RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 A mechanism for prime-realignment during influenza A virus replication
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 138487
DO 10.1101/138487
A1 Judith Oymans
A1 Aartjan J.W. te Velthuis
YR 2017
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/10/09/138487.abstract
AB The influenza A virus uses an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) to replicate and transcribe the segmented viral genome. To ensure that this genome is copied correctly, the RdRp has been proposed to use a prime-realign mechanism during the initiation of viral RNA (vRNA) synthesis. Here we provide insight into this prime-realign mechanism and show that it is controlled by the priming loop and a helix-loop-helix motif of the PB1 subunit of the RdRp. Overall, these observations advance our mechanistic understanding of how the influenza A virus initiates viral replication correctly.Importance Influenza A viruses cause severe disease in humans and are considered a major threat to our economy and health. The viruses replicate and transcribe their genome using an enzyme called the RNA polymerases. To ensure that the genome is amplified faithfully and abundant viral mRNAs are made for viral protein synthesis, the RNA polymerase must work correctly. In this report, we provide structural insight into the mechanism that the polymerase employs to ensure that the viral genome is copied correctly and efficiently.