Abstract
The 5′ end of avian sarcoma and leukosis virus RNA near the primer binding site forms two RNA secondary structures, U5-inverted repeat (U5-IR) and U5-leader stems, which are required for efficient initiation of reverse transcription. Lying between these two secondary structures is a 7-base sequence that can anneal to the TφC loop of the tRNATrp primer. Base substitutions in U5 RNA which disrupt this potential interaction result in a defect in the initiation of reverse transcription both in vivo and in vitro. The defect can be complemented in vitro by base substitutions in the primer. The U5 RNA-TφC interaction is also dependent upon the presence of both the U5-IR and the U5-leader structures. These RNA secondary structures and primer interactions are conserved in other type C and D retroviruses, suggesting that there is a common mechanism for the initiation of reverse transcription in all of these retroviruses.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 2464-2472 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Journal of Virology |
Volume | 66 |
Issue number | 4 |
State | Published - Apr 1992 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Immunology