Further studies on the RNA component distribution among the nucleoproteins of cucumber mosaic virus

• Published in: Virology (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 74; no. 1; pp. 223 - 226
• Main Authors: Lot, H., Kaper, J.M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.01.1976
• Subjects: Centrifugation, Isopycnic; Mosaic Viruses - analysis; Nucleoproteins - analysis; plant health; plant viruses; Plant Viruses - analysis; RNA, Viral - analysis; Rubidium
• ISSN: 0042-6822; 1096-0341
• DOI: 10.1016/0042-6822(76)90143-4

Several attempts to obtain a more reliable definition of the RNA component distribution among the nucleoproteins of cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) are described. Preparative isopycnic centrifugation of formaldehyde-stabilized CMV could not be applied because CMV component cross-linking precluded its further dissociation by SDS or Pronase for RNA component analysis. However, in salt stability tests, preparations of CMV-D were found to be incompletely degraded in 2 M RbCl, and the undegraded virus had the same RNA component ratio as untreated CMV-D. The undegraded CMV-D was fractionated following isopycnic centrifugation in RbCl on a preparative scale. RNA 1 (1.07 million daltons) was found predominantly in the heavy nucleoprotein fractions, and RNA 2 (0.95 million daltons) in the light ones. RNA 3 (0.69 million daltons) and RNA 4 (0.33 million daltons) were found in slightly larger proportions in the middle density fractions. RNA 5 (about 0.1 million daltons) was almost evenly distributed among all nucleoprotein fractions. It was concluded that in CMV-D, with its RNA components basically distributed like brome mosaic virus, there are probably other types of nucleoproteins which have RNA 2 and RNA 3 combined with RNA 5, or RNA 5 molecules without the other components.