MEI-LIN WANG2026-10-162026-10-162024-01-01Pure ID: 15004675Pure UUID: 9bb970cf-ce61-4ba6-bfdd-17aa13d8851610.1016/j.virol.2023.109920https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85176112370https://scholars.csmu.edu.tw/handle/123456789/31440Synthesis of coronavirus subgenomic mRNA (sgmRNA) is guided by the transcription regulatory sequence (TRS). sgmRNA derived from the body TRS (TRS-B) located at the 1a/1b protein gene is designated 1ab/sgmRNA. In the current study, we comprehensively identified the 1ab/sgmRNAs synthesized from TRS-Bs located at the 1a/1b protein genes of different coronavirus genera both in vitro and in vivo by RT‒PCR and sequencing. The results suggested that the degree of sequence homology between the leader TRS (TRS-L) and TRS-B may not be a decisive factor for 1ab/sgmRNA synthesis. This observation led us to revisit the coronavirus transcription mechanism and to propose that the disassociation of coronavirus polymerase from the viral genome may be a prerequisite for sgmRNA synthesis. Once the polymerase can disassociate at TRS-B, the sequence homology between TRS-L and TRS-B is important for sgmRNA synthesis. The study therefore extends our understanding of transcription mechanisms.enjournal article