Open AccessTranscription of the Polyoma Virus Genome: Synthesis and Cleavage of Giant Late Polyoma-Specific RNA
Author(s) -
Nicholas H. Acheson,
Elena Buetti,
Klaus Scherrer,
Roger Weil
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.68.9.2231
Subject(s) - rna , biology , transcription (linguistics) , dna , messenger rna , microbiology and biotechnology , polyoma virus , cleavage (geology) , rna dependent rna polymerase , genome , virus , virology , gene , biochemistry , paleontology , philosophy , linguistics , fracture (geology)
The size of virus-specific RNA synthesized in cultured mouse kidney cells infected with polyoma virus was estimated by electrophoresis and sedimentation analysis of RNA extracts from whole cells. Newly synthesized “late” polyoma-specific RNA appears as “giant” molecules of heterogeneous size, up to several times larger than a strand of polyoma DNA (1.5 × 106 daltons). Treatment with dimethylsulfoxide or urea showed that the large size of these molecules is not due to aggregation. Giant polyoma-specific RNA is strikingly similar in size distribution to “nuclear messenger-like” RNA (“heterogeneous nuclear” RNA) of the host cell. Subsequent to its synthesis, some of the giant polyoma-specific RNA appears to be cleaved to at least three smaller species.