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Studies on bacteriophage MS2. VIII. Evidence for dimer formation of MS2 RNA by reaction with formaldehyde at acidic pH
Author(s) -
Slegers H.,
Fiers W.
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
biopolymers
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.556
H-Index - 125
eISSN - 1097-0282
pISSN - 0006-3525
DOI - 10.1002/bip.1970.360091107
Subject(s) - chemistry , formaldehyde , dimer , rna , bacteriophage ms2 , transfer rna , ionic bonding , ribosomal rna , crystallography , biochemistry , organic chemistry , ion , coat protein , gene
Reaction of 27 SMS2 RNA with formaldehyde normally results in an unfolded, 13.4 S form. At acidic pH, however, and under the proper ionic conditions, a compact component sedimenting at 36–40 S was obtained. The molecular weight of this species corresponds to a dinner. The formaldehyde concentration was not critical, and approximately the same number of base pairs had been opened in the compact and in the unfolded form. Presumably dimers, which had been specifically formed under defined conditions, were stabilized by formaldehyde‐induced crosslinks. Similar dimers were formed by 16 S and by 23 S ribosomal RNA, but not by tRNA.