Recombination and other genomic rearrangements in picornaviruses

The available data on rearrangements (recombinations, deletions, and insertions) of picornavirus genomes fit the replicative template switch model postulating that an incomplete nascent minus RNA strand leaves the template and resumes its synthesis on another template (or another locus of the original template). The nascent strand dissociation is believed to be facilitated by the elongation pausing caused by secondary structure elements or nucleotide misincorporations. Rearrangements may involve (nearly) identical or completely dissimilar pairs of parting and anchoring sites. Rearrangements contribute to both conservation and variation of the picornaviral genomes. (C) 1997 Academic Press.