Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1995 Apr;69(4):2313-21.
doi: 10.1128/JVI.69.4.2313-2321.1995.

Two murine coronavirus genes suffice for viral RNA synthesis

Affiliations

Two murine coronavirus genes suffice for viral RNA synthesis

K H Kim et al. J Virol. 1995 Apr.

Abstract

We identified two mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) genes that suffice for MHV RNA synthesis by using an MHV-JHM-derived defective interfering (DI) RNA, DIssA. DIssA is a naturally occurring self-replicating DI RNA with nearly intact genes 1 and 7. DIssA interferes with most MHV-JHM-specific RNA synthesis, except for synthesis of mRNA 7, which encodes N protein; mRNA 7 synthesis is not inhibited by DIssA. Coinfection of MHV-JHM containing DIssA DI particles and an MHV-A59 RNA- temperature-sensitive mutant followed by subsequent passage of virus at the permissive temperature resulted in elimination of most of the MHV-JHM helper virus. Analysis of intracellular RNAs at the nonpermissive temperature demonstrated efficient synthesis of DIssA and mRNA 7 but not of the helper virus mRNAs. Oligonucleotide fingerprinting analysis demonstrated that the structure of mRNA 7 was MHV-JHM specific and therefore must have been synthesized from the DIssA template RNA. Sequence analysis revealed that DIssA lacks a slightly heterogeneous sequence, which is found in wild-type MHV from the 3' one-third of gene 2-1 to the 3' end of gene 6. Northern (RNA) blot analysis of intracellular RNA species and virus-specific protein analysis confirmed the sequence data. Replication and transcription of another MHV DI RNA were supported in DIssA-replicating cells. Because the products of genes 2 and 2-1 are not essential for MHV replication, we concluded that expression of gene 1 proteins and N protein was sufficient for MHV RNA replication and transcription.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. J Virol. 1980 Jan;33(1):449-62 - PubMed
    1. J Virol. 1992 Jun;66(6):3339-46 - PubMed
    1. Virology. 1981 Oct 15;114(1):39-51 - PubMed
    1. J Virol. 1981 Sep;39(3):823-34 - PubMed
    1. Virology. 1982 Jun;119(2):358-71 - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources