Aphthovirus internal ribosome entry site (IRES)

This family represents the internal ribosome entry site (IRES) of the the aphthoviruses. IRES elements allow cap and end-independent translation of mRNA in the host cell. The IRES achieves this by mediating the internal initiation of translation by recruiting a ribosomal 43S pre-initiation complex directly to the initiation codon and eliminates the requirement for the eukaryotic initiation factor eIF4F.