Structural basis of ribosomal frameshifting during translation of the SARS-CoV-2 RNA genome

  1. Pramod R. Bhatt
  2. Alain Scaiola
  3. Gary Loughran
  4. Marc Leibundgut
  5. Annika Kratzel
  6. Romane Meurs
  7. René Dreos
  8. Kate M. O’Connor
  9. Angus McMillan
  10. Jeffrey W. Bode
  11. Volker Thiel
  12. David Gatfield
  13. John F. Atkins
  14. Nenad Ban

Reviewed by

Read the full article

Listed in

Log in to save this article

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 critically depends on the ribosomal frameshifting that occurs between two large open reading frames in its genomic RNA for expression of viral replicase. Programmed frameshifting occurs during translation, when the ribosome encounters a stimulatory pseudoknot RNA fold. Using a combination of cryo–electron microscopy and biochemistry, Bhatt et al. revealed that the pseudoknot resists unfolding as it lodges at the entry of the ribosomal messenger RNA channel. This causes back slippage of the viral RNA, resulting in a minus-1 shift of the reading frame of translation. A partially folded nascent viral polyprotein forms specific interactions inside the ribosomal tunnel that can influence the efficiency of frameshifting.

Science , abf3546, this issue p. 1306

Article activity feed

  1. Version published to 10.1126/science.abf3546
  2. ScreenIT

    SciScore for 10.1101/2020.10.26.355099: (What is this?)

    Please note, not all rigor criteria are appropriate for all manuscripts.

    Table 1: Rigor

    Institutional Review Board Statementnot detected.
    Randomizationnot detected.
    Blindingnot detected.
    Power Analysisnot detected.
    Sex as a biological variablenot detected.

    Table 2: Resources

    No key resources detected.

    Results from OddPub: We did not detect open data. We also did not detect open code. Researchers are encouraged to share open data when possible (see Nature blog).

    Results from LimitationRecognizer: An explicit section about the limitations of the techniques employed in this study was not found. We encourage authors to address study limitations.

    Results from TrialIdentifier: No clinical trial numbers were referenced.

    Results from Barzooka: We did not find any issues relating to the usage of bar graphs.

    Results from JetFighter: We did not find any issues relating to colormaps.

    Results from rtransparent:
    • Thank you for including a conflict of interest statement. Authors are encouraged to include this statement when submitting to a journal.
    • Thank you for including a funding statement. Authors are encouraged to include this statement when submitting to a journal.
    • No protocol registration statement was detected.

    About SciScore

    SciScore is an automated tool that is designed to assist expert reviewers by finding and presenting formulaic information scattered throughout a paper in a standard, easy to digest format. SciScore checks for the presence and correctness of RRIDs (research resource identifiers), and for rigor criteria such as sex and investigator blinding. For details on the theoretical underpinning of rigor criteria and the tools shown here, including references cited, please follow this link.

  3. Version published to 10.1101/2020.10.26.355099v1 on bioRxiv