Identification and Characterization of the Sobevirus Coat Protein-Binding Site

目前已经确定了棒状和等面体正义RNA病毒的高分辨结构，并通过对烟草花叶病毒（TMV）的研究，详细地描述了棒状RNA病毒组装过程中的分子事件。相比之下，人们对指导二十面体RNA病毒组装的蛋白质- RNA和蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用的了解相对较少。本实验旨在确定南豆花叶病毒SBMV外壳蛋白结合位点的RNA序列和结构，并对rp复合体进行表征。这些结果将提供二十面体病毒组装起始事件中RNA和蛋白质之间特定相互作用的详细图像，并且它们也将与RNA：蛋白质相互作用的一般研究相关。此外，拟议的实验将直接测试二十面体病毒组装模型，并将允许比较SBMV组装和另一种小RNA病毒-萝卜皱病毒（TVC）的组装，PI曾作为博士后工作。病毒组装是病毒与宿主相互作用的关键组成部分。该项目将有助于我们了解这组植物病毒的寄主范围和症状严重程度以及它们引起的重要经济植物病害。//

The high resolution structures of several positive-sense RNA viruses, both rod-shaped and iscosahedral, have now been determined, and the molecular events in the assembly of rod- shaped RNA viruses have been characterized in great detail through the study of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). By comparison, relatively little is known about the protein: RNA and protein: protein interactions which direct the assembly of the icosahedral RNA viruses. The experiments proposed here are designed to determine the RNA sequence and structure of the southern bean mosaic virus SBMV coat protein-binding site, and to characterize the rp-complex. The results will provide a detailed picture of the specific interaction between RNA and protein in the initiation event of icosahedral virus assembly, and they will also be relevant to the study of RNA: protein interactions in general. In addition, the proposed experiments will directly test the models for icosahedral virus assembly and will allow comparisons to be made between SBMV assembly and the assembly of another small RNA virus, turnip crinkle virus (TVC), with the PI has worked as a postdoctoral fellow. %%% Viral assembly is a key component in virus-host interactions. This project will contribute toward our understanding the host range and symptom severity of this group of plant virus and the economically important plant disease they cause. //