Does form meet function in the coronavirus replicative organelle?

Benjamin W Neuman; Megan M Angelini; Michael J Buchmeier

doi:10.1016/j.tim.2014.06.003

Does form meet function in the coronavirus replicative organelle?

Trends Microbiol. 2014 Nov;22(11):642-7. doi: 10.1016/j.tim.2014.06.003. Epub 2014 Jul 15.

Authors

Benjamin W Neuman¹, Megan M Angelini², Michael J Buchmeier³

Affiliations

¹ School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, Berkshire, UK. Electronic address: b.w.neuman@reading.ac.uk.
² Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
³ Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA; Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.

Abstract

If we use the analogy of a virus as a living entity, then the replicative organelle is the part of the body where its metabolic and reproductive activities are concentrated. Recent studies have illuminated the intricately complex replicative organelles of coronaviruses, a group that includes the largest known RNA virus genomes. This review takes a virus-centric look at the coronavirus replication transcription complex organelle in the context of the wider world of positive sense RNA viruses, examining how the mechanisms of protein expression and function act to produce the factories that power the viral replication cycle.

Keywords: RNA virus replication; membrane rearrangement; replicative organelle; virus factory.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Coronavirus / physiology*
Coronavirus / ultrastructure*
Organelles / ultrastructure*
Organelles / virology*
Transcription, Genetic
Virus Replication*