With the emergence of new RNA-structure related techniques, it is becoming increasingly clear that viral RNA genomes are structurally and functionally plastic, which drive multiple phases of the viral lifecycle.
Vincent Pham’s work in the D’Souza lab investigates how alternate RNA structures regulate transcription and translation of human immunodeficiency virus – 1 (HIV-1) and translation of both severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (SARS-CoV-1) and severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2).