Evidence for the existence of the loop E motif of Potato spindle tuber viroid in vivo

RNA motifs comprising nucleotides that interact through non-Watson-Crick base pairing play critical roles in RNA functions, often by serving as the sites for RNA-RNA, RNA-protein, or RNA small ligand interactions. The structures of viral and viroid RNA motifs are studied commonly by in vitro, computational, and mutagenesis approaches. Demonstration of the in vivo existence of a motif will help establish its biological significance and promote mechanistic studies on its functions. By using UV cross-linking and primer extension, we have obtained direct evidence for the in vivo existence of the loop E motif of Potato spindle tuber viroid. We present our findings and discuss their biological implications.