Pijlman Gorben P, Funk Anneke, Kondratieva Natasha, Leung Jason, Torres Shessy, van der Aa Lieke, Liu Wen Jun, Palmenberg Ann C, Shi Pei-Yong, Hall Roy A, Khromykh Alexander A
School of Molecular and Microbial Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Cell Host Microbe. 2008 Dec 11;4(6):579-91. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2008.10.007.
Viral noncoding RNAs have been shown to play an important role in virus-host interplay to facilitate virus replication. We report that members of the genus Flavivirus, a large group of medically important encephalitic RNA viruses, produce a unique and highly structured noncoding RNA of 0.3-0.5 kb derived from the 3' untranslated region of the viral genome. Using West Nile virus as a model, we show that this subgenomic RNA is a product of incomplete degradation of viral genomic RNA by cellular ribonucleases. Highly conserved RNA structures located at the beginning of the 3' untranslated region render this RNA resistant to nucleases, and the resulting subgenomic RNA product is essential for virus-induced cytopathicity and pathogenicity. Thus, flaviviruses evolved a unique strategy to generate a noncoding RNA product that allows them to kill the host more efficiently.
病毒非编码RNA已被证明在病毒与宿主的相互作用中发挥重要作用，以促进病毒复制。我们报告称，黄病毒属的成员，一大类具有重要医学意义的脑炎RNA病毒，会产生一种独特且高度结构化的非编码RNA，其大小为0.3 - 0.5 kb，来源于病毒基因组的3'非翻译区。以西尼罗河病毒为模型，我们表明这种亚基因组RNA是细胞核糖核酸酶对病毒基因组RNA不完全降解的产物。位于3'非翻译区起始处的高度保守的RNA结构使该RNA对核酸酶具有抗性，并且所产生的亚基因组RNA产物对于病毒诱导的细胞病变效应和致病性至关重要。因此，黄病毒进化出了一种独特的策略来产生一种非编码RNA产物，使它们能够更有效地杀死宿主。
