Methylation of messenger RNA of Newcastle disease virus in vitro by a virion-associated enzyme.

Purified Newcastle disease virus contains an enzyme that incorporates the methyl group from S-adenosyl-L-methionine into RNA synthesized in vitro by the virion-associated RNA polymerase (RNA nucleotidyltransferase). Incorporation of radioactivity from S-adenosyl-L-[methyl-3H]methionine was totally dependent upon RNA synthesis. The methylation reaction was completely inhibited by S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine, suggesting the transfer of only the methyl group of S-adenosyl-methionine to RNA products. Velocity sedimentation and hybridization of the in vitro product RNA indicated that both [3H]methyl and [32P]GMP labels resided in single-stranded 18S RNA molecules which were virus specific. Approximately 1 to 2 methyl groups were incorporated per RNA molecule. DEAE-cellulose chromatography of product RNA after alkaline hydrolysis suggested that the 5' terminus was the site of methylation.