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Updated: Oct 2, 2025

In Vitro Transcribed RNA-based Luciferase Reporter Assay to Study Translation Regulation in Poxvirus-infected Cells
Published on: May 1, 2019
RNA-Binding Proteins as Regulators of Internal Initiation of Viral mRNA Translation
Brenda López-Ulloa1, Yazmín Fuentes1, Magdalena S Pizarro-Ortega1
1Laboratorio de Virología Molecular, Instituto Milenio de Inmunología e Inmunoterapia, Departamento de Enfermedades Infecciosas e Inmunología Pediátrica, Centro de Investigaciones Médicas, Escuela de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Marcoleta 391, Santiago 8330034, Chile.
Abstract:
Viruses are obligate intracellular parasites that depend on the host's protein synthesis machinery for translating their mRNAs. The viral mRNA (vRNA) competes with the host mRNA to recruit the translational machinery, including ribosomes, tRNAs, and the limited eukaryotic translation initiation factor (eIFs) pool. Many viruses utilize non-canonical strategies such as targeting host eIFs and RNA elements known as internal ribosome entry sites (IRESs) to reprogram cellular gene expression, ensuring preferential translation of vRNAs. In this review, we discuss vRNA IRES-mediated translation initiation, highlighting the role of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), other than the canonical translation initiation factors, in regulating their activity.
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