The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) nsp1 protein has unique biological functions that have not been described in the viral proteins of any RNA viruses; expressed SARS-CoV nsp1 protein has been found to suppress host gene expression by promoting host mRNA degradation and inhibiting translation. We generated an nsp1 mutant (

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus nsp1 protein suppresses host gene expression, including type I interferon production, by promoting host mRNA degradation and inhibiting host translation, in infected cells. We present evidence that nsp1 uses a novel, two-pronged strategy to inhibit host translation/gene expression. Nsp1 bound to the 40S ribosomal subunit and inactivated the translational activity of the 40S subunits. Furthermore, the nsp1-40S ribosome complex induced the modification of the 5'-region of capped mRNA template and rendered the template RNA translationally incompetent. Nsp1 also induced RNA cleavage in templates carrying the internal ribosome entry site (IRES) from encephalomyocarditis virus, but not in those carrying IRESs from hepatitis C and cricket paralysis viruses, demonstrating that the nsp1-induced RNA modification was template-dependent. We speculate that the mRNAs that underwent the nsp1-mediated modification are marked for rapid turnover by the host RNA degradation machinery.

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Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus (SCoV) is an enveloped virus containing a single-stranded, positive-sense RNA genome. Nine mRNAs carrying a set of common 5= and 3= untranslated regions (UTR) are synthesized from the incoming viral genomic RNA in cells infected with SCoV. A nonstructural SCoV nsp1 protein causes a severe translational shutoff by binding to the 40S ribosomal subunits. The nsp1-40S ribosome complex further induces an endonucleolytic cleavage near the 5=UTR of host mRNA. However, the mechanism by which SCoV viral proteins are efficiently produced in infected cells in which host protein synthesis is impaired by nsp1 is unknown. In this study, we investigated the role of the viral UTRs in evasion of the nsp1-mediated shutoff. Luciferase activities were significantly suppressed in cells expressing nsp1 together with the mRNA carrying a luciferase gene, while nsp1 failed to suppress luciferase activities of the mRNA flanked by the 5=UTR of SCoV. An RNA-protein binding assay and RNA decay assay revealed that nsp1 bound to stem-loop 1 (SL1) in the 5=UTR of SCoV RNA and that the specific interaction with nsp1 stabilized the mRNA carrying SL1. Furthermore, experiments using an SCoV replicon system showed that the specific interaction enhanced the SCoV replication. The specific interaction of nsp1 with SL1 is an important strategy to facilitate efficient viral gene expression in infected cells, in which nsp1 suppresses host gene expression. Our data indicate a novel mechanism of viral gene expression control by nsp1 and give new insight into understanding the pathogenesis of SARS.