Identification and characterization of a host protein required for efficient template selection in viral RNA replication

Biochemical studies suggest that positive-strand RNA virus replication involves host as well as viral functions. Brome mosaic virus (BMV) is a member of the alphavirus-like superfamily of animal and plant positive-strand RNA viruses. Yeast expressing the BMV RNA replication proteins la and 2a supports BMV RNA replication and mRNA synthesis. Using the ability of BMV to replicate in yeast, we show that efficient BMV RNA replication requires Lsm1p, a yeast protein related to core RNA splicing factors but shown herein to be cytoplasmic. Haploid yeast with an Lsm1p mutation was defective in an early template selection step in BMV RNA replication, involving the helicase-like replication protein la and an internal viral RNA element conserved with tRNAs. Lsm1p dependence of this interaction was suppressed by adding 3' poly(A) to the normally unpolyadenylated BMV RNA. Our results show Lsm1p involvement in a specific step of BMV RNA replication and connections between Lsm1p and poly(A) function, possibly through interaction with factors binding mRNA 5' ends.