The replication transcription complex (RTC) binds to the 3' end of the viral plus strand genomic RNA to initiate synthesis of the complementary minus strand. A 36 nucleotide sequence from the 3’-UTR of the plus strand, predicted to form a stable stem-loop structure, seems to be the minimal cis-acting RNA element required for the viral RNA-directed RNA polymerase (nsp12) to initiate RNA synthesis. The polyA tail also seems to play a role in the initiation of replication of viral genomic RNA (Ahn et al. 2012).
Ahn, DG, Oh, JW, Choi, JK, Taylor, DR
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