Infidelity of DNA synthesis by reverse transcriptase

The fidelity of purified DNA polymerase from avian myeloblastosis virus in precisely copying polynucleotide templates was determined. With poly (dA-dT) · poly (dA-dT) as a template, one molecule of the incorrect basepaired nucleotide (dCTP) is incorporated for every 6000 nucleotides polymerized. When copying the ribo strand of poly (rA) · poly (dT) the error rate is approximately one in 600. It is suggested that the enzyme makes similar errors $\text{in}\text{vivo}$ and thus could be mutagenic.     

Structural characterization of the avian retrovirus reverse transcriptase and endonuclease domains

The enzymatic domains of the avian retrovirus polymerase (pol) gene have been mapped by the use of peptide antibodies and COOH-terminal amino acid analysis. The processed pol beta polypeptide is cleaved in vivo to yield alpha and pp32. Rabbit antibodies were directed against synthetic peptides whose sequence was deduced from the known pol sequence of Rous sarcoma virus, Prague C (Schwartz, D.E., Tizard, R., and Gilbert, W. (1983) Cell 32, 853-869). The RNase H active site of pol was located in the NH2-terminal region of the alpha DNA polymerase subunit. The COOH terminus of the alpha subunit was found to be immediately adjacent to the NH2 terminus of the pp32 pol protein. COOH-terminal amino acid analysis of pp32 revealed that this protein is also processed. From the deduced amino acid sequence of pol, it appears likely that pol encodes an additional 4100-dalton polypeptide located at its extreme COOH terminus. The enzymatic domains on beta appear to map in the following order: RNase H-DNA polymerase-DNA endonuclease. Hydrophilicity analysis and secondary structure predictions of wild type Rous sarcoma virus pol products and mutated pp32 possessing single amino acid changes permit further structural evaluation of the multifunctional pol protein.     

5'-derivatives of oligonucleotides as primers of DNA polymerization catalyzed by AMV reverse transcriptase and Klenow fragment of DNA polymerase 1.

The Km and Vmax values for d(pT)8 and its derivatives containing various 5'-end groups were estimated in the reaction of polymerization catalyzed with AMV-RT and FK. The change in affinity of modified primers was more pronounced in the case of AMV-RT than in the case of FK. Introducing in d(pT)8 of intercalators such as phenazinium, ethidium and daunomycin residues results in 2.7-, 8.7- and 11-fold increases in the primer affinity to AMV-RT, respectively. However, in the case of hemin and cholesterol derivatives the Km values were 3 and 5 times higher than those for d(pT)8. Compared to d(pT)8, the affinity of FK to all the above analogs was 2.3-3.6 times higher with the exception of cholesterol derivative to which it was 2.4-fold lower. The effect of the 5'-end residues on the Vmax values of d(pT)8 was small and ranged from 44% to 120% of that for d(pT)8. Therefore such reactive derivatives of oligonucleotides can be used as effective primers of AMV-RT and FK. Possible reasons for various effects of the 5'-end residues of the primer on its interaction with FK or AMV-RT in the presence of poly(A) are discussed.