Tinker, tailor, antiviral: RNA virus inhibition by induced recombination

Emmanuelle Pitre; Aartjan J W Te Velthuis

doi:10.1016/j.tibs.2022.01.003

Tinker, tailor, antiviral: RNA virus inhibition by induced recombination

Trends Biochem Sci. 2022 Jun;47(6):456-458. doi: 10.1016/j.tibs.2022.01.003. Epub 2022 Feb 2.

Authors

Emmanuelle Pitre¹, Aartjan J W Te Velthuis²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK; Lewis Thomas Laboratory, Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
² Lewis Thomas Laboratory, Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA. Electronic address: aj.te.velthuis@princeton.edu.

PMID: 35123872
DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2022.01.003

Abstract

Nucleotide analogs can help to combat RNA virus growth by stalling the viral RNA polymerase or by introducing lethal mutations into the viral genome. Janissen and Woodman et al. have used single-molecule, sequencing, and virological methods to reveal that antiviral T-1106 provides a third mechanism of counterattack: inducing recombination.

Keywords: RNA polymerase; magnetic tweezers; recombination; template switching.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Comment

MeSH terms

Antiviral Agents* / pharmacology
Genome, Viral
RNA Viruses* / genetics
RNA, Viral / genetics
Recombination, Genetic

Substances

Antiviral Agents
RNA, Viral

Grants and funding

206579/Z/17/Z/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom