A retroviral RNA kissing complex containing only two G⋅C base pairs
- 8 August 2000
- journal article
- Published by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
- Vol. 97 (17), 9396-9401
- https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.170283697
Abstract
The dimerization of viral RNA through noncovalent interactions at their 5' ends is a key step in the life cycle of retroviruses. In Moloney murine leukemia virus, three stem-loops are important in this process. One is a self-complementary tetraloop (H1), but the other two stem-loops (H2, H3) contain highly conserved GACG tetraloops that are not self-complementary sequences. Using two-dimensional NMR, we determined the structure of the H3 stem-loop. Surprisingly, it forms a stable, homodimeric kissing complex through only two intermolecular G small middle dotC base pairs. Cross-strand interactions of the adenines adjacent to the intermolecular G small middle dotC base pairs, plus unusual strong electrostatic interactions around the base pairs, contribute to the unexpected stability. This structure shows how even stem-loops without self-complementary sequences can facilitate the intermolecular recognition between two identical RNAs, and thus initiate dimerization and encapsidation of retroviral RNAs.Keywords
This publication has 24 references indexed in Scilit:
- RNA sequence and secondary structural determinants in a minimal viral promoter that directs replicase recognition and initiation of genomic plus-strand RNA synthesisJournal of Molecular Biology, 1999
- Non-canonical interactions in a kissing loop complex: the dimerization initiation site of HIV-1 genomic RNAJournal of Molecular Biology, 1997
- The structure of an RNA “kissing” hairpin complex of the HIV TAR hairpin loop and its complementJournal of Molecular Biology, 1997
- Distinguishing between duplex and hairpin forms of RNA by 15N–1H heteronuclear NMRFEBS Letters, 1994
- Overcoming the ambiguity problem encountered in the analysis of nuclear Overhauser magnetic resonance spectra of symmetric dimer proteinsJournal of the American Chemical Society, 1993
- Computational challenges for macromolecular structure determination by X-ray crystallography and solution NMRspectroscopyQuarterly Reviews of Biophysics, 1993
- Effect of dimerization on the conformation of the encapsidation Psi domain of Moloney murine leukemia virus RNAJournal of Molecular Biology, 1992
- Carbon assignments and heteronuclear coupling constants for an RNA oligonucleotide from natural abundance carbon-13-proton correlated experimentsJournal of the American Chemical Society, 1991
- ANTISENSE RNAAnnual Review of Biochemistry, 1991
- Mapping of poly(A) sequences in the electron microscope reveals unusual structure of type C oncornavirus RNA moleculesCell, 1976