A satellite RNA of barley yellow dwarf virus contains a novel hammerhead structure in the self-cleavage domain.

An RNA molecule with properties of a satellite RNA was found in an isolate of barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV), RPV serotype. It is 322 nucleotide long, single-stranded, and does not hybridize to the viral genome. Dimers of the RNA, which presumably represent replicative intermediates, were able to self-cleave into monomers. In vitro transcripts from cDNA clones were capable of self-cleavage in both the plus (encapsidated) and minus orientations. The sequence flanking the minus strand cleavage site contained a consensus "hammerhead" structure, similar to those found in other self-cleaving satellite RNAs. Although related to the hammerhead structure, sequences flanking the plus strand termini showed differences from the consensus and may be folded into a different structure containing a pseudo-knot.