Polyadenylate synthesis by extracts from L cells infected with vesicular stomatitis virus

Alternate capping mechanisms for transcription of spring viremia of carp virus: evidence for independent mRNA initiation

Two alternate mechanisms of mRNA capping for spring viremia of carp virus have been observed. Under normal reaction conditions, a ppG residue of the capping GTP is transferred to a pA moiety of the 5' termini of mRNA transcripts. However, in reaction conditions where GppNHp is used instead of GTP, an alternate capping mechanism occurs whereby a pG residue of the capping GTP is transferred to a ppA moiety of the transcripts. The first mechanism is identical to that described previously for vesicular stomatitis virus (G. Abraham, D. P. Rhodes, and A. K. Banerjee, Nature [London] 255:37-40, 1975; A. K. Banerjee, S. A. Moyer, and D. P. Rhodes, Virology 61:547-558, 1974), and thus appears to be a conserved function during the evolution of rhabdoviruses. The alternate mechanism of capping indicates not only that capping can take place by two procedures, but also that the substrate termini have di- or triphosphate 5' ends, indicating that they are probably independently initiated. An analog of ATP, AppNHp, has been found to completely inhibit the initiation of transcription by spring viremia of carp virus, suggesting that a cleavage between the beta and gamma phosphates of ATP is essential for the initiation of transcription. However, in the presence of GppNHp, uncapped (ppAp and pppAp), capped (GpppAp), and capped methylated (m7GpppAmpAp and GpppAmpAp) transcripts are detected. Size analyses of oligodeoxythymidylic acid-cellulose-bound transcripts resolved by formamide gel electrophoresis demonstrated that full-size mRNA transcripts are synthesized as well as larger RNA species. The presence of GppNHp and S-adenosylhomocysteine in reaction mixtures did not have any effect on the type of unmethylated transcription products. Our results favor a transcription model postulated previously (D. H. L. Bishop, in H. Fraenkel-Conrat and R. R. Wagner, ed., Comprehensive Virology, vol. 10, Plenum Press, New York, 1977; D. H. L. Bishop and A. Flamand, in D. C. Burke and W. C. Russell, ed., Control Processes in Virus Multiplication, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1975; D. H. L. Bishop and M. S. Smith, in D. Nayak, ed., The Molecular Biology of Animal Viruses, Marcel Dekker, New York, 1977; P. Roy and D. H. L. Bishop, J. Virol. 11:487-501, 1973) in which mRNA synthesis is initiated independently; they do not support a model for transcripts being synthesized by plus-strand cleavage (A. K. Banerjee, G. Abraham, and R. J. Colonno, J. Gen. Virol. 34:1-8, 1977; A. K. Banerjee, R. J. Colonno, D. Testa, and M. T. Franze-Fernandez, in B. M. J. Mahy and R. D. Barry, ed., Negative Strand Viruses and the Host Cells, Academic Press, London, 1978).

The in vitro addition of a polyadenylate sequence to the 3' end of phage Qbeta RNA and the biological activity of the product

Terminal riboadenylate transferase, purified from calf thymus, has been used to add a poly(A) extension to the 3' end of Qbeta RNA. The modified Qbeta RNA retains full infectivity in a spheroplast assay system. However, the progeny viruses do not contain poly(A) termini, indicating an in vivo rectification of the in vitro alteration.

Poly(A) polymerase from vaccinia virus-infected cells. I. Partial purification and characterization

Poly(A) polymerase activity is induced during vaccinia virus infection of HeLa cells. The enzyme is maximally induced at 3.5 h postinfection. Partial purification frees the preparation of RNase activity and RNA polymerase activity. ATP is the substrate for poly(A) synthesis. A small amount of poly(A) is produced from added adenosine diphosphate due to the production of ATP by an adenylate kinase present in the preparation. The incorporation of ATP into poly(A) is dependent on divalent cations (Mg(2+) or Mn(2+)) and is not inhibited by UTP, CTP, or GTP. Poly(U) stimulates ATP incorporation; poly(A) and poly(C) have little effect on ATP incorporation, and poly(dT) is extremely inhibitory. RNA prepared from HeLa cells and from the partially purified poly(A) polymerase (the enzyme preparation contains endogenous RNA [Brakel and Kates]) stimulates ATP incorporation by poly(A) polymerase which was subjected to DEAE-cellulose chromatography. RNase's, pancreatic and T(1), inhibit the production of poly(A). DNase has little effect. Poly(U) is able to stimulate poly(A) production in the presence of T(1) RNase.

Poly(A) polymerase from vaccinia virus-infected cells. II. Product and primer characterization

The product of the in vitro reaction of a vaccinia virus-induced poly(A) polymerase (see preceding paper) with ATP is shown to be poly(A) by nuclease resistance and by annealing with poly(U). Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis indicates that the in vitro synthesized poly(A) is associated with large RNA which is sensitive to RNase. RNA which co-purifies with the virus-induced enzyme is similar to vaccinia virus-specific RNA with respect to size and poly(A) content. Double labeling studies indicate that the RNA which co-purifies with the enzyme becomes associated with the poly(A) synthesized in vitro. The poly(A) formed in vitro is located on the 3'-OH terminus of this RNA. During in vitro poly(A) synthesis (32)P from alpha-[(32)P]ATP is transferred to nucleosides other than 2',3'-AMP, primarily to CMP. Inclusion of poly(U) in the in vitro reactions results in an increase in the transfer of (32)P to UMP.

Transcribing complexes in cells infected by vesicular stomatitis virus and rabies virus

We analyzed cell extracts from BHK(21) cells infected with vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) and rabies virus for in vitro RNA polymerase activity. Cells infected with VSV B virions exhibited several complexes with in vitro RNA polymerase activity in sucrose gradients. These complexes synthesize VSV transcriptase product (4 to 18S) polyadenylated in RNA complementary to virion RNA. Cells infected with a high multiplicity of B virions and T particles show only one RNA polymerase complex active in vitro. This complex sediments at 110S and makes only small (2S) RNA. Carrier BHK(21) cells persistently noncytopathically infected with VSV contain several complexes active in RNA polymerase, but both exhibit very low activity. Cytoplasms of cells noncytopathically infected with rabies virus also show very low levels of a complex containing RNA polymerase activity. No transcriptase nor any other in vitro polymerase activity could be found associated with purified rabies virions, although they do carry out primary transcription in cells treated with actinomycin D and cycloheximide before infection.

Polyadenylate sequences on Newcastle disease virus mRNA synthesized in vivo and in vitro

Polyadenylate [poly(A)] sequences are associated with the 35 and 50S Newcastle disease virus (NDV)-specific RNAs as well as all six to seven of the 18-22S NDV-specific messenger RNAs extracted from infected chicken embryo cells. The poly(A) associated with the 18-22S RNA has an average size of 120 to 130 nucleotides. The 18-22S RNA synthesized in vitro by NDV's virion-bound polymerase contains six to seven species of the same size and relative proportions as its intracellular counterpart. This in vitro synthesized 18-22S RNA also contains covalently linked poly(A) sequences which, although variable in size, are usually larger and more heterogeneous than those from the infected cell. In vitro RNA synthesis is supported not only by magnesium (at an optimal concentration of mM) but by manganese (at an optimal concentration of 0.5 to 1.0 mM) as well. However, the major product made in the presence of manganese, although sedimenting at 18 to 22S, differs somewhat from the product made in the presence of magnesium.

Polyadenylation of vesicular stomatitis virus mRNA

Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) mRNA isolated from infected cell polysomes contains polyadenylic acid [poly(A)] sequences. Detergent-activated purified virions in vitro can transcribe complementary RNA, which has sedimentation properties similar to mRNA, and this RNA also contains poly(A) sequences. Digestion of virion RNA with U2 RNase under conditions where hydrolysis is specific for purine linkages leaves no sequences of polyuridylic acid corresponding in length to the poly(A) on the transcripts. Growth of infectious virus is not inhibited by 3-deoxyadenosine (cordycepin) under conditions in which it inhibits polyadenylation of cellular mRNA. The virus-specific mRNA produced in the presence of cordycepin has poly(A) sequences of the same size distribution as that synthesized in the absence of cordycepin.

Preliminary observations pertaining to polyadenylation of rhinovirus RNA

Human rhinovirus type 14 contained polyadenylated RNA. Virus growth in HeLa cells was inhibited by cordycepin or polyuridilic acid and stimulated by polyadenylic acid. Polyadenylic acid also reversed cordycepin inhibition of virus-induced cytopathology of infected HeLa cells.

In vitro synthesis of RNA that contains polyadenylate by virion-associated RNA polymerase of vesicular stomatitis virus

The RNA synthesized in vitro by the virion-associated RNA-instructed RNA polymerase of purified vesicular stomatitis virus contains polyadenylate sequences. These have been demonstrated by their partial resistance to pancreatic and T(1) ribonucleases and their capacity to bind to poly(U) filters and oligo(dT)-cellulose. The polyadenylate sequences range in apparent size from 50 to 200 bases, similar to the size of the poly(A) in mRNA from vesicular stomatitis virus-infected cells. Possible mechanisms of polyadenylylation of the in vitro RNA product are discussed.