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Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Bacterial Artificial Chromosomes: A Functional Genomics Tool for the Study of Positive-strand RNA Viruses
Published on: December 29, 2015
The 5' and 3' downstream AUG region elements are required for mosquito-borne flavivirus RNA replication
Peter Friebe1, Pei-Yong Shi, Eva Harris
1Division of Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720-7354, USA.
Abstract:
Flaviviruses require complementarity between the 5' and 3' ends of the genome for RNA replication. For mosquito-borne flaviviruses, the cyclization sequences (CS) and upstream of AUG region (UAR) elements at the genomic termini are necessary for viral RNA replication, and a third motif, the downstream of AUG region (DAR), was recently designated for dengue virus. The 3' DAR sequence is also part of a hairpin (HP-3'SL), and both complementarity between 5' and 3' DAR motifs and formation of the HP-3'SL in the absence of the 5' end are conserved among mosquito-borne flaviviruses. Using West Nile virus as a model, we demonstrate that 5'-3' DAR complementarity and HP-3'SL formation are essential for viral RNA replication.
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