D055029:Inverted Repeat Sequences; D008954:Models, Biological; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D012313:RNA / Q000737:chemistry; D000079962:RNA, Circular; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry; D017423:Sequence Analysis, RNA; D014772:Viroids / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology*; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000079962:RNA, Circular; D012367:RNA, Viral; D012313:RNA
keywords: Avsunviroidae; Biological function; Biophysical properties; Consensus structures; Pospiviroidae; SHAPE; Structure motifs; hSHAPE