Dual function of a cis-acting RNA element that acts as a replication enhancer and a translation repressor in a plant positive-stranded RNA virus

•Translation of RCNMV RNA2 is strongly linked to RNA2 replication.•The 5′BS predicted in the 5′ UTR of RNA2 is essential for robust RNA replication.•The right side of the 5′BS is a translation repressor.•The nucleotide sequences other than 5′BS in the 5′ UTR promote translation of RNA2.

The genome of red clover necrotic mosaic virus is divided into two positive-stranded RNA molecules of RNA1 and RNA2, which have no 5′ cap structure and no 3′ poly(A) tail. Previously, we showed that any mutations in the cis-acting RNA replication elements of RNA2 abolished its cap-independent translational activity, suggesting a strong link between RNA replication and translation. Here, we investigated the functions of the 5′ untranslated region (UTR) of RNA2 and revealed that the basal stem-structure (5′BS) predicted in the 5′ UTR is essential for robust RNA replication. Interestingly, RNA2 mutants with substitution or deletion in the right side of the 5′BS showed strong translational activity, despite their impaired replication competency. Furthermore, nucleotide sequences other than the 5′BS of the 5′ UTR were essential to facilitate the replication-associated translation. Overall, these cis-acting RNA elements seem to coordinately regulate the balance between RNA replication and replication-associated translation.