Occurrence of the Slippery Sequence UUUAAAC in the RNA Genome 2 that generates the ORF1ab Protein of SARS-CoV-2

Abstract

In the present brief report we look into the slippery sequence TTTAAAC (in cDNA format) of the ORF1ab protein of SARS-CoV-2. We found a number of TTTAAAC sequences where only one is actively producing a shift-1. There are three other sequences exactly positioned in the read-through of mRNA as the aforementioned. They do not produce a-1 frameshift. There is one position where in addition a pseudoknot occurs but no frameshift. We ask if it is possible to enforce or prevent shifts in TTTAAAC to destroy the ORF1ab derived proteins such as RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and/or 2’-O-ribose methyltransferase. Finally an mRNA polymer repressor of the one single effective frameshift is proposed for further research into a medicinal treatment. Perhaps that there are specific protein repressors.