Density Heterogeneity of Simian Virus 40 Ribonucleic Acid Late After Infection of Permissive Cells

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) was isolated from CV-1 cells 44 hr after simian virus 40 (SV40) infection. The molecules containing SV40 base sequences were characterized with respect to their buoyant density distribution. The density of these molecules was compared to that of single- and double-stranded RNA synthesized by using SV40 DNA and Escherichia coli RNA polymerase. The results suggest that about 20% of the SV40 RNA in the infected cells consisted of partially double-stranded molecules.