RNA viruses redirect host factors to better amplify their genome.

This chapter provides an updated view of the host factors that are, at present, believed to participate in replication/transcription of RNA viruses. One of the major hurdles faced when attempting to identify host factors specifically involved in viral RNA replication/transcription is how to discriminate these factors from those involved in translation. Several of the host factors shown to affect viral RNA synthesis are factors known to be involved in protein synthesis, for example, translation factors. In addition, some of the factors identified to date appear to influence viral RNA amplification as well as viral protein synthesis, and translation and replication are frequently tightly associated. Several specific host factors actively participating in viral RNA transcription/replication have been identified and the regions of host protein/replicase or host protein/viral RNA interaction have been determined. The chapter centers exclusively on those factors that appear functionally important for viral amplification. It presents a list of the viruses for which a specific host factor associates with the polymerase, affecting viral genome amplification. It also indicates the usually accepted cell function of the factor and the viral polymerase or polymerase subunit to which the host factor binds.