Identification of subgenomic mRNAs derived from the coronavirus 1a/1b protein gene: Implications for coronavirus transcription

Virology. 2023 Nov 2;589:109920. doi: 10.1016/j.virol.2023.109920. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTSynthesis of coronavirus subgenomic mRNA (sgmRNA) is guided by the transcription regulatory sequence (TRS). sgmRNA derived from the body TRS (TRS-B) located at the 1a/1b protein gene is designated 1ab/sgmRNA. In the current study, we comprehensively identified the 1ab/sgmRNAs synthesized from TRS-Bs located at the 1a/1b protein genes of different coronavirus genera both in vitro and in vivo by RT‒PCR and sequencing. The results suggested that the degree of sequence homology between the leader TRS (TRS-L) and TRS-B may not be a decisive factor for 1ab/sgmRNA synthesis. This observation led us to revisit the coronavirus transcription mechanism and to propose that the disassociation of coronavirus polymerase from the viral genome may be a prerequisite for sgmRNA synthesis. Once the polymerase can disassociate at TRS-B, the sequence homology between TRS-L and TRS-B is important for sgmRNA synthesis. The study therefore extends our understanding of transcription mechanisms.PMID:37952466 | DOI:10.1016/j.virol.2023.109920

Source: Virology - November 12, 2023 Category: Virology Authors: Ching-Hung Lin Feng-Cheng Hsieh Meilin Wang Chieh Hsu Hsuan-Wei Hsu Chun-Chun Yang Cheng-Yao Yang Hung-Yi Wu Source Type: research