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Updated: Jun 18, 2026

Bacterial Artificial Chromosomes: A Functional Genomics Tool for the Study of Positive-strand RNA Viruses
Published on: December 29, 2015
RNA-dependent RNA polymerases from flaviviruses and Picornaviridae
1Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université d'Aix-Marseille I et II, UMR 6098 AFMB, 13288 Marseille Cedex 9, France. julien@ntu.edu.sg
Abstract:
Flaviviruses and picornaviruses are positive-strand RNA viruses that encode the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) required for replicating the viral genome in infected cells. Because of their specific and essential role in the virus life cycle, RdRps are prime targets for antiviral drugs. Recent structural data have shed light on the different strategies used by RdRps from flaviviruses and Picornaviridae to initiate RNA polymerization. New details about the catalytic mechanism, the role of metal ions, how these RdRps interact with other nonstructural (NS) viral and host-cell proteins as well as with the viral RNA genome have also been published. These advances contribute to give a more complete picture of the 3D structure and mechanism of a membrane-bound viral replication complex for these two classes of medically important human pathogens.
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