title: Transcription of the polyoma virus genome: synthesis and cleavage of giant late polyoma-specific RNA.
abstract: The size of virus-specific RNA synthesized in cultured mouse kidney cells infected with polyoma virus was estimated by electrophoresis and sedimentation analysis of RNA extracts from whole cells. Newly synthesized "late" polyoma-specific RNA appears as "giant" molecules of heterogeneous size, up to several times larger than a strand of polyoma DNA (1.5 x 10(6) daltons). Treatment with dimethylsulfoxide or urea showed that the large size of these molecules is not due to aggregation. Giant polyoma-specific RNA is strikingly similar in size distribution to "nuclear messenger-like" RNA ("heterogeneous nuclear" RNA) of the host cell. Subsequent to its synthesis, some of the giant polyoma-specific RNA appears to be cleaved to at least three smaller species.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001345:Autoradiography; D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002499:Centrifugation, Density Gradient; D004589:Electrophoresis, Disc; D005815:Genetic Code; D007668:Kidney; D051379:Mice; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D011120:Polyomavirus / Q000378:metabolism*; D012313:RNA / Q000096:biosynthesis; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D014316:Tritium; D014529:Uridine / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D012367:RNA, Viral; D014316:Tritium; D012313:RNA; D014529:Uridine