The organization of double-strand RNA in the chinkugunya virus replication organelle

The chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is the Alphavirus genus in the family Togaviridae. CHIKV cause Chikungunya fever which is a zoonosis. When CHIKV infects a cell, they make spherules on cellular-plasma membrane. The spherule contains duplex viral RNA (negative strand and synthesized positive sense) and two-megadalton protein complex that works as enzyme for RNA replication. Here, they uncovered that the double strand RNA in spherule of CHIKV is shorter than unconstrained double-strand RNA and CHIKV RNA has five ~25-32nm conformations. Finally, the RNA occupies the spherule homogenous density, however perpendicular form from the point of cell-virus connection (membrane neck) to the center of spherule is a preferred orientation. These results can show that RNA synthesis is taken at a single state like neck complex where protein complex is in.
(NN)