Electrophoretic separation of the plus and minus strands of rotavirus SA11 double-stranded RNAs.
The genome of the rotaviruses consists of eleven segments of completely double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). To provide a method for separating and identifying the complementary plus and minus strand RNAs within these segments, we have characterized their migration patterns under denaturing conditions on agarose-urea gels. Virion-derived 3H-labelled dsRNAs were resolved by electrophoresis on a polyacrylamide gel and the individual genome segments recovered by electroelution. Upon electrophoresis in a low pH 1.75% agarose gel containing 6 M urea, the dsRNAs were denatured with complementary plus and minus strands migrating at different rates. Our results showed that, like cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus but unlike human reovirus (Smith et al., 1981), rotavirus plus strand RNA migrates faster than its complementary minus strand on agarose-urea gels.
D004587:Electrophoresis, Agar Gel; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D012330:RNA, Double-Stranded / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000235:genetics*
D012330:RNA, Double-Stranded; D012367:RNA, Viral