Internal and terminal cis-acting sites are necessary for in vitro replication of the L-A double-stranded RNA virus of yeast

Abstract

Empty particles of the L-A dsRNA virus of Saccharomyces cerevisiae bind to added viral (+) strands and convert them to dsRNA (RNA replication) in an in vitro reaction that is dependent on host factors. X dsRNA (530 bp long) is a deletion derivative of L-A dsRNA (4.5 kb). By modifying our cDNA clone of X and testing template activity of T7 RNA polymerase transcripts, we have found that both the 3' end 30 bases and an internal site on the (+) strand are necessary for optimal replication [in vitro (-) strand synthesis]. Changing any one of the 3' terminal three bases eliminates template activity, but the 3' terminal five bases of M1 (a satellite virus of L-A) can replace the 3' terminal four bases of X. A subterminal stem-loop structure is also important for template activity. The internal site that enhances replication is ~ 400 bp from the 3' end and is distinct from the site necessary for binding of (+) strands to the empty viral particles.