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Journal of Virology, April 2000, p. 3245-3252, Vol. 74, No. 7
0022-538X/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Asymmetric Subunit Organization of Heterodimeric Rous Sarcoma Virus Reverse Transcriptase alpha beta : Localization of the Polymerase and RNase H Active Sites in the alpha  Subunit

Susanne Werner and Birgitta M. Wöhrl*

Abteilung Physikalische Biochemie, Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Physiologie, 44227 Dortmund, Germany

Received 30 August 1999/Accepted 3 January 2000

The genes encoding the alpha  (63-kDa) and beta  (95-kDa) subunits of Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) reverse transcriptase (RT) or the entire Pol polypeptide (99 kDa) were mutated in the conserved aspartic acid residue Asp 181 of the polymerase active site (YMDD) or in the conserved Asp 505 residue of the RNase H active site. We have analyzed heterodimeric recombinant RSV alpha beta and alpha Pol RTs within which one subunit was selectively mutated. When alpha beta heterodimers contained the Asp 181right-arrowAsn mutation in their beta  subunits, about 42% of the wild-type polymerase activity was detected, whereas when the heterodimers contained the same mutation in their alpha  subunits, only 7.5% of the wild-type polymerase activity was detected. Similar results were obtained when the conserved Asp 505 residue of the RNase H active site was mutated to Asn. RNase H activity was clearly detectable in alpha beta heterodimers mutated in the beta  subunit but was lost when the mutation was present in the alpha  subunit. In summary, our data imply that the polymerase and RNase H active sites are located in the alpha  subunit of the heterodimeric RSV RT alpha beta .

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Abteilung Physikalische Biochemie, Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Physiologie, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 11, 44227 Dortmund, Germany. Phone: 49 231 133 2312. Fax: 49 231 133 2399. E-mail: birgit.woehrl{at}mpi-dortmund.mpg.de.

Journal of Virology, April 2000, p. 3245-3252, Vol. 74, No. 7
0022-538X/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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