Effects of the 5′-Leader Sequence of Tobacco Mosaic Virus RNA, or Derivatives Thereof, on Foreign mRNA and Native Viral Gene Expression

The primary function of a viral genome is to replicate to produce progeny virions. To achieve this, the exquisitely compact genetic information must perform several functions very efficiently and it is not uncommon for one sequence to fulfil several unrelated tasks. One such pleiotropic sequence, the 5′-untranslated leader of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) RNA, is the main subject of this article.