To gain further insight into the cis-acting signals regulating sg RNA synthesis, we performed a comprehensive site-directed mutagenesis study of the EAV leader and body TRSs. Every nucleotide of the TRS (5¢-UCAACU-3¢) was substituted with each of the three alternative nucleotides. Our analysis revealed a number of striking similarities with the process of copy-choice RNA recombination, as it occurs in RNA viruses. Whereas the leader TRS plays only a targeting role in translocation of the nascent strand, body TRS nucleotides appear to ful®l diverse position-speci®c and base-speci®c functions. In addition, the sequence of the leader±body junctions of the sg mRNAs produced by these mutants provided strong evidence for the discontinuous minus strand extension model.