Cis-mediated interactions of the SARS-CoV-2 frameshift RNA alter its conformations and affect function.

The RNA genome of SARS-CoV-2 contains a frameshift stimulatory element (FSE) that allows access to an alternative reading frame through -1 programmed ribosomal frameshifting (PRF). -1PRF in the 1a/1b gene is essential for efficient viral replication and transcription of the viral genome. -1PRF efficiency relies on the presence of conserved RNA elements within the FSE.

The short isoform of the host antiviral protein ZAP acts as an inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 programmed ribosomal frameshifting.

Programmed ribosomal frameshifting (PRF) is a fundamental gene expression event in many viruses, including SARS-CoV-2. It allows production of essential viral, structural and replicative enzymes that are encoded in an alternative reading frame. Despite the importance of PRF for the viral life cycle, it is still largely unknown how and to what extent cellular factors alter mechanical properties of frameshift elements and thereby impact virulence.

From the Inside Out: an Epibiotic Predator with an Expanded Genomic Complement.

and like organisms are abundant environmental parasitoids of prokaryotes that show diverse predation strategies. The vast majority of studied bacteria and like organisms deploy intraperiplasmic replication inside the prey cell, while few isolates with smaller genomes consume their prey from the outside in an epibiotic manner. The novel parasitoid " Bdellovibrio qaytius" was isolated from a eutrophic freshwater pond in British Columbia, where it was a continual part of the microbial community.

Chromulinavorax destructans, a pathogen of microzooplankton that provides a window into the enigmatic candidate phylum Dependentiae.

Members of the major candidate phylum Dependentiae (a.k.a.