Virus transcription

[DANDERSON at PRL.PULMONARY.UBC.CA]

From:          Lyle Najita <ijiwaru at pipeline.com>

>Dan, 
 
>With regards to your post on bionet.virology on fidelity of RNA genome
>replication, I thought I'd bother you to join in a discussion on some
>possibilities. From working with CB3 you're porbably familiar with the data
>showing that polio replicase will copy globin RNA if the replication is
>primed with either host factor or oligo-U. This suggests that the enzyme is
>not particular. 

Lyle,

Should be fun!

I have some thoughts about this, to which I will reply within a day or 
two.  To tantalize the subject I'd like to point out that when the 
infectious cDNA of coxsackievirus B3 was transfected it lacked two 5' 
uridine residues, which were regained during plus-strand synthesis 
Klump et al. PNAS, 1573-1583, 1990.  Thus, this may not be specific, 
but essential.  How do the secondary structures of globin and 
enteroviruses compare, i.e. t-RNA like motifs?  There are completely 
conserved 1' sequences as well as numerous secondary structures in 
the 5' end of all enteroviruses.  Is the transcritional (non-) 
specificity (???) in the 5' uridines or in the first ~100 nt 
sequence?  My bet, the secondary structures. 

As far as compartmentalization, we have some awesome in situ 
hybridizations demonstrating punctate intracellular localization, on 
membranes or CPE and vacuoles. 

I must go!

Dan Anderson
UNMC/UBC