期刊名称:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
印刷版ISSN:0027-8424
电子版ISSN:1091-6490
出版年度:1993
卷号:90
期号:4
页码:1498-1502
DOI:10.1073/pnas.90.4.1498
语种:English
出版社:The National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
摘要:The association of host proteins with viral RNA replication proteins has been reported for a number of (+)-strand RNA viruses. However, little is known about the identity or function of these host proteins in viral replication. In this paper we report the characterization of a host protein associated with the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) from brome mosaic virus (BMV)-infected barley. A host protein was specifically and proportionally enriched with BMV RdRp activity through several purification steps. This RdRp-associated host protein reacted with an antiserum prepared against wheat germ eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 (eIF-3). The RdRp-associated host protein, the p41 subunit of wheat germ eIF-3, and an antigenically related protein from rabbit reticulocyte lysates were all found to bind with high affinity and specificity to BMV-encoded protein 2a, which is involved in viral RNA replication. Moreover, addition of wheat germ eIF-3 or the p41 subunit from wheat germ to BMV RdRp gave a specific and reproducible 3-fold stimulation of (-)-strand RNA synthesis in vivo. These results suggest that the barley analog of eIF-3 subunit p41, or a closely related protein, associates with BMV RdRp in vivo and is involved in BMV RNA replication. This observation and the established role of translation factors in bacteriophage Q beta RdRp suggest that association with translation factors may be a general feature of RNA replication by (+)-strand RNA viruses.