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Biomedical subjects

N H Carey

Publications and source records attributed to N H Carey.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

Complete nucleotide sequence of an influenza virus haemagglutinin gene from cloned DNA.

A synthetic fowl plague virus (FPV) haemagglutinin gene has been cloned in bacteria and the complete sequence of the RNA gene deduced. It is 1,742 nucleotides long and the mRNA codes for 56.3 amino acids in an uninterrupted sequence. The nature of some of the important domains in the haemagglutinin has been established, and their structure is discussed in relation to their function. Extensive amino acid sequence homologies exist between FPV and human influenza haemagglutinins.

Amino Acid Sequence

Polyadenylation and reverse transcription of influenza viral RNA.

The polyadenylation of Fowl Plague Viral RNA and of Influenza A/Victoria Viral RNA using E. coli poly (A) polymerase and the subsequent reverse transcription of the polyadenylated species is reported. We have shown that all 8 genome fragments are adenylated and that an average of 25--30 adenylic acid residues per molecule is sufficient for maximal transcription with reverse transcriptase. The cDNA product is 95% sensitive to Sl-nuclease and hybridisation analysis against viral RNA reveals it to be a faithful copy of the RNA. Amongst the transcription products are long, discrete copies of genes 1--8, the lengths of which are comparable with those of the vRNA determined by electrophoresis on formamide acrylamide gels. These single-stranded cDNAs have been further transcribed to form double-stranded products with hair-pin structures at one end. Analysis of this material on native acrylamide gels revealed some DNA bands corresponding to the predicted sizes for genes 4--8.

DNA, Viral

The presence of ovalbumin mRNA coding sequences in multiple restriction fragments of chicken DNA.

Chicken DNA has been digested with restriction enzymes and the size distribution of the DNA fragments containing ovalbumin specific sequences has been examined after separation of the fragments on agarose gels and transfer to nitrocellulose sheets. Hybridisation with terminally 32P-labelled ovalbumin mRNA fragments or with RNA populations transcribed from the DNA of a hybrid plasmid containing ovalbumin sequences was used to locate the DNA fragments coding for ovalbumin. Digestion with enzymes which do not cut within the portion of the ovalbumin gene synthesised from ovalbumin messenger RNA in vitro has shown the presence of several defined fragments carrying ovalbumin specific sequences. Possible explanations of these observations are discussed.

Animals

Structural features of encephalomyocarditis virus RNA from analysis of reverse transcription products.

The presence in encephalomyocarditis (EMC) virus RNA of homonucleotide tracts 10 nucleotides or more in length has been investigated by testing the ability of homo-oligodeoxynucleotides to prime DNA synthesis in the reverse transcriptase from avian myeloblastosis virus. Neither (dC)10 nor (dA)10 promoted incorporation of [3H]deoxynucleotides into acid-insoluble material but (dG)10 and (dT)12-18 were effective primers and produced DNA products approximately 2000 nucleotides in length. We conclude that there are single-stranded oligo(rC) and oligo(rA) tracts in native EMC virus RNA at 37 degrees C. Kinetic analysis indicated that oligo(dT) priming is similar to priming on ovalbumin mRNA and that it gives rise to only one DNA product per template molecule. Oligo(dG) priming appears to be complicated by self-aggregation of the primer. Oligo(dT)-primed and oligo(dG)-primed DNA have both been separated on alkaline-sucrose gradients into two peaks of which only the 'heavier' will hybridise to EMC virus RNA. Competitive hybridisation experiments indicate that the 'heavy' oligo(dT)-primed and oligo(dG)-primed DNA fractions hybridise to overlapping sequences of EMC virus RNA and place the priming regions of EMC virus RNA approximately 500 nucleotides apart during reverse transcription.

Encephalomyocarditis virus

The translational capacity of deadenylated ovalbumin messenger RNA.

We present evidence that the poly(A) sequence at the 3' end of ovalbumin mRNA has an effect on its translational efficiency in a reticulocyte lysate cell-free system. Polynucleotide phosphorylase has been used to remove selectively the poly(A) while leaving the rest of the molecule intact. It is shown that the stability of the mRNA in a cell free system is not appreciably affected by this procedure. Measurements of the size of ovalbumin-synthesizing polysomes, rate of peptide elongation, and number of rounds of translation per messenger show a generally reduced efficiency for deadenylated mRNA compared to native mRNA. No comparable difference was observed in experiments with a wheat germ cell-free system, which gives few rounds of translation per mRNA. This indicates that the effect results from a lowering of the efficiency of reinitiation on deadenylated mRNA.

Base Sequence

Anti-viral activity of single-stranded homopolynucleotides against encephalomyocarditis virus and Semliki Forest virus in adult mice without interferon induction.

Single administrations of poly C or poly I are anti-viral against infections of encephalomyocarditis (EMC) and Semliki Forest virus (SFV) in mice but poly U and poly A are not. The degree of protection is dose-dependent and mice which die do so at a later time when untreated controls even in a strain of mouse in which the time of death is not dependent on the dose of virus given. No circulating interferon is found after treating mice with poly C or poly I even at polynucleotide doses which give the same degree of protection as the interferon inducer, poly I:C. Several additional features distinguish the protection by poly C and poly I from interferon induction: the effect is low 24h before infection and maximal 6 h before infection, the effect is short-lived and mice do not show hypo-reactivation to repeated treatment. Limited treatment of mice with poly I:C, interferon or poly C before infection itself results in additional protection when poly C is also administered after infection, indicating that poly C has an effect after onset of virus replication. After infection poly C and poly I are both more effective by the intravenous route but before infection they are most effective when administered by the same route as the virus. Quantitative comparisons of the protective effects of poly C, poly I and the interferon inducer, poly I:C, are possible from dose response curves of the polynucleotides at different times relative to infection and by different routes of administration. The results are considered in relation to the presence of homopolyribonucleotide tracts in the viral genomes and effects on the reticulo-endothelial system of the mice.

Animals