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Updated: Jan 30, 2026

Artificial RNA Polymerase II Elongation Complexes for Dissecting Co-transcriptional RNA Processing Events
Published on: May 13, 2019
Interplay between Influenza Virus and the Host RNA Polymerase II Transcriptional Machinery
Alexander P Walker1, Ervin Fodor1
1Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK.
Abstract:
The influenza virus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) cleaves the 5' end of nascent capped host RNAs and uses the capped RNA fragment to prime viral transcription in a mechanism called 'cap snatching'. Cap snatching requires an intimate association between influenza RdRP and cellular RNA polymerase II (Pol II), which is the source of nascent capped host RNAs targeted by influenza virus. Recent structural studies have revealed how influenza RdRP binds to Pol II and how this binding promotes the initiation of viral transcription by influenza RdRP. In this review we focus on these recent insights into the mechanism of cap snatching by influenza virus and the impact of cap snatching on host gene expression during influenza virus infection.
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