Reverse transcriptase is coded for by the viral RNA.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to I M Verma.
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The structural relationship of the small (alpha) and large (beta) subunits of reverse transcriptase isolated from two avian RNA tumor viruses has been examined by tryptic peptide analysis. Comparison of the tryptic hydrolysates of the isolated subunits by two-dimensional separation on thin-layer cellulose plates indicates that (i) the alpha subunit of reverse transcriptase of avian myeloblastosis virus is structurally related to the beta subunit; (ii) the alpha and beta subunits of the enzyme of Rous sarcoma virus also appear to be related; and (iii) there appears to be an extensive amino-acid sequence homology between reverse transcriptases of avian myeloblastosis virus and Rous sarcoma virus. Evidence is also presented that both alpha and beta subunits can be identified in purified avian myeloblastosis virions.
Globin messenger RNA, isolated from human peripheral blood reticulocytes, was transcribed into complementary DNA by use of the RNA-dependent DNA polymerase of avian myeloblastosis virus. The complementary DNA was then transcribed into (32)P-labeled complementary RNA by E. coli RNA polymerase in the presence of alpha-(32)P-labeled ribonucleoside triphosphates. The fingerprint pattern obtained from ribonuclease T1 digests of human globin complementary RNA was specific and reproducible. Different patterns were obtained from digests of duck, mouse, and rabbit globin complementary RNA. The fingerprint patterns obtained from digests of purified natural human 10S globin messenger RNA, labeled in vitro with (125)I or with [gamma-(32)P]ATP and polynucleotide kinase, were similar to that of the complementary RNA but contained some additional oligonucleotides. Sufficient nucleotide sequence information has been obtained from about 50% of the intermediate sized oligonucleotides (8-14 base residues long), to make possible examination of correspondence between these nucleotide sequences and globin amino-acid sequences. Approximately 70% of these oligonucleotide sequences can be matched to unique amino-acid sequences in the alpha- or beta-globin chains. The other 30% do not match known amino-acid sequences and presumably correspond to untranslated portions of the mRNA; some of these sequences, however, can be matched to amino-acid sequence in the abnormally long segment of the alpha chain of hemoglobin Constant Spring, which is thought to result from a chain-termination mutation.
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Infectious hamster leukemia virus (HaLV) contains a DNA polymerase different from those of murine and avian viruses. No endogenous reaction directed by the 60 to 70S RNA of HaLV could be demonstrated in detergenttreated HaLV virions, nor could the purified DNA polymerase copy added viral RNA. The virion RNA could, however, act as template for added avian myeloblastosis virus DNA polymerase and the HaLV DNA polymerase could efficiently utilize homopolymers as templates. The HaLV enzyme was like other reverse transcriptases in that certain ribohomopolymers were much better templates than the homologous deoxyribohomopolymers. No ribonuclease H activity could be shown in the HaLV enzyme, but neither could activity be found in the murine leukemia virus DNA polymerase. The hamster enzyme was unique in that poly(A) .oligo(dT) was a poor template, and globin mRNA primed with oligo(dT) was totally inactive as a template. Its uniqueness was also indicated by its subunit composition; electrophoresis of the HaLV DNA polymerase in sodium dodecyl sulfate-containing polyacrylamide gels revealed equimolar amounts of two polypeptides of molecular weight 68,000 and 53,000. The sedimentation rate of the enzyme in glycerol gradients was consistent with a structure containing one each of the two polypeptides. The enzyme thus appears to be structurally distinct from other known virion DNA polymerases. Its inability to carry out an endogenous reaction in vitro might result from an inability to utilize certain primers.
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Initiation of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis by the avian myeloblastosis virus DNA polymerase was previously suggested to involve a ribonucleic acid (RNA) primer, the initial product being a DNA molecule joined by a phosphodiester bond to the RNA primer. The existence and nature of such an RNA-DNA joint was investigated by assaying for transfer of a (32)P atom from an alpha-(32)P-deoxyribonucleotide to a 2'(3')-ribonucleotide after alkaline hydrolysis of the polymerase product. Such a transfer was observed, but only from alpha-(32)P-deoxyadenosine triphosphate and only to 2'(3')-adenosine monophosphate. This same transfer was observed in both the endogenous DNA polymerase reaction of purified virions and the reconstructed reaction of purified DNA polymerase plus purified 60 to 70S viral RNA. These results indicate a high level of specificity for the initiation process and support the idea of a low-molecular-weight initiator RNA as part of the 60 to 70S RNA complex.
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