Degree Type
Dissertation
Date of Award
1992
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
Plant Pathology and Microbiology
First Advisor
W. Allen Miller
Second Advisor
John H. Hill
Abstract
Barley yellow dwarf virus is a single-stranded RNA virus, consisting of several serotypes including the PAV serotype which is the focus of this dissertation. The 39K open reading frame (ORF) at the 5[superscript]' end of the 5.7 kb (kilobase) genome overlaps with a downstream 60K ORF by 13 nucleotides. Several approaches were employed to demonstrate that the 60K ORF (putative polymerase gene) is expressed by an unusual minus one (-1) translational frameshifting mechanism. A sequence encompassing this overlap region induces frameshifting in heterologous and native contexts. The efficiency of frameshifting induced by the PAV sequence was approximately 3% in E. coli, using the [alpha] subunit of lacZ as a reporter gene. Amino acid sequencing of the transframe protein confirmed that ribosomes slip into the -1 frame in the overlapping region. In a wheat germ translation system under optimized salt conditions, the frameshifting rate of full-length PAV transcripts was 0.8 to 1.6%. The identity of the 99-kDa transframe translation product was verified by immunoprecipitation with antibody specific for the 60K ORF. The stop codon of the 39K ORF and the sequence downstream of frameshift site were found to play critical roles in PAV frameshifting. The sequence that includes the 6.7K ORF at 3[superscript]' end of the PAV genome was discovered to be very important in frameshifting in vitro. It is proposed that the RNA sequence of 6.7K ORF stabilizes PAV RNA and enhances translational frameshifting with the aid of some unidentified plant factors.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.31274/rtd-180813-11052
Publisher
Digital Repository @ Iowa State University, http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/
Copyright Owner
Rong Di
Copyright Date
1992
Language
en
Proquest ID
AAI9311487
File Format
application/pdf
File Size
114 pages
Recommended Citation
Di, Rong, "Translational frameshifting by barley yellow dwarf virus RNA " (1992). Retrospective Theses and Dissertations. 10107.
https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd/10107