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tRNA-mimicry in IRES-mediated translation and recoding.

Samuel E Butcher1, Eric Jan2

  • 1a Department of Biochemistry , University of Wisconsin-Madison , Madison , WI , USA.

RNA Biology
|September 23, 2016
PubMed
Summary

Viruses like Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus use a special RNA structure (IRES) to initiate translation in multiple frames, revealing novel recoding mechanisms. This tRNA mimicry offers insights into viral genome efficiency and translation control.

Keywords:
FrameshiftingIRESribosometranslationvirus

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Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Virology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Viruses possess compact genomes, necessitating efficient coding strategies.
  • Overlapping open reading frames (ORFs) and programmed recoding events enhance viral genome capacity.
  • Ribosomes can be directed to alternative reading frames during translation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of internal ribosome entry sites (IRES) in viral translation.
  • To elucidate the mechanism of translation initiation by IRES in the Dicistroviridae family.
  • To analyze the novel recoding mechanism employed by Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV).

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of viral RNA structures and their interaction with ribosomes.
  • Investigating the function of IRES in recruiting ribosomes to non-AUG start codons.
  • Comparative structural analysis of viral IRES and transfer RNA (tRNA).

Main Results:

  • Dicistroviridae viruses utilize IRES to initiate translation at non-AUG codons, mimicking tRNA structure.
  • Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV) was shown to initiate translation in two different reading frames via its IRES.
  • This demonstrates a novel programmed recoding mechanism in viral translation.

Conclusions:

  • IRES-mediated translation initiation is a key strategy for viruses with compact genomes.
  • IAPV's dual-frame translation initiation highlights evolutionary innovation in viral RNA recoding.
  • The tRNA mimicry of IRES provides a unique model for studying translation regulation.