Structural basis for transcriptional start site control of HIV-1 RNA fate

• DOI: 10.1126/science.aaz7959
• Publication Date: 2020-10-21T23:21:06Z
• Authors: Joshua D. Brown; Siarhei Kharytonchyk; Issac Chaudry; Aishwarya S. Iyer; Hannah Carter; Ghazal Becker; Yash Desai; Lindsay Glang; Seung H. Choi; Karndeep Singh; Michael W. Lopresti; Matthew Orellana; Tatiana Rodriguez; Ubiomo Oboh; Jana Hijji; Frances Grace Ghi...; Kailan Stewart; Dillion Francis; Bryce Edwards; Patrick Chen; David A. Case; Alice Telesnitsky; Michael F. Summers
• Keywords: Gene Expression Regulation, Viral; RNA Caps; 0301 basic medicine; Base Composition; Guanosine; 3. Good health; 03 medical and health sciences; Eukaryotic Initiation Factor-4E; Protein Biosynthesis; HIV-1; Humans; RNA, Viral; RNA, Messenger; Transcription Initiation Site; 5' Untranslated Regions; Base Pairing; Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular

One guanosine determines transcript fate Transcripts of the HIV-1 RNA genome can be either spliced and translated into viral proteins or packaged new virions as a progeny genome. The path taken depends on whether contains one at 5′ terminus (1G) rather than two three (2G 3G). Brown et al. used nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to show that 1G transcripts adopt dimeric structure sequesters terminal cap required for translation splicing but exposes sites bind Gag protein, which recruits during assembly. Conversely, 2G 3G have accessible, Gag-binding are sequestered. Therefore, single acts conformational switch determine transcripts. Science , this issue p. 413