title: In vitro synthesis of infectious poliovirus RNA.
abstract: Replication of the infectious RNA genome of poliovirus is accomplished in cells by the viral RNA polymerase through negative-strand RNA intermediates. Full-length negative-strand poliovirus RNA was synthesized in vitro by transcription of infectious poliovirus cDNA with bacteriophage SP6 DNA-dependent RNA polymerase. When provided with this negative-strand RNA as template, the poliovirus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase synthesized full-length positive-strand molecules. The positive-strand RNAs synthesized in vitro were infectious when transfected into HeLa cells. In contrast, positive-strand copies of poliovirus RNA synthesized in vitro by SP6 polymerase, using a poliovirus cDNA template, were not infectious. Production of infectious positive-strand RNA by the poliovirus polymerase was not observed when magnesium or negative-strand RNA template was omitted from the reaction mixture. Infectivity of the product RNA was not destroyed by DNase treatment. The specific infectivity in HeLa cells of in vitro-synthesized positive-strand RNA was 4 X 10(4) plaque-forming units/micrograms of RNA.
mesh_terms: D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases / Q000378:metabolism; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D017955:Poliovirus / Q000235:genetics*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D012324:RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase / Q000378:metabolism; D014779:Virus Replication
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral; D004247:DNA; D012324:RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases