• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.7 no.4
• /
• pp.392-401
• /
• 1997

The poliovirus is a small, and non-enveloped virus. The RNA genome of poliovirus is continuous, linear, and has a single open reading frame. This polyprotein precursor is cleaved proteolytically to yield mature products. Most of the cleavages occur by viral protease. The mature proteins derived from the P1 polyprotein precursor are the structural components of the viral capsid. The initial cleavage by 2A protease is indirectly involved in the cleavage of a cellular protein p220, a subunit of the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4F. This cleavage leads to the shut-off of cap-dependent host cell translation, and allows poliovirus to utilize the host cell machinery exclusively for translation its own RNA, which is initiated by internal ribosome entry via a cap-independent mechanism. The functional role of the 2B, 2C and 2BC proteins are not much known. 2B, 2C, 2BC and 3CD proteins are involved in the replication complex of virus induced vesicles. All newly synthesized viral RNAs are linked with VPg. VPg is a 22 amino acid polypeptide which is derived from 3AB. The 3C and 3CD are protease and process most of the cleavage sites of the polyprotein precursor. The 3C protein is also involved in inhibition of RNA polymerase II and III mediated transcription by converting host transcription factor to an inactive form. The 3D is the RNA dependent RNA polymerase. It is known that poliovirus replication follows the general pattern of positive strand RNA virus. Plus strand RNA is transcribed into complementary minus strand RNA that, in turn, is transcribed for the synthesis of plus strand RNA is transcribed into complementary minus strand RNA that, in turn, is transcribed for the synthesis of plus strand RNA strands. Poliovirus RNA synthesis occurs in a membranous environment but how the template RNA and proteins required for RNA replication assemble in the membrane is not much known. The RNA requirements for the encapsidation of the poliovirus genome (packaging signal) are totally unknown. The poliovirus infection cycle lasts approximately 6 hours.