Abstract
Abstract–In searching for a nucleic acid within the scrapie agent, we employed psoralens which penetrate the coats of most conventional viruses, form photoadducts with their genomes, and block replication of the viruses. Five psoralens, at concentrations up to 500 times greater than those required to inactivate conventional viruses, did not influence scrapie agent titers in partially purified preparations from murine spleen and hamster brain. 3H‐psoralens were used to monitor the formation of photoadducts within nucleic acid standards added to preparations of the scrapie agent. Since no inhibition of psoralen photoadduct formation was observed in these preparations, one of three possibilities seems likely: the scrapie agent is devoid of nucleic acid, the psoralens failed to penetrate the protein coat of the agent, or its nucleic acid is unreactive with psoralens.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
