Poliovirus is a small icosahedral particle consisting of only five species of macromolecules: 60 copies each of the capsid protein VP1-4; and one copy of single-stranded RNA, approximately 7500 nt long. The genome, linked at the 5' end to a small protein VPg and 3' polyadenylylated, is of plus strand polarity. After receptor-mediated uptake of the virus and release of the RNA into the cytoplasm, the genome serves as mRNA, encoding only a single polypeptide, the polyprotein. The polyprotein is cleaved co-translationally into numerous polypeptides by its own, internal proteinases 2Apro, 3Cpro and 3CDpro. Initiation of translation is mediated by a novel genetic element, called internal ribosomal entry site (IRES). IRES elements, which are 400 nt long RNA segments located within the 5' non-translated region of the viral genome, are common to all picornaviruses. Their function renders translation of picornavirus mRNAs cap- and 5'-independent, an observation that has upset the dogma of cap-dependent translation in eukaryotic cells. IRES elements have also been used to genetically dissect the viral genome and to construct novel expression vectors. Genome replication is not fully understood, the major conundrum being the initiation of RNA synthesis by the primer-dependent viral RNA polymerase 3Dpol, a process leading to VPg-linked RNA products. Nearly all non-structural proteins appear to be involved in initiation, the proteinases 2Apro and 3CDpro included. A HeLa cell-free system has been developed that, on programming with plasmid-transcribed viral RNA, will perform viral translation, protein processing, RNA replication, and assembly of capsid protein and newly made genomic RNA. The final yield is infectious poliovirus.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)