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Publication Abstract from PubMed

Many pathogenic viruses use a programmed -1 translational frameshifting mechanism to regulate synthesis of their structural and enzymatic proteins. Frameshifting is vital for viral replication. A slippery sequence bound at the ribosomal A and P sites as well as a downstream stimulatory RNA structure are essential for frameshifting. Conflicting data have been reported concerning the structure of the downstream RNA signal in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Here, the solution structure of the HIV-1 frameshifting RNA signal was solved by heteronuclear NMR spectroscopy. This structure reveals a long hairpin fold with an internal three-nucleotide bulge. The internal loop introduces a bend between the lower and upper helical regions, a structural feature often seen in frameshifting pseudoknots. The NMR structure correlates with chemical probing data. The upper stem rich in conserved G-C Watson-Crick base-pairs is highly stable, whereas the bulge region and the lower stem are more flexible.

Structure of the RNA signal essential for translational frameshifting in HIV-1.,Gaudin C, Mazauric MH, Traikia M, Guittet E, Yoshizawa S, Fourmy D J Mol Biol. 2005 Jun 24;349(5):1024-35. PMID:15907937^[1]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.