Pan-Viral Conformational Landscapes of Frameshifting Elements Reveal Length-Dependent Plasticity and Antisense-Driven Structural Reprogramming (opens in new tab)

Programmed ribosomal frameshifting (PRF) is an essential strategy used by many RNA viruses to expand their coding capacity within compact genomes. This process is governed by frameshifting elements (FSEs), specialized RNA structures that regulate translation through dynamic secondary and tertiary conformations. While the structural adaptability of the SARS-CoV-2 FSE has been extensively characterized, the conformational landscapes of FSEs across other pathogenic viruses remain poorly understo...