Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 12, 2026

Potato Virus X-Based microRNA Silencing VbMS In Potato.
Published on: May 11, 2020
The 5'-proximal region of Potato virus X RNA involves the potential cap-dependent "conformational element" for
E K Petrova1, N A Nikitin1, E A Trifonova1
1Biology Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119234, Russia.
Abstract:
Filamentous helical Potato virus X (PVX) can be regarded as one of the well-studied viruses. Nevertheless, some aspects of the PVX assembly remained obscure. Previously, we have shown that the presence of a cap structure at the 5' end of PVX RNA is indispensable for assembly of viral ribonucleoprotein (vRNP) particles varying in length. Here, most significantly, removal of the cap structure from previously capped PVX RNA did not affect the efficiency of decapped RNA molecules to be assembled into vRNP. This result provided evidence that the cap structure by itself does not act as a signal for initiation of vRNP assembly. These observations allowed to presume that the capping triggers some spatial changes in the 5'-proximal site of PVX RNA creating a "conformational encapsidation signal for vRNP assembly", which is capable of triggering vRNP assembly in the absence of cap structure. Apparently, during capping the 5'-proximal segment of PVX RNA acquires a unique conformation which is stable to be retained even after cap removal.
Related Concept Videos
Subviral Agents
Viral Structure
Leaky Scanning
Retrovirus Life Cycles
Introduction to Virus
Protein Complex Assembly
Many viruses self-assemble into a fully functional unit using the infected host cell to...

