1s49

Publication Abstract from PubMed

The bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) RNA-dependent RNA polymerase can initiate RNA replication by a de novo mechanism without a primer. The structure of BVDV polymerase, determined to 2.9-A resolution, contains a unique N-terminal domain, in addition to the fingers, palm, and thumb domains common to other polymerases. The structure of BVDV polymerase complexed with GTP, which is required for de novo (primer-independent) initiation, shows that GTP binds adjacent to the initiation NTP, suggesting that the GTP mimics a vestigial RNA product. Comparison of five monomers in two different crystal forms showed conformational changes in the fingertip region and in the thumb domain that may help to translocate the RNA template and product strands during elongation. The putative binding sites of previously reported BVDV inhibitors are also discussed.

The structure of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase from bovine viral diarrhea virus establishes the role of GTP in de novo initiation.,Choi KH, Groarke JM, Young DC, Kuhn RJ, Smith JL, Pevear DC, Rossmann MG Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004 Mar 30;101(13):4425-30. Epub 2004 Mar 19. PMID:15070734^[1]

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