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A Protocol for Analyzing Hepatitis C Virus Replication
Published on: June 26, 2014
Replication and in vivo repair of the hepatitis A virus genome lacking the poly(A) tail
Yuri Y Kusov1, Rainer Gosert2, Verena Gauss-Müller1
1Department of Medical Molecular Biology, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, D-23562 Lübeck, Germany.
Abstract:
The precise role of the poly(A) tail at the 3' end of the picornavirus RNA genome and the cellular factors that control its homeostasis are unknown. To assess the importance of the poly(A) tail for virus replication, the genome of the slowly replicating hepatitis A virus (HAV) with and without a poly(A) tail was studied after transfection into cells maintained under various conditions. A tailless HAV genome had a shorter half-life than a poly(A)-containing genome and was unable to replicate in quiescent cells. In dividing cells, the tailless RNA gave rise to infectious virus with a restored poly(A) tail of up to 60 residues. Cells arrested at the G(0) and the G(2)/M phase produced lower amounts of infectious HAV than cells in the G(1) phase. These data suggest that the 3' poly(A) tail of HAV can be restored with the help of a cellular and/or viral function that is regulated during the cell cycle.
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