Cis-acting RNA elements in positive-strand RNA plant virus genomes

- Plus-strand RNA viruses utilize cis-acting RNA elements to control viral processes.
- Cis-acting RNA elements can be linear sequences or various higher-order structures.
- Long-range inter-genomic RNA-RNA interactions also play important regulatory roles.
- In the future, it will be important to understand global RNA genome structure.

Positive-strand RNA viruses are the most common type of plant virus. Many aspects of the reproductive cycle of this group of viruses have been studied over the years and this has led to the accumulation of a significant amount of insightful information. In particular, the identification and characterization of cis-acting RNA elements within these viral genomes have revealed important roles in many fundamental viral processes such as virus disassembly, translation, genome replication, subgenomic mRNA transcription, and packaging. These functional cis-acting RNA elements include primary sequences, secondary and tertiary structures, as well as long-range RNA-RNA interactions, and they typically function by interacting with viral or host proteins. This review provides a general overview and update on some of the many roles played by cis-acting RNA elements in positive-strand RNA plant viruses.