Flavivirus capsid hairpin cHP
Encyclopedia
The Flavivirus capsid hairpin cHP is a conserved RNA
hairpin
structure
identified within the capsid
coding region of several flavivirus
genomes. These positive strand RNA
genomes are translated
as a single polypeptide and subsequently cleaved into constituent proteins, the first of which is the capsid protein. The cHP hairpin is located within the capsid coding region between two AUG start codon
s. The cHP cis element has been shown to direct translation start from the suboptimal first start codon. The ability of cHP to direct initiation from the first start codon is proportional to its thermodynamic stability, is position dependent, and is sequence independent. It has been demonstrated that both AUGs and the conserved cHP are necessary for efficient viral replication in human and mosquito cells.
RNA
Ribonucleic acid , or RNA, is one of the three major macromolecules that are essential for all known forms of life....
hairpin
Stem-loop
Stem-loop intramolecular base pairing is a pattern that can occur in single-stranded DNA or, more commonly, in RNA. The structure is also known as a hairpin or hairpin loop. It occurs when two regions of the same strand, usually complementary in nucleotide sequence when read in opposite directions,...
structure
Cis-regulatory element
A cis-regulatory element or cis-element is a region of DNA or RNA that regulates the expression of genes located on that same molecule of DNA . This term is constructed from the Latin word cis, which means "on the same side as". These cis-regulatory elements are often binding sites for one or...
identified within the capsid
Capsid
A capsid is the protein shell of a virus. It consists of several oligomeric structural subunits made of protein called protomers. The observable 3-dimensional morphological subunits, which may or may not correspond to individual proteins, are called capsomeres. The capsid encloses the genetic...
coding region of several flavivirus
Flavivirus
Flavivirus is a genus of the family Flaviviridae. This genus includes the West Nile virus, dengue virus, tick-borne encephalitis virus, yellow fever virus, and several other viruses which may cause encephalitis....
genomes. These positive strand RNA
RNA
Ribonucleic acid , or RNA, is one of the three major macromolecules that are essential for all known forms of life....
genomes are translated
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
as a single polypeptide and subsequently cleaved into constituent proteins, the first of which is the capsid protein. The cHP hairpin is located within the capsid coding region between two AUG start codon
Start codon
The start codon is generally defined as the point, sequence, at which a ribosome begins to translate a sequence of RNA into amino acids.When an RNA transcript is "read" from the 5' carbon to the 3' carbon by the ribosome the start codon is the first codon on which the tRNA bound to Met,...
s. The cHP cis element has been shown to direct translation start from the suboptimal first start codon. The ability of cHP to direct initiation from the first start codon is proportional to its thermodynamic stability, is position dependent, and is sequence independent. It has been demonstrated that both AUGs and the conserved cHP are necessary for efficient viral replication in human and mosquito cells.