%0 Journal Article %A Kohl, Alain %A Lowen, Anice C. %A Léonard, Vincent H. J. %A Elliott, Richard M. %T Genetic elements regulating packaging of the Bunyamwera orthobunyavirus genome %D 2006 %J Journal of General Virology, %V 87 %N 1 %P 177-187 %@ 1465-2099 %R https://doi.org/10.1099/vir.0.81227-0 %I Microbiology Society, %X The genome of Bunyamwera virus (BUN; family Bunyaviridae, genus Orthobunyavirus) comprises three segments of negative-sense, single-stranded RNA. The RNA segments are encapsidated by the viral nucleocapsid (N) protein and form panhandle-like structures through interaction of complementary sequences at their 5′ and 3′ termini. Transcription and replication of a BUN genome analogue (minireplicon), comprising the viral non-coding sequences flanking a reporter gene, requires just the viral RNA polymerase (L protein) and N protein. Here, sequences of Bunyamwera serogroup M segment RNAs were compared and conserved elements within nt 20–33 of the 3′ and 5′ non-coding regions that can affect packaging of minireplicons into virions were identified. RNA-folding models suggest that a conserved sequence within nt 20–33 of the 5′ end of the genome segments maintains conserved structural features necessary for efficient transcription. Competitive packaging experiments using M, L and S segment-derived minireplicons that encode different reporter genes showed variable packaging efficiencies of the three segments. Packaging of a particular segment appeared to be independent of the presence of other segments and, for the S segment, packaging efficiency was unaffected by the inclusion of viral coding sequences in the minireplicon. %U https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/vir.0.81227-0