Round and round for Dengue

Jones, Susan

doi:10.1038/nrmicro1507

Research Highlight
Published: 01 October 2006

Virology

Round and round for Dengue

Susan Jones

Nature Reviews Microbiology volume 4, page 722 (2006)Cite this article

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Plus-strand (positive sense) viral genomes, which are the same sense as mRNA, are translated on infection, yielding a set of proteins that includes the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). Within hours the viral RdRp replicates the virus genome in the cytoplasm, but how does the viral RdRp distinguish virus genomic RNA from the cellular mRNA pool?

Previously, sequences named the 5′- and 3′-upstream AUG regions (UAR), together with the conserved sequences known as 5′- and 3′-CS, have been identified that interact to cyclicize the genome, an essential step in genome replication. Here, the authors delved deeper to probe the interactions that DV RdRp makes with the circularized viral genome. By measuring the synthesis of RNAs by the polymerase domain of the DV RdRp using various template RNAs, Filomatori et al. showed that stem loop A (SLA), present in the 5′-untranslated region functions as a promoter for the viral RdRp. Indeed, SLA functioned as a stand-alone promoter for the DV RdRp even when inserted into a cellular reporter gene. Using atomic force microscopy they showed that DV RdRp was clearly bound to the virus genome, but only if SLA was present

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER

Filomatori, C.V. et al. A 5′ RNA element promotes dengue virus RNA synthesis on a circular genome. Genes Dev. 20, 2238–2249 (2006)
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