Stimulation by abscisic acid of RNA synthesis in discs from healthy and tobacco mosaic virus-infected tobacco leaves

Uptake of abscisic acid from the culture medium by discs of healthy and tobacco mosaic virus-infected tobacco leaves was measured. Small (two to five-fold) increases in abscisic acid concentration in discs caused increases in rates of [³H]uridine and [³H]adenine incorporation into total nucleic acid, virus RNA and host ribosomal RNA. Net accumulation of virus RNA was also enhanced by abscisic acid. This evidence for stimulation of RNA synthesis is compared with previous reports showing inhibition of RNA synthesis in other tissues. It is suggested that the increase in endogenous abscisic acid caused by tobacco mosaic virus infection may be at least partly responsible for observed increases in rates of RNA synthesis after infection.Abbreviations ABA abscisic acid - TMV tobacco mosaic virus     

Anti-sense regions in satellite RNA of cucumber mosaic virus form stable complexes with the viral coat protein gene.

The interaction in vitro of the RNA of the Q-strain of cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) with its satellite RNA (sat-RNA) has been studied. In hybridisation reactions containing 30% formamide at 45 degrees, sat-RNA binds to CMV RNA 3 and 4 but not to CMV RNA 1 and 2 or RNA from tobacco mosaic virus and alfalfa mosaic virus. The viral coat protein gene present in RNA 3 and 4 contains the site of binding but this region does not contain complementary sequences of any significant length to the sat-RNA sequence. However, the optimum alignment of short complementary sequences present in these regions revealed a stable structure in which it is proposed that sat-RNA twists around the coat protein gene so that two separate blocks of nucleotides in sat-RNA base pair in opposite directions with two adjacent blocks in the coat protein gene to form a knot-like structure. The binding site is a region of 33 nucleotides within the coding region of the coat protein gene which base pairs with residues 98-113 and 134-152 of sat-RNA. The possibility of the binding region of sat-RNA functioning as an "anti-sense" sequence in regulation of the viral coat protein synthesis is discussed.     

Methylation of TMV RNA

Several plant and animal viral RNAs contain a tRNA like structure at their 3′ ends. In this communication we show that tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) RNA is an acceptable substrate for a specific tRNA methyltransferase. Using a crude preparation of $\text{E. coli}$ ribothymidine (rT) forming uracil methylase and (methyl ³H) S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) as a methyl donor, 0.7 moles of methyl group is incorporated per mole of TMV RNA in 10 hours at 30°C. Upon T₂ RNAse digestion of the labeled RNA, all of the radioactivity was found to be in TMP. T₁ RNAse digestion of ³H methylated TMV RNA showed that all of the label was located in a tetranucleotide which co-migrated with authentic TpψpCpGp, an oligonucleotide characteristically found in normal cellular tRNA.The use of this specific methyl transferase reaction may provide a simple assay for the detection of tRNA like structures in large RNAs.     

Leadzyme formed in vivo interferes with tobacco mosaic virus infection in Nicotiana tabacum

We developed a new method for inhibiting tobacco mosaic virus infection in tobacco plants based on specific RNA hydrolysis induced by a leadzyme. We identified a leadzyme substrate target sequence in genomic tobacco mosaic virus RNA and designed a 16-mer oligoribonucleotide capable of forming a specific leadzyme motif with a five-nucleotide catalytic loop. The synthetic 16-mer RNA was applied with nontoxic, catalytic amount of lead to infected tobacco leaves. We observed inhibition of tobacco mosaic virus infection in tobacco leaves in vivo due to specific tobacco mosaic virus RNA cleavage effected by leadzyme. A significant reduction in tobacco mosaic virus accumulation was observed even when the leadzyme was applied up to 2 h after inoculation of leaves with tobacco mosaic virus. This process, called leadzyme interference, is determined by specific recognition and cleavage of the target site by the RNA catalytic strand in the presence of Pb(2+).     

Circular dichroism and sedimentation studies on the reconstitution of tobacco mosaic virus

Reconstitution of tobacco mosaic virus from its constituents, the coat protein and RNA, was investigated by means of ultracentrifugation and circular dichroism measurement. Tobacco mosaic virus protein forms a 20S double-layer disc under conditions favorable for tobacco mosaic virus reconstitution. Dibromination of the tyrosine 139 residue of tobacco mosaic virus protein prevents formation of the 20S disc.Acidification of the tobacco mosaic virus protein solution causes 20S discs to polymerize into long helical rods. Changes in the CD spectra of tobacco mosaic virus protein in the near-ultraviolet region suggest that stacking of the aromatic sidechains of amino acid residues stabilizes the helical rod. The dibrominated tobacco mosaic virus protein also has the ability of rod elongation under acidic condition. CD studies reveal that assembly of tobacco mosaic virus particles from its constituents is stabilized by the stacking effect between the base residues of RNA and the aromatic residues of tobacco mosaic virus protein.Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus protein, which acts as a substituent for tobacco mosaic virus protein in tobacco mosaic virus reconstitution, was also investigated.     

Poliovirus RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase Synthesizes Full-Length Copies of Poliovirion RNA, Cellular mRNA, and Several Plant Virus RNAs In Vitro

The poliovirus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase was active on synthetic homopolymeric RNA templates as well as on every natural RNA tested. The polymerase copied polyadenylate. oligouridylate [oligo(U)], polycytidylate . oligoinosinate, and polyinosinate. oligocytidylate templates to about the same extent. The observed activity on polyuridylate. oligoadenylate was about fourfold less. Full-length copies of both poliovirion RNA and a wide variety of other polyadenylated RNAs were synthesized by the polymerase in the presence of oligo(U). Polymerase elongation rates on poliovirion RNA and a heterologous RNA (squash mosaic virus RNA) were about the same. Changes in the Mg(2+) concentration affected the elongation rates on both RNAs to the same extent. With two non-polyadenylated RNAs (tobacco mosaic virus RNA and brome mosaic virus RNA3), the results were different. The purified polymerase synthesized a subgenomic-sized product RNA on brome mosaic virus RNA3 in the presence of oligo(U). This product RNA appeared to initiate on oligo(U) hybridized to an internal oligoadenylate sequence in brome mosaic virus RNA3. No oligo(U)-primed product was synthesized on tobacco mosaic virus RNA. When partially purified polymerase was used in place of the completely purified enzyme, some oligo(U)-independent activity was observed on the brome mosaic virus and tobacco mosaic virus RNAs. The size of the product RNA from these reactions suggested that at least some of the product RNA was full-sized and covalently linked to the template RNA. Thus, the polymerase was found to copy many different types of RNA and to make full-length copies of the RNAs tested.     

Assembly mechanism of tobacco mosaic virus particle from its ribonucleic acid and protein

Summary The reconstitution process of an infectious tobacco mosaic virus particle from its RNA and protein consists of two steps, formation of the initial complex and growth of the helical rod, the former is the rate limiting step. The protein aggregate, having about 20–30 S, is needed for the formation of the initial complex with 5-end of tobacco mosaic virus RNA. The elongation reaction from the initial complex proceeds even under conditions where both the reconstitution reaction and the formation of 20–30 S protein aggregates do not take place. This indicates that the growth of the helical rod proceeds by stepwise additions of protein subunits or 4 S aggregates. A possible model for assembly process of tobacco mosaic virus particle is presented.     

Co-electroporation of rice protoplasts with RNAs of cucumber mosaic and tobacco mosaic viruses

Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) RNA was used to study electroporation conditions suitable for protoplasts from rice suspension cultures. Rice protoplasts required a stronger and shorter electric pulse than tobacco protoplasts for introduction of viral RNA. Under optimized conditions, CMV infection was established in 65 % of electroporated protoplasts. In contrast, electroporation with tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) RNA did not result in infection of rice protoplasts. However, when TMV RNA was electroporated into rice protoplasts together with CMV RNA, TMV production was demonstrated in 15 % of protoplasts. Differential staining with fluorescent antibodies against the two viruses showed that the protoplasts producing TMV were without exception also infected by CMV. The results show that CMV replicates in rice protoplasts by itself, whereas TMV does so only with the aid of CMV.Abbreviations CMV cucumber mosaiv virus - PBS phosphate buffered saline - TMV tobacco mosaic virus.     

Oligonucleotide binding to the coat protein disk of tobacco mosaic virus. Possible steps in the mechanism of assembly

Binding of the oligoribonucleotides AAG, AAGAAG and AAGAAGUUG to the disk aggregate of tobacco mosaic virus coat protein has been studied in solution under conditions favourable for virus assembly. The two longer oligomers bind strongly with Kd around 1 microM, approach complete saturation of binding sites and cause the formation of long, nicked helical rods resembling the virus. It is suggested that the binding of these oligomers, with sequences chosen from the assembly origin of the viral RNA, simulates the tobacco mosaic virus assembly process. No binding could be detected for AAG, indicating that chain length is a crucial determinant in the interaction. The binding of AAGAAG to coat protein crystals is very much weaker than that observed in solution, and the crystals crack at high oligomer concentrations. The corresponding oligodeoxyribonucleotide, d(AAGAAG), shows no binding to the protein in solution; the interaction is extremely specific for RNA.     

A poly(U) polymerase in tobacco leaves.

A poly(U) polymerizing enzyme has been found in healthy and tobacco mosaic virus-infected tobacco leaves and has been partially purified by affinity chromatography on a gel prepared from agarose with chemically coupled RNA. The enzyme is stimulated by Mn-2+ and dependent on a polynucleotide, preferentially poly(A). The synthesis proceeds optimally at pH 7.6 and 25 degrees C. The enzyme is highly specific for UTP and is inhibited by other ribonucleoside triphosphates. The product was partly sensitive to pancreatic ribonuclease. The synthetic reaction is inhibited in the presence of pyrophosphate but insensitive to 10 mM orthophosphate and high levels of cordycepin, rifampicin and actinomycin D. A molecular weight of about 40,000 has been estimated by sucrose gradient analysis and partition cell ultracentrifugation.     

Ionic conditions for the cleavage of the tRNA-like structure of turnip yellow mosaic virus by the catalytic RNA of RNase P

The 3'-end of the RNA genome of turnip yellow mosaic virus can form a pseudoknotted tRNA-like structure that can be recognized by several tRNA-specific enzymes. We have found that the catalytic RNA component of Bacillus subtilis RNase P can cleave this structure in unusually low ionic strength buffers at a site analogous to the 5'-end of an aminoacyl stem of a tRNA. Most other precursors can only be processed under low ionic strength conditions if the RNase P holoenzyme is used; processing by the catalytic RNA component alone requires a higher ionic strength buffer. The cleavage of the turnip yellow mosaic virus tRNA-like structure demonstrates the importance of the substrate in determining the optimal buffer conditions for this reaction and also shows that high ionic strength buffers are not always necessary for cleavage by the catalytic RNA.     

Purification and characterization of the DNA polymerase and RNase H activities in Moloney murine sarcoma-leukemia virus.

Two RNase H (RNA-DNA hybrid ribonucleotidohydrolase, EC 3.1.4.34) activities separable by Sephadex G-100 gel filtration were identified in lysates of Moloney murine sarcoma-leukemia virus (MSV). The larger enzyme, which we have called RNase H-I, represented about 10% of the RNase H activity in the virion. RNase H-I (i) copurified with RNA-directed DNA polymerase from the virus, (ii) had a sedimentation coefficient of 4.4S (corresponds to an apparent mol wt of 70,000), (iii) required Mn-2+ (2 mM optimum) for activity with a [3-h]poly(A)-poly(dT) substrate, (iv) eluted from phosphocellulose at 0.2 M KC1, and (v) degraded [3-H]poly(A)-poly(dT) and [3-H]poly(C)-poly(dG) at approximately equal rates. The smaller enzyme, designated RNase H-II, which represented the majority of the RNase H activity in the virus preparation, was shown to be different since it (i) had no detectable, associated DNA polymerase activity, (ii) had a sedmimentation coefficient of 2.6S (corresponds to an apparent mol wt of 30,000), (iii) preferred Mg-2+ (10 to 15 mM optimum) over Mn-2+ (5 to 10 mM optimum) 2.5-fold for the degradation of [3-H]poly(A)-poly(dT), and (iv) degraded [3-H]poly(A)-poly(dT) 6 and 60 times faster than [3-H]poly(C)-poly(dG) in the presence of Mn-2+ and Mg-2+, respectively. Moloney MSV DNA polymerase (RNase H-I), purified by Sephadex G-100 gel filtration followed by phosphocellulose, poly(A)-oligo(dT)-cellulose, and DEAE-cellulose chromatography, transcribed heteropolymeric regions of avian myeloblastosis virus 70S RNA at a rate comparable to avian myeloblastosis virus DNA polymerase purified by the same procedure.     

Nucleotide sequence at the 5' extremity of tobacco-mosaic-virus RNA. 1. The noncoding region (nucleotides 1-68)

The sequence of the 5' noncoding region of tobacco mosaic virus RNA has been determined. The noncoding region is 68 nucleotides long and is unusual in that it contains no internal guanosine residues. The long T1 oligonucleotide containing the guanosine-free tract was isolated from a T1 ribonuclease digest of tobacco mosaic virus RNA and sequenced by labelling techniques in vitro using polynucleotide kinase. The guanosine-free tract is terminated by the first potential initiation codon in the RNA molecule and several lines of evidence suggest that this AUG triplet is operational in initiating viral protein synthesis (see following paper). The 5'-noncoding region cannot base-pair extensively with the 3'-terminal sequence of 18-S ribosomal RNA from rabbit reticulocytes.     

The initiation site for transcription of the TMV 30-kDa protein messenger RNA

The initiation site for transcripotion of the 30-kDa protein mRNA of tobacco mosaic virus was mapped uniquely at residue 1558 from the 3'-terminus on TMV RNA using the primer-extension and the S1-nuclease mapping method.     

Structures and roles of the polymorphic forms of tobacco mosaic virus protein: VI. Assembly of the nucleoprotein rods of tobacco mosaic virus from the protein disks and RNA

The assembly of tobacco mosaic virus involves a preformed protein aggregate, the disk, which consists of two rings each of 17 protein subunits, as the sole protein source. The kinetics of this assembly have been studied, using both tobacco mosaic virus RNA, which causes a rapid initiation and so enables growth to be studied, and also polyadenylic acid, with which initiation is slowed down and thus can be partially resolved from growth. Two disks interact with a special nucleotide sequence at the 5′-hydroxyl end of a single tobacco mosaic virus RNA molecule to initiate the formation of the viral nucleoprotein helix, which then grows by the addition of further disks. All of the subunits from these further disks are incorporated into the helix, so that growth proceeds by the co-operative addition of 34 subunits at a time. Under the conditions used, rearrangement of each disk takes about six seconds, giving a total time for the growth of a complete virus particle of just over six minutes.     

Replication of cucumber mosaic virus satellite RNA in vitro by an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase from virus-infected tobacco.

An RNA-dependent RNA polymerase purified from tobacco infected with cucumber mosaic virus catalyzes the synthesis of (-) and (+) strands of the viral satellite RNA, CARNA 5, but fails to replicate the satellite RNA of peanut stunt virus (PSV). The enzyme replicates the genomic RNAs of the three principal cucumoviruses CMV, PSV and tomato aspermy virus (TAV) with varying efficiencies. The specificity with which CMV RdRp replicates different sequence-unrelated RNA templates suggests that the site of their recognition requires secondary or higher level structural organization.     

Assembly of tobacco mosaic virus in vitro. Improved model for the elongation process by protein subunits.

The in vitro assembly reaction of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), especially the elongation process of partially reconstituted RNA (PRR) by protein subunits, was observed by electron microscopy. After addition of TMV-protein subunits, the PRR appeared as rods with a clump at one end, believed to be a complex between added protein subunits and the RNA tail protruding from PRR. The subunits entrapped on the RNA tails in the forms of clumps were progressively incorporated into the growing rods on incubation, ending with the formation of completely reconstituted rods. The clumps were also observed after addition of cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV) protein subunits to rods partially reconstituted from RNA and TMV-protein. In this case, the protein subunits, seen as clumps, did not become incorporated to form elongating rods. An improved model for the elongation of TMV rods is proposed. The elongation process is composed of two steps, with the first step being the interaction of protein subunits with the RNA tail protruding from the growing rod. Any protein having a specific binding site for TMV-rna, not limited to TMV-protein, will react in the first step. The second step is the incorporation of the protein on the RNA tail into a rod-shaped structure, with consequent elongation of the growing rod. It appears that only protein homologous with that in the partially reconstituted rods can partake in the second step.