Our Research
Virtually all RNA viruses replicate their genomes using large replication complexes composed of viral RNA, viral replicases (such as polymerases, helicases, proteases) and host factors. In particular, the viral genomes itself is an essential component of this machinery. Beyond serving as a template for viral protein synthesis, viral RNAs function as regulatory macromolecules that orchestrate key steps of the replication cycle. They act as signals for viral protein translation (e.g., internal ribosome entry site in enteroviruses), RNA synthesis (RNA promoter in flaviviruses), virus assembly (packaging signal in alphaviruses), and nuclear export (Rev response element in HIV). Importantly, these regulatory roles are determined primarily by the three-dimensional structures of viral RNAs rather than their sequences. Our research focuses on elucidating the structure and function of these viral RNAs and uncovering how their interactions with viral and host proteins control replication and pathogenesis.