Subgenomic, cellular Rous sarcoma virus RNAs contain oligonucleotides from the 3' half and the 5' terminus of virion RNA

• Published in: Nature (London) 1977-12, Vol.270 (5638), p.631-634
• Main Authors: Mellon, P, Duesberg, P.H
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: animal diseases; animal health; Avian Sarcoma Viruses - genetics; Avian Sarcoma Viruses - metabolism; Base Sequence; Genes, Viral; Humanities and Social Sciences; letter; Molecular Weight; multidisciplinary; Oligoribonucleotides - metabolism; Poly A - metabolism; RNA, Messenger - biosynthesis; RNA, Viral - biosynthesis; RNA, Viral - genetics; Science; Science (multidisciplinary)
• ISSN: 0028-0836; 1476-4687
• DOI: 10.1038/270631a0

THE genome of Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) is a 30-40S RNA of 10,000 nucleotides coding for four known genes 1 which map in the order 5′- gag, pol, env, src, poly(A)-3′ (refs 2, 3). This 30-40S RNA serves as mRNA for a gag precursor protein and perhaps a gag-pol precursor-polyprotein when translated in vitro 4,5 . The env gene, however, may be translated from a smaller intracellular messenger. Poly(A)-containing 20-24S cellular RNA from infected cells can, upon microinjection, complement an env -defective virus 6 and may also direct in vitro synthesis of a protein that is serologically related to the env gene product 7 . Moreover, hybridisation with DNA complementary (cDNA) to env and src sequences of virion RNA detects discrete classes of subgenomic poly(A)-containing RNAs present in infected cells as steady state species, while gag and pol -specific cDNAs hybridise only to full sized RNA 8,9 .