Alternate structures in RNA and their functional significance
Viral RNA genomes are not merely passive carriers of genetic information; they also contain structured domains that actively regulate key steps in the viral life cycle. In this seminar, I will focus on two such domains in HIV: one that regulates the initiation of reverse transcription and another that directs translational frameshifting. In both cases, I will highlight the functional importance of minor alternative RNA
conformations and present findings that challenge fundamental assumptions about these processes. First, I will show that reverse transcriptase (RT) functions not only as an enzyme but also as an RNA structural remodeler. I will discuss how this distinct activity regulates the initiation of DNA synthesis within virions. Second, I will describe a pseudoknotted RNA structure that, although present as a minor conformational population, functions as the frameshifting signal required to maintain the precise protein ratio essential for HIV replication.