User:Sgultyae/influenzavirus NS segment pseudoknot

The influenza virus NS segment pseudoknot is an RNA pseudoknot structure formed in one of the segments (NS) of influenza virus genome. The structure is very similar in influenzavirus A and influenzavirus B. A unique point mutation occurring in the strains of influenza A virus subtype H5N1 after 2001 has been suggested to result in RNA conformational shift, favoring an alternative hairpin structure instead of the pseudoknot.

The orientation of the coaxially stacked stems in the influenza pseudoknot differs from the most common topology in "classical" RNA pseudoknots.