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Secondary structure and hybridization accessibility of the hepatitis C virus negative strand RNA 5′‐terminus

Summary.  The positive strand RNA genome of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is transcribed exclusively from a full‐length cytoplasmic replication intermediate, the negative strand RNA. Despite this essential role in hepatocellular infection, the negative strand has not yet been subjected to extensive molecular characterization, and in comparison with the HCV genome and proteome, remains relatively unexplored as a target for antiviral therapy. The highly conserved negative strand terminal sequences, complementary to the positive strand 5′‐ and 3′‐untranslated regions, are believed to contribute structural features essential for the initiation of positive strand synthesis and the maintenance of template integrity. We investigated the solution structure of the HCV negative strand 5′‐terminal region by endoribonuclease mapping and thermodynamic modelling of RNA secondary structure. The enzymatic probing data are consistent with structural models featuring a large terminal stem loop (SL), which constitutes a mirror image of the complementary 3′‐X region SL I structure. Nucleotide positions within the negative strand accessible to hybridization were mapped by RNase H digestion in the presence of combinatorial oligonucleotide libraries. The hybridization data further support the existence of a terminal SL, and reveal target sites within the negative strand 5′‐terminus which may be susceptible to antisense‐mediated inhibition.