Template selection by replication protein of tobacco mosaic virus

Abstract

Replication proteins of eukaryotic positive-strand RNA viruses specifically recognize the genomic RNA as replication template, recruit them to the surfaces of intracellular membranes, and form replication complexes. We recently revealed that tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) replication protein cotranslationally binds 5' untranslated region (UTR) of the genomic RNA, and that a full-length replication protein cannot posttranslationally bind TMV RNA in trans. This result provides a mechanistic explanation for the previously reported property of TMV replication protein that it selects replication template preferentially in cis. We also found that the binding of the replication protein to the 5' UTR prevents further translation of the genomic RNA. Fatal collision between translating ribosomes and negative-strand RNA-synthesizing polymerases on the genomic RNA is thus avoided.