黄病毒基因组非编码区的结构与功能研究进展

Research Advances on the Structure and Function of the Untranslated Regions of the Genome of Flaviviruses

黄病毒科黄病毒属是由一组含单股正链RNA基因组的囊膜病毒组成,包括登革病毒、流行性乙型脑炎病毒、寨卡病毒、西尼罗病毒、黄热病病毒等,经由虫媒传播,可引起人类和动物的严重虫媒病毒病。黄病毒基因组由1个开放阅读框、5′非编码区和3′非编码区三部分组成。5′和3′非编码区含有病毒基因组复制所必需的启动元件;高度结构化的3′非编码区负责黄病毒亚基因组RNA的产生,从而有助于病毒逃避宿主免疫反应;此外3′非编码区还可作为疫苗研究的靶标。鉴于非编码区在黄病毒的蛋白翻译、基因组复制和免疫调节中发挥的重要作用,本文就黄病毒基因组非编码区的结构与功能最新研究进展作一简要综述。

Flavivirus is a genus of viruses in the family Flaviviridae.Flaviviruses are enveloped arthropodborne viruses with a single-stranded,positive-sense RNA genome that can cause serious illnesses in humans and animals.Common viruses in this genus include the dengue virus,Japanese encephalitis virus,Zika virus,West Nile virus,and yellow fever virus.The genome consists of a single open-reading frame,and is flanked by 5′and 3′untranslated regions(UTRs).The 5′and 3′UTRs consist of elements that are essential for genome cyclization,and result in the initiation of RNA synthesis.The highly structured 3′UTR is responsible for generation of subgenomic flavivirus RNA that helps the virus evade the host immune response.In addition,the 3′UTR can be used as a target for vaccine research.The UTRs play an important part in the protein translation,genome replication and immune regulation of flaviviruses.Here,we review the research advances on the structure and function of the UTRs of the genome of flaviviruses in recent years.