Research on hepatitis D virus detailed by scientists at Georgetown University
2009 AUG 3 - (NewsRx.com) -- "RNA editing by the host RNA adenosine deaminase ADAR1 at the amber/W site of hepatitis delta virus RNA plays a central role in the viral replication cycle by affecting the balance between viral RNA synthesis and packaging. Previously, we found that HDV genotype III (HDV-3) RNA can form two secondary structures following transcription: an unbranched rod structure, which is characteristic of HDV, and a metastable branched structure that serves as the substrate for editing," investigators in the United States report. "The unstable nature of the branched editing substrate structure raised the possibility that structural dynamics of the RNA following transcription could determine the rate at which editing occurs. Here, editing and its control are examined in two HDV-3 isolates, from Peru and Ecuador. Analysis of editing in vitro by ADAR1 indicated that the branched structure formed by RNA derived from the Peruvian isolate is edited more efficiently than that from the Ecuadorian isolate. In contrast, in the context of replication, Peruvian RNA is edited less efficiently than RNA containing Ecuadorian sequences. Computational analyses of RNA folding using the massively parallel genetic algorithm (MPGAfold) indicated that the Peruvian RNA is less likely to form the branched structure required for editing than the Ecuadorian isolate. This difference was confirmed by in vitro transcription of these RNAs," wrote S.D. Linnstaedt and colleagues, Georgetown University. The researchers concluded: "Overall, our data indicate that HDV-3 controls RNA editing levels via ( 1) the fraction of the RNA that folds, during transcription, into the metastable branched structure required for editing and ( 2) the efficiency with which ADAR1 edits this branched substrate RNA.." Linnstaedt and colleagues published their study in RNA - a Publication of the RNA Society (The fraction of RNA that folds into the correct branched secondary structure determines hepatitis delta virus type 3 RNA editing levels. RNA - a Publication of the RNA Society, 2009;15(6):1177-1187). For additional information, contact J.L. Casey, Georgetown University, Medical Center, Dept. of Microbiology & Immunology, 3900 Reservoir Rd. NW, Washington, DC 20007, USA. The publisher of the journal RNA - a Publication of the RNA Society can be contacted at: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Publications Dept., 500 Sunnyside Blvd., Woodbury, NY 11797-2924, USA. Keywords: United States, Washington, Adenosine, Adenosine Deaminase, Biotechnology, Deaminase, Drugs, Enzyme Research, Enzymes, Enzymology, Gastroenterology, HDV, Hepatitis D Virus, Hepatology, Infectious Disease, Medical Device, Pharmaceuticals, Proteins, Proteomics, RNA Folding, RNA Research, Therapy, Treatment, Virology, Georgetown University. This article was prepared by Biotech Business Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2009, Biotech Business Week via NewsRx.com.
|
