In vitro vRNA-vRNA interactions in the H1N1 influenza A virus genome

[tetano]

Microbiol Immunol. 2019 Dec 16. doi: 10.1111/1348-0421.12766. [Epub ahead of print] In vitro vRNA-vRNA interactions in the H1N1 influenza A virus genome.

Miyamoto S^1,2, Noda T^1,3.
Author information

1 Laboratory of Ultrastructural Virology, Institute for Frontier Life and Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, 53 Shogoin Kawahara-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan. 2 Department of Molecular Virology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, 53 Shogoin Kawahara-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan. 3 Laboratory of Ultrastructural Virology, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, 53 Shogoin Kawahara-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan.

Abstract

The genome of influenza A virus consists of eight-segmented, single-stranded, negative-sense viral RNAs (vRNAs). Each vRNA contains a central coding region that is flanked by noncoding regions. It has been shown that upon virion formation, the eight vRNAs are selectively packaged into progeny virions through segment-specific packaging signals that are located in both the terminal coding regions and adjacent noncoding regions of each vRNA. Although recent studies using next generation sequencing suggest that multiple inter-segment interactions are involved in genome packaging, contributions of the packaging signals to the inter-segment interactions are not fully understood. Herein, using synthesized full-length vRNAs of H1N1 WSN virus and short vRNAs containing the packaging signal sequences, we performed in vitro RNA binding assays and identified 15 inter-segment interactions among eight vRNAs, most of which were mediated by the 3'- and 5'-terminal regions. Interestingly, all eight vRNAs interacted with multiple other vRNAs, in that some bound to different vRNAs through their respective 3'- and 5'-terminal regions. These in vitro findings would be of use in future studies of in vivo vRNA-vRNA interactions during selective genome packaging. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


KEYWORDS:

in vitro vRNA-vRNA interaction; Genome packaging signal; Influenza A virus; inter-segment interaction; selective genome packaging

PMID: 31840833 DOI: 10.1111/1348-0421.12766