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Circularization via Complementary Sequences in the 5’ and 3’ Termini may Facilitate Replication of SARS Coronaviruses

Roberto Patarca, William A. Haseltine

The replication and transcription of the positive-sense single-stranded RNA genomes of SARS-CoV-1 and 2 require both continuous genomic synthesis and discontinuous subgenomic synthesis of messenger RNAs as is the case for all nidoviruses. To create the nested set of messenger RNAs, the elongating negative-sense strand jumps from a set of transcription regulatory sequences (TRS-Bs) to a similar leader transcription regulatory sequence (TRS-L) located in the 5’ genomic terminus. This unique mode of messenger RNA synthesis has prompted the speculation for the need for the proximity of the 5’ and 3’ termini during the synthesis of subgenomic negative-sense strands. Here, we report the presence of complementary terminal segments in SARS-CoV-1 and 2 that could mediate such circularization.