Satellite tobacco mosaic virus RNA: structure and implications for assembly
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Updated: Oct 9, 2026

Generation and Assembly of Virus-Specific Nucleocapsids of the Respiratory Syncytial Virus
Published on: July 27, 2021
1Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, 560 Steinhaus Hall, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697-3900, USA.
Abstract:
The initial appearance of 45% of the single-stranded RNA of satellite tobacco mosaic virus in electron density maps suggested the entire RNA conformation could be delineated. Subsequent work has localized nearly 80% of the RNA as stem-loop elements. Connection of the stem-loops in the most efficient manner produces a persuasive model for the encapsidated RNA. This arrangement has significant implications for virus assembly and for the essential role of RNA.
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