RNA viruses rely on highly structured RNA molecules to control every stage of their replication cycles. Far from acting simply as carriers of genetic information, viral RNAs adopt complex three-dimensional folds that interact with ribosomes, viral enzymes and host proteins to regulate protein synthesis, genome replication and the assembly of new virus particles. Understanding how these dynamic RNA-protein complexes function is central to explaining how viruses replicate, evolve and cause disease.

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We're trying to better understand these events at a molecular level.