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K Moelling

Publications and source records attributed to K Moelling.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

The isolation of avian viral RNA and polypeptides.

From the same batch of virus, the four major avian viral structural proteins p27, p19, p15, and p12, the reverse transcriptase, the envelope glycoprotein gp85, and the high molecular weight 70 S RNA have been recovered. All proteins, except for gp85, have been purified by use of column chromatography procedures to apparent homogeneity as judged by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels and isoelectric focusing. A new isolation procedure for p12 by affinity column chromatography takes advantage of its nucleic acid binding properties. The recovery of nondenatured viral structural proteins is demonstrated by the proteolytic activity revealed by p15. The purified proteins were used for the production of monospecific antibodies. The 70 S RNA served as source for the isolation of 35 S RNA subunits.

Avian Leukosis Virus

Elongation of DNA complementary to the 5' end of the avian sarcoma virus genome by the virion-associated RNA-dependent DNA polymerase.

RNA-dependent DNA synthesis in a virion-associated reaction has been described as being dependent upon the detergent concentration used for disruption of the virion. In this study, the Triton X-100 concentration was found to affect the elongation of the initially synthesized DNA complementary to the last approximately 100 nucleotides at the 5' end of the RNA (cDNA100). Whereas elongation of cDNA100 increased with time of incubation at the optimal detergent concentration, this process was retarded at higher detergent concentrations. At the optimal detergent concentration, elongated DNA was of low chemical complexity, indicating that extension of cDNA100 occurred at a unique site on the RNA. Higher than optimal detergent concentrations resulted in nonspecific elongation and in DNA of high chemical complexity. This was shown by oligopyrimidine tract analysis. Furthermore, actinomycin D was observed to inhibit the elongation of cDNA100 at the optimal detergent concentration. The nature of the elongation process was elucidated by analysis of DNA synthesized in a virion-associated reaction in the presence of bacteriophage Qbeta RNA. At the optimal detergent concentration DNA complementary only to avian sarcoma virus RNA was synthesized, whereas at higher concentrations DNA was copied from both avian sarcoma virus and Qbeta RNA. We conclude that the elongation mechanism of cDNA100 is affected by the detergent concentration and elongation is unspecific at higher than optimal detergent concentrations. The mechanism by which the nonionic detergent stimulates DNA synthesis has not yet been resolve. We assume that other factors in addition to DNA polymerase are involved in elongation of cDNA100.

Alpharetrovirus

Effect of viral RNase H on the avian sarcoma viral genome during early transcription in vitro.

We investigated the influence of viral RNase H on the transcription of the avian sarcoma virus RNA in a virion-associated reaction. The ability of RNase H to degrade the RNA moiety of the initially formed RNA-DNA hybrid at the 5' end of the viral genome was found to be greatly dependent on the exact concentration of nonionic detergent used to activate the reaction. At a detergent concentration optimal for extensive and faithful in vitro transcription of avian sarcoma virus RNA by the virion-associated RNA-dependent DNA polymerase, most of the 5' terminus of the RNA was digested in 30 min at 41 degrees C. At higher than optimal detergent concentrations, however, little of that RNA was digested. We conclude that removal of the 5'-terminal redundancy in the RNA after its transcription into DNA is a prerequisite for base pairing of the DNA to the 3'-terminal redundant sequence. Lack of removal of this sequence leads to incorrect elongation and substantial reduction of DNA synthesis. When tested with a synthetic RNA-DNA hybrid, virion-associated RNase H did not reveal a detergent dependence.

Avian Sarcoma Viruses

Two avian sarcoma virus mutants with defects in the DNA polymerase-RNase H complex.

Two mutants of avian sarcoma virus which exhibit different phenotypes have been analyzed for the properties of their RNA-dependent DNA polymerase and RNase H activities. LA 338 is a complex multiple mutant with at least one lesioneach in transformation and replication functions. The purified RNA-dependent DNA polymerase-RNase H complex from the mutant is twofold more thermolabile than that from the wild-type parent. A peculiarity of this mutant is that the ability of the enzyme to respond to synthetic template-primers is lost more rapidly than is the response to native RNA as template. The mutant enzyme cannot be protected from inactivation by the addition of synthetic template-primers. LA 672 represents a different phenotype among reverse transciptase mutant, showing a "late"-acting block in replication which affects only production of progeny by infected cells grown at the nonpermissive temperature. The purified DNA polymerase-RNase H complex of LA 672 is not thermolabile; rather, progeny grown at the nonpermissive temperature yield purified enzyme with a 20-fold-reduced specific activity in both DNA polymerase and RNase H. The content of reverse transcriptase protein in such noninfectious progeny, furthermore, did not appear to be significantly diminished since immunologically active enzyme could be demonstrated in a competition test for anti-reverse transcriptase antibody and since beta and alpha subunits of reverse transcriptase could be identified after polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of partially purified enzyme preparations. The amounts of beta and alpha from the mutant were about twofold lower.

Avian Sarcoma Viruses

Biochemical properties of p15-associated protease in an avian RNA tumor virus.

It was observed that the viral structural protein p15 from avian myeloblastosis virus emerges from ion-exchange column chromatography along with a proteolytic activity. p15 is apparently pure, as judged by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacryl-amide gel electrophoresis and isoelectric focusing. Increase and decrease in proteolytic activity coincided exactly with increasing and decreasing amounts of p15 during ion-exchange chromatography and during size fractionation by gell filtration. The proteolytic activity cleaved various substrates such as bovine serum albumin, ovalbumin, concanavalin A, and casein after denaturation by sodium dodecyl sulfate and heat. Highest enzyme activity was observed around pH 5.7. As judged from its cleavage pattern and its response to proteolytic inhibitors, the proteolytic activity appears papain-like, and the protease responsible for it may be classified as a thiol protease. If added to immunoprecipitated viral polyprotein precursor Pr76, p15 resulted in cleavage of Pr76,which could be inhibited by antibodies against p15.

Antigens, Viral

Analysis of precursors to the envelope glycoproteins of avian RNA tumor viruses in chicken and quail cells.

Immune precipitation with monospecific antiserum was employed to study the intracellular synthesis of viral glycoproteins gp85 and gp37. Labeled gp85 and gp37 were detected from lysates of cells transformed with Rous sacroma virus, strain B77, after long-term labeling with radioactive glucosamine or phenylalanine. Immune precipitates prepared from lysates of cells pulse-labeled for a short time resulted in a glycoprotein of 92,000 molecular weight (gp92). This precursor was stable in B77-transformed Japanese quail cells for several hours, whereas in chicken cells it could be chased within a few hours into virion glycoproteins gp85 and gp37. Similarly, the precursor for the structural viral proteins, pr76, persisted in quail cells much longer than in chicken cells. During very short pulses or in the presence of a glucosamine block (25 mM glucosamine), the antiserum against the viral envelope glycoproteins detected a precursor of higher electrophoretic mobility of approximately 70,000 molecular weight, "p70." Fucose label entered gp92 and gp85 as well as "p70." Proteolytic treatment of virion-bound gp85 in vitro generated two discrete glycoproteins of 62,000 and 45,000 molecular weight, but did not result in an increase in the amount of gp37.

Animals

Further characterization of the Friend murine leukemia virus reverse transcriptase-RNase H complex.

The purified reverse transcriptase-RNase H complex from Friend murine leukemia virus consists of a single polypeptide of 84,000 molecular weight, which after mild protease treatment in vitro or after intentional degradation during the purification procedure allows the generation of several additional polypeptides. Degradation destroys the RNA-dependent DNA polymerase activity with native RNA templates and reduces RNase H but does not affect response to synthetic template primers such as poly (rA)-Oligo (dT). The properties of the intact murine enzyme consisting of a single polypeptide of 84,000 molecular weight are compared to those of the avian alpha subunit and the avian alpha beta enzyme complex. The intact murine enzyme resembles the avian beta-containing enzyme complex and is different from alpha in the following respects: (i) it binds to native RNA templates; (ii) it transcribes native RNA templates into DNA, a reaction which can be inhibited by actinomycin D; (iii) RNase H activity behaves like a processive exonuclease; and (iv) analysis of the RNase H digestion products reveals oligonucleotides approximately four bases in length.

DNA, Viral