The primary structure of the poliovirus genome has been determined. The RNA molecule is 7,433 nucleotides long, polyadenylated at the 3' terminus, and covalently linked to a small protein (VPg) at the 5' terminus. An open reading frame of 2,207 consecutive triplets spans over 89% of the nucleotide sequence and codes for the viral polyprotein NCVPOO. Twelve viral polypeptides have been mapped by amino acid sequence analysis and were found to be proteolytic cleavage products of the polyprotein, cleavages occurring predominantly at Gln-Gly pairs.

Primary structure, gene organization and polypeptide expression of poliovirus RNA

Poliovirus was grown in HeLa cells in the presence of phosphorus-32 and actinomycin D. Three to four hours after infection, viral mRNA was recovered from polyribosomes and its identity verified by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of RNase T1 digests. Digestion of the viral [32P]mRNA with RNase T2 and separation of the products by ion exchange chromatography at pH 5 yielded pUp as possible 5' terminus but no "capping group" of the structure m7G(5')ppp(5')Np. Total cytoplasmic [32P]RNA of HeLa cells, on the other hand, was found to contain capping groups. Neither the capping group nor ppNp or pppNp was found in an RNase T2 digest of poliovirion [32P]RNA, in agreement with previous results [Wimmer, E. (1972) J. Mol. Biol. 68, 537-540]. The data indicate that 5'-terminal m7G(5')ppp(5')Np is absent from poliovirus RNAs and, therefore, is not involved in poliovirus protein synthesis.

https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/73/2/375.full.pdf

The 5' end of poliovirus mRNA is not capped with m7G(5')ppp(5')Np

Evidence is presented that a small protein (VPg) is covalently attached to the 5′-terminal oligonucleotide VPg–pU-U–A–A–A–A–C–A–Gp of the polio genome, to nascent strands of the polio replicative intermediate and to poly(U) of minus strands. A model of polio RNA replication is proposed implicating VPg in initiation of RNA synthesis, possibly as primer.

The location of the polio genome protein in viral RNAs and its implication for RNA synthesis.

In addition to highly conserved stem-loop structures located in the 5′- and 3′-nontranslated regions, genome replication of picornaviruses requires cis-acting RNA elements located in the coding region (termed cre) (K. L. McKnight and S. M. Lemon, J. Virol. 70:1941–1952, 1996; P. E. Lobert, N. Escriou, J. Ruelle, and T. Michiels, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 96:11560–11565, 1999; I. Goodfellow, Y. Chaudhry, A. Richardson, J. Meredith, J. W. Almond, W. Barclay, and D. J. Evans, J. Virol. 74:4590–4600, 2000). cre elements appear to be essential for minus-strand RNA synthesis by an as-yet-unknown mechanism. We have discovered that the cre element of poliovirus (mapping to the 2C coding region of poliovirus type 1; nucleotides 4444 to 4505 in 2C), which is homologous to the cre element of poliovirus type 3, is preferentially used as a template for the in vitro uridylylation of VPg catalyzed by 3Dpol in a reaction that is greatly stimulated by 3CDpro (A. V. Paul, E. Rieder, D. W. Kim, J. H. van Boom, and E. Wimmer, J. Virol. 74:10359–10370, 2000). Here we report a direct correlation between mutations that eliminate, or severely reduce, the in vitro VPg-uridylylation reaction and produce replication phenotypes in vivo. None of the genetic changes significantly influenced translation or polyprotein processing. A substitution mapping to the first A (A4472C) of a conserved AAACA sequence in the loop of PV-cre(2C) eliminated the ability of the cre RNA to serve as template for VPg uridylylation and abolished RNA infectivity. Mutagenesis of the second A (A4473C; AAACA) severely reduced the yield of VPgpUpU and RNA infectivity was restored only after reversion to the wild-type sequence. The effect of substitution of the third A (A4474G; AAACA) was less severe but reduced both VPg uridylylation and virus yield. Disruption of base pairing within the upper stem region of PV-cre(2C) also affected uridylylation of VPg. Virus derived from transcripts containing mutations in the stem was either viable or quasi-infectious.

Genetic and biochemical studies of poliovirus cis-acting replication element cre in relation to VPg uridylylation.

An in vitro poliovirus RNA-synthesizing system derived from a crude membrance fraction of infected HeLa cells was used to analyze the mechanism of initiation of poliovirus plus-strand RNA synthesis. This system contains an activity that synthesizes the nucleotidyl proteins VPg-pU and VPg-pUpU. These molecules represent the 5'-terminal structure of nascent RNA molecules and of virion RNA. The membranous replication complex is also capable of synthesizing mucleotidyl proteins containing nine or more of the poliovirus 5'-proximal nucleotides as assayed by the formation of the RNase T/sub 1/-resistant oligonucleotide VPg-pUUAAAACAGp or by fingerprint analysis of the in vitro-synthesized /sup 32/P-RNA. Incubation of preformed VPg-pUpU with unlabeled nucleoside triphosphates resulted in the formation of VPg-pUUAAAACAGp. This reaction, which appeared to be an elongation of VPg-pUpU, was stimulated by the addition of a soluble fraction (S-10) obtained from uninfected HeLa cells. Preformed VPg-pU could be chased into VPg-pUpU in the presence of UTP. The data are consistent with a model that VPg-pU can function as a primer for poliovirus plus-strand RNA synthesis in the membranous replication complex and that the elongation reaction may be stimulated by a host cellular factor.

Mei-hui Teng

Papers

Poly(U) in poliovirus minus RNA is 5'-terminal.