Research groups at the University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, and Wisconsin University in the United States have clarified how influenza viruses transmit genetic information to progeny viruses.
In all living things, the offspring inherit the genome (genetic information) from their parents.Viruses also need to pass on their genome to progeny viruses in order for the species to survive.The influenza virus has eight RNAs as its genome, but the details of how it is transmitted to the progeny virus have not been clarified.
Previously, this research group had eight viral RNAs collected in a characteristic arrangement of "8 + 1" (a central arrangement in which one RNA is surrounded by seven RNAs) and incorporated into progeny virus particles. I found.However, the significance of the "7 + 1" arrangement of viral RNA was not well understood.
Therefore, in this study, we further analyzed and synthesized a mutant virus that lacks one viral RNA and has only seven in addition to the RNA incorporated in the normal progeny virus particles, and synthesizes the mutant virus into the mutant virus particles. The incorporated RNA was also examined.
As a result, it was found that eight RNAs bundled in "1 + 7" were also incorporated into the mutant progeny virus.Moreover, it was found that the eighth RNA incorporated into this mutant virus was not the RNA of influenza virus, but the ribosomal RNA present in infected cells.
From this finding, it was found that the process of assembling eight RNAs into "8 + 1" is important when the influenza virus transmits the genome to the progeny virus.Furthermore, it was revealed that it has a mechanism to deprive cells of ribosomal RNA when the viral RNA is insufficient.
This result is expected to lead to the development of new anti-influenza drugs targeting the collection of viral RNA.
Paper information:[Nature Communications] Importance of the 1 + 7 configuration of ribonucleoprotein complexes for influenza A virus genome packaging
