title: Closed circular viral DNA and asymmetrical heterogeneous forms in livers from animals infected with ground squirrel hepatitis virus.
abstract: To identify possible intermediates in the replication of ground squirrel hepatitis virus, we characterized the major forms of intracellular virus-specific DNA in the livers of infected ground squirrels. A variety of DNA species were found: covalently closed circular molecules, relaxed circular molecules, and a heterogeneous collection of molecules that migrated ahead of closed circular DNA during agarose gel electrophoresis. The heterogeneous DNA was at least partly single stranded, consisted of minus strands in a greater than eight-fold mass excess of plus strands, and was tightly associated with protein.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002499:Centrifugation, Density Gradient; D004270:DNA, Circular / Q000032:analysis; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded / Q000032:analysis; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D006518:Hepatitis Viruses / Q000032:analysis*; D006524:Hepatitis, Viral, Animal / Q000382:microbiology*; D008099:Liver / Q000382:microbiology*; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D012589:Sciuridae / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D004270:DNA, Circular; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded; D004279:DNA, Viral; D011506:Proteins