Translation Products of Genome and Satellite RNAs of Tomato Black Ring Virus

Abstract

SUMMARY In wheat germ extracts and reticulocyte lysates the genome RNA molecules of tomato black ring virus (TBRV), RNA-1 (mol. wt. 2.8 × 106) and RNA-2 (mol. wt. 1.6 × 106), were translated into products of maximum mol. wt. 2.2 × 105 and 1.6 × 105, respectively. These products represent about 80% and 100% of the coding capacity of the two RNA species. The 1.6 × 105 mol. wt. polypeptide reacted with antiserum to TBRV particles but the translation products of RNA-1 did not; this is additional evidence that RNA-2 contains the coat protein cistron. Satellite RNA molecules (RNA-3, mol. wt. 4.8 × 105) associated with strain S of TBRV, like those associated with strain G, were translated in wheat germ extracts into a polypeptide of mol. wt. 4.8 × 104; this did not react with TBRV antiserum. Protease digestion released peptides from the translation product of strain S RNA-3 which were different from those released from the translation product of strain G RNA-3, suggesting that the two kinds of satellite RNA molecules differ in base sequence.