Department of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 14 Medical Drive, MD 6, Level 15, Singapore, 117599, Singapore.
Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Level 5 Addenbrookes Hospital Hills Rd, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK.
Retrovirology. 2018 Jan 25;15(1):11. doi: 10.1186/s12977-018-0393-6.
The multiple roles of both viral and cellular RNAs have become increasingly apparent in recent years, and techniques to model them have become significantly more powerful, enabling faster and more accurate visualization of RNA structures.
Techniques such as SHAPE (selective 2'OH acylation analysed by primer extension) have revolutionized the field, and have been used to examine RNAs belonging to many and diverse retroviruses. Secondary structure probing reagents such as these have been aided by the development of faster methods of analysis either via capillary or next-generation sequencing, allowing the analysis of entire genomes, and of retroviral RNA structures within virions. Techniques to model the three-dimensional structures of these large RNAs have also recently developed.
The flexibility of retroviral RNAs, both structural and functional, is clear from the results of these new experimental techniques. Retroviral RNA structures and structural changes control many stages of the lifecycle, and both the RNA structures themselves and their interactions with ligands are potential new drug targets. In addition, our growing understanding of retroviral RNA structures is aiding our knowledge of cellular RNA form and function.
近年来，病毒和细胞 RNA 的多种作用变得越来越明显，并且用于对其建模的技术也变得更加强大，从而能够更快、更准确地可视化 RNA 结构。
诸如 SHAPE（通过引物延伸进行选择性 2'OH 酰化分析）等技术彻底改变了该领域，并已用于研究属于许多不同逆转录病毒的 RNA。这些二级结构探测试剂得到了毛细管或下一代测序等更快分析方法的发展的帮助，从而可以分析整个基因组以及病毒粒子内的逆转录病毒 RNA 结构。最近还开发了用于模拟这些大型 RNA 的三维结构的技术。
从这些新的实验技术的结果可以清楚地看出，逆转录病毒 RNA 在结构和功能上具有灵活性。逆转录病毒 RNA 结构和结构变化控制着生命周期的多个阶段，RNA 结构本身及其与配体的相互作用都是潜在的新药物靶点。此外，我们对逆转录病毒 RNA 结构的认识不断加深，也有助于我们了解细胞 RNA 的形态和功能。
