根據(jù)對(duì)從感染性病毒顆粒提取出的真實(shí)HIV RNA所做分析，研究人員已確定了一個(gè)完整HIV-1 RNA基因組的二級(jí)結(jié)構(gòu),。
單鏈病毒RNA基因組內(nèi)的二級(jí)結(jié)構(gòu)已知具有幾種功能和調(diào)控作用，但此前研究人員尚未對(duì)任何病毒的完整RNA進(jìn)行過(guò)全面分析。SHAPE技術(shù)（由引物延伸催化的高通量選擇性2’-羥基?；┍挥脕?lái)對(duì)由HIV-1 RNA基因組形成的所有結(jié)構(gòu)進(jìn)行定性。由此,，他們發(fā)現(xiàn)了無(wú)數(shù)高結(jié)構(gòu)性主題（其中一些發(fā)布在本期封面上）,，其中很多主題的功能也可以被推斷出來(lái)。重要的是,，RNA結(jié)構(gòu)元素的存在被發(fā)現(xiàn)影響蛋白的翻譯,，有助于正確的蛋白折疊。這些結(jié)果表明,，HIV-1基因組有結(jié)構(gòu),，其構(gòu)成元素對(duì)病毒適應(yīng)性非常關(guān)鍵。從這項(xiàng)工作獲得的信息,，有可能使我們對(duì)HIV-1生物學(xué)有更好的認(rèn)識(shí),，并有可能導(dǎo)致新的抗逆轉(zhuǎn)錄病毒干預(yù)方法的問(wèn)世,。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原始出處：
Nature 460, 711-716 (6 August 2009) | doi:10.1038/nature08237; Received 11 May 2009; Accepted 22 June 2009
Architecture and secondary structure of an entire HIV-1 RNA genome
Joseph M. Watts1, Kristen K. Dang2, Robert J. Gorelick5, Christopher W. Leonard1, Julian W. Bess Jr5, Ronald Swanstrom3, Christina L. Burch4 & Kevin M. Weeks1
1 Department of Chemistry,
2 Department of Biomedical Engineering,
3 Linenberger Cancer Center,
4 Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, USA
5 AIDS and Cancer Virus Program, SAIC-Frederick, Inc., NCI-Frederick, Frederick, Maryland 21702-1201, USA
Single-stranded RNA viruses encompass broad classes of infectious agents and cause the common cold, cancer, AIDS and other serious health threats. Viral replication is regulated at many levels, including the use of conserved genomic RNA structures. Most potential regulatory elements in viral RNA genomes are uncharacterized. Here we report the structure of an entire HIV-1 genome at single nucleotide resolution using SHAPE, a high-throughput RNA analysis technology. The genome encodes protein structure at two levels. In addition to the correspondence between RNA and protein primary sequences, a correlation exists between high levels of RNA structure and sequences that encode inter-domain loops in HIV proteins. This correlation suggests that RNA structure modulates ribosome elongation to promote native protein folding. Some simple genome elements previously shown to be important, including the ribosomal gag-pol frameshift stem-loop, are components of larger RNA motifs. We also identify organizational principles for unstructured RNA regions, including splice site acceptors and hypervariable regions. These results emphasize that the HIV-1 genome and, potentially, many coding RNAs are punctuated by previously unrecognized regulatory motifs and that extensive RNA structure constitutes an important component of the genetic code.
