| Summary: | <p>RNA structures can have important and diverse functions. Influenza A viruses have eight negative sense RNA genome segments. When two influenza virus strains infect the same cell their progeny can package segments from both strains. This process, termed reassortment, can lead to rapid genetic shifts that have previously generated pandemic strains. </p>
<p>In this investigation the RNA-RNA interaction maps for several influenza viruses are generated
using a high-throughput sequencing approach. This reveals extensive, redundant networks of RNA-RNA interactions between the genomic viral RNA segments. This analysis includes H1N1 and H3N2 reassortants, where these interactions can explain preferential cosegregation of segments during reassortment. It is also demonstrated, using chemical probing techniques, that there is extensive local RNA structure within the influenza genomic segments. Several structures conserved between the H1N1 and H3N2 viruses are identified, which may provide targets for future functional investigations. The structure of an influenza nucleoprotein, which binds to the influenza genomic RNA, is investigated. The first structure of a H3N2 virus NP is presented which shows high structural conservation with other influenza nucleoproteins. </p>
<p>In contrast to influenza viruses, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 genome is made up of a single positive sense strand of RNA. Sequencing approaches reveal that in virio the genome contains many structures formed mostly through short-range base paring (bases separated by <100 bp). A large number of structures are observed that are conserved amongst other coronaviruses and may provide targets for drug development. Overall, this work reveals the presence of diverse and abundant RNA structures in viruses from two families.</p>
|
|---|