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Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Affinity Purification of Influenza Virus Ribonucleoprotein Complexes from the Chromatin of Infected Cells
Published on: June 3, 2012
DNA intercalator stimulates influenza transcription and virus replication
1State Key Laboratory for Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, Research Centre of Infection and Immunology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Abstract:
Influenza A virus uses its host transcription machinery to facilitate viral RNA synthesis, an event that is associated with cellular RNA polymerase II (RNAPII). In this study, various RNAPII transcription inhibitors were used to investigate the effect of RNAPII phosphorylation status on viral RNA transcription. A low concentration of DNA intercalators, such as actinomycin D (ActD), was found to stimulate viral polymerase activity and virus replication. This effect was not observed in cells treated with RNAPII kinase inhibitors. In addition, the loss of RNAPII(a) in infected cells was due to the shift of nonphosphorylated RNAPII (RNAPII(a)) to hyperphosphorylated RNAPII (RNAPII(o)).
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