[新聞]愛滋病毒HIV的基因&結構解出了

轉載自台大批踢踢實業坊
作者: abc0 (..) 看板: Biology
標題: [新聞討論] 愛滋病毒HIV的基因"結構"解出了
時間: Fri Aug 7 22:01:54 2009

注意是那RNA"結構", 尤其是HIV不同複製期有不同motif, 與motif跟病毒功能間的關係.

http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=1024647

愛滋病毒基因組 美國科學家破解

（中央社巴黎6日法新電）
根據今天公佈的一項研究，
美國科學家已經破解人類愛滋病毒（HIV）基因組的全部結構。

研究人員表示，這項突破應會有助科學家想出新對策，
透過研發新型抗病毒藥物，打擊病毒。

研究主要負責人、北卡羅萊納大學教堂山分校
（University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill）教授威克斯（Kevin Weeks）說：
「我們開始瞭解這個基因組使用何種技倆，幫助病毒逃過人類宿主的偵測。」

HIV如同流感病毒和C型肝炎病毒，把基因資料藏在單股核糖核酸RNA內，
而非雙股脫氧核糖核酸DNA內。
雙股DNA在所有的活有機體和某些病毒內都可見到。

這種結構造成破解難度更高，因為RNA不像DNA，
RNA可以把自己摺起來，變成錯綜複雜的3D結構。

先前的研究成功模製出HIV基因組的小結構。
HIV基因組由兩股組成，每股含有將近1萬個核苷酸
，核苷酸是構成DNA和RNA組塊的基本分子。

威克斯與同僚使用一種新技術製作出影像，
雖然解析度低，但可涵蓋較大範圍。

這項研究刊登在英國「自然」（Nature）期刊上，
可望幫助科學家發現RNA基因組決定HIV病毒生命週期的方式。
（譯者：中央社蔣天清）980806

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v460/n7256/abs/nature08237.html

Nature 460, 711-716 (6 August 2009) | doi:10.1038/nature08237; Received 11
May 2009; Accepted 22 June 2009

Architecture and secondary structure of an entire HIV-1 RNA genome

Joseph M. Watts1, Kristen K. Dang2, Robert J. Gorelick5, Christopher W.
Leonard1, Julian W. Bess Jr5, Ronald Swanstrom3, Christina L. Burch4 & Kevin
M. Weeks1

1. Department of Chemistry,
2. Department of Biomedical Engineering,
3. Linenberger Cancer Center,
4. Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North
Carolina 27599-3290, USA
5. AIDS and Cancer Virus Program, SAIC-Frederick, Inc., NCI-Frederick,
Frederick, Maryland 21702-1201, USA

Correspondence to: Kevin M. Weeks1 Correspondence and requests for materials
should be addressed to K.M.W. (Email: weeks@unc.edu).

Abstract

Single-stranded RNA viruses encompass broad classes of infectious agents and
cause the common cold, cancer, AIDS and other serious health threats. Viral
replication is regulated at many levels, including the use of conserved
genomic RNA structures. Most potential regulatory elements in viral RNA
genomes are uncharacterized. Here we report the structure of an entire HIV-1
genome at single nucleotide resolution using SHAPE, a high-throughput RNA
analysis technology. The genome encodes protein structure at two levels. In
addition to the correspondence between RNA and protein primary sequences, a
correlation exists between high levels of RNA structure and sequences that
encode inter-domain loops in HIV proteins. This correlation suggests that RNA
structure modulates ribosome elongation to promote native protein folding.
Some simple genome elements previously shown to be important, including the
ribosomal gag-pol frameshift stem-loop, are components of larger RNA motifs.
We also identify organizational principles for unstructured RNA regions,
including splice site acceptors and hypervariable regions. These results
emphasize that the HIV-1 genome and, potentially, many coding RNAs are
punctuated by previously unrecognized regulatory motifs and that extensive
RNA structure constitutes an important component of the genetic code.