Special Issue "Frontiers in Imaging"

Guest Editor
Prof. Dr. Thomas Hope
Department of Cell & Molecular Biology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Website: http://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/igp/facindex/HopeT.html
E-Mail: thope@northwestern.edu

Guest Editor
Dr. Edward M. Campbell
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University, Chicago, IL, USA
Website: http://www.stritch.luc.edu/lumen/deptwebs/microbio/ec.php
E-Mail: ecampbell@lumc.edu
Phone: +1 708 216-3345

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Type of Paper: Review
Title: Tracking Retroviral RNAs in Living Cells
Authors: Darrin V. Bann ¹ and Leslie J. Parent ^1,2*
Affiliations: Penn State College of Medicine, Departments of Medicine¹ and Microbiology & Immunology² 500 University Dr., Hershey, PA 17033; USA; E-Mail: dbann@hmc.psu.edu (D.V.B.)
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: lparent@psu.edu (L.J.P.);
Tel.: +1-717-531-3997; Fax: +1-717-531-4633
Abstract: Retroviruses produce full-length RNA that serves both as a genomic RNA (gRNA), which is encapsidated into virus particles, and as an mRNA, which directs the synthesis of viral structural proteins.  However, we are only beginning to understand the cellular and viral factors that influence trafficking of retroviral RNA and the selection of the RNA for encapsidation or translation.  Live cell imaging studies of retroviral RNA trafficking have provided important insights into many aspects of the retrovirus life cycle, including transcription dynamics, nuclear export of viral RNA, translational regulation, membrane targeting, and condensation of the gRNA during virion assembly.  Here, we review cutting-edge techniques to visualize single RNA molecules in live cells and discuss the application of these systems to studying retroviral RNA trafficking.
Keywords: RNA labeling; retrovirus; live-cell