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RNA export: insights from viral models.
1Infectious Disease Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
Essays in Biochemistry
|December 11, 2002
Summary
Retroviruses export intron-containing RNA using different mechanisms. Some use the Rev protein and CRM1, while others, like type-D retroviruses, utilize the CTE and TAP for export via the mRNA pathway.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Virology
- RNA Biology
Background:
- Retroviruses are RNA viruses that replicate through a DNA intermediate.
- Efficient export of viral RNA from the nucleus is crucial for retroviral replication.
- Different retroviral subtypes have evolved distinct strategies for RNA export.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the mechanisms of intron-containing RNA export in various retroviruses.
- To investigate the roles of viral proteins and cellular factors in RNA export pathways.
- To understand the function of RNA elements in intronless viral transcripts.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of retroviral RNA export pathways.
- Identification and characterization of viral proteins (e.g., Rev) and their interactions with cellular factors (e.g., CRM1, TAP).
- Study of RNA elements within viral transcripts.
Main Results:
- Complex retroviruses employ the Rev protein and CRM1 for nuclear export of intron-containing RNA via the U snRNA pathway.
- Type-D retroviruses utilize a CTE that binds cellular TAP to export intron-containing RNA through the mRNA pathway.
- Intronless viral transcripts possess post-transcriptional elements potentially involved in export or 3'-end processing.
Conclusions:
- Retroviral RNA export is diverse, involving distinct viral proteins and cellular pathways.
- The CTE-TAP interaction provides an alternative route for intron-containing RNA export.
- Further research is needed to fully understand the function of RNA elements in intronless viral transcripts.