This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Szilágyi, J F Articles by Macpherson, T M Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Szilágyi, J F Articles by Macpherson, T M

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

J Virol. 1977 May; 22(2): 381-388

Temperature-dependent host range mutation in vesicular stomatitis virus affecting polypeptide L.

ABSTRACT

We established previously that the temperature-dependent host range mutant, td CE 3, of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) New Jersey possesses temperature-sensitive RNA transcriptase activity. In this paper, we describe dissociation and reconstitution experiments designed to determine which VSV polypeptide is affected by the td CE 3 mutation. Wild-type VSV New Jersey (ts+), the temperature-dependent host range mutant (td CE 3), and the revertant of this mutant (td CE/R1) were used. Transcribing nucleoprotein preparations, isolated from purified virus particles, were treated in the presence of digitonin with either 0.9 M LiCl to produce supernatants containing virtually only the L polypeptide or 2.0 M LiCl to produce ribonucleoprotein pellets containing only the polypeptides N and NS. Supernatant and pellet fractions synthesized either no or only trace amounts of RNA in vitro. Reconstitution of the supernatants with the pellets in all combinations at 31 degrees C restored much of the transcriptase activity of the transcribing nucleoprotein preparations. RNA synthesis occurred at 39 degrees C when the three pellets were reconstituted with wild-type and revertant supernatants. However, supernatant of the mutant td CE 3 reconstituted with any of the three pellets resulted in little or no detectable transcriptase activity at 39 degrees C. This implies that the polypeptide affected by the td CE 3 mutation is the L polypeptide.