Translation of ascites and mengovirus RNA in fractionated cell-free systems from uninfected and mengovirus-infected Ehrlich-ascites-tumor cells.

We have prepared homologous, fractionated, cell-free translational systems from uninfected and mengovirus-infected Ehrlich ascites tumor cells in order to determine what alterations occur following virus infection in the translational machinery of the host cell. Two major differences distinguish the system developed from infected cells. First, it has a 40% lower rate of protein synthesis, primarily a consequence of the rate of chain elongation, which is depressed to 60 amino acids/min from 90 amino acids/min in the system from uninfected cells. Second, at supraoptimal concentrations of Mg2+ and K+ the system from virus-infected cells supports the translation of mengovirus RNA but not host mRNA. These differences between the two systems may reflect specific changes which are responsible for the selective translation of mengovirus RNA in the infected cell. In both systems the optimal concentrations of polyamines, monovalent and divalent cations, mRNA, and ribosomal subunits are the same for the translation of either host or viral RNA. This uniformity is useful in experiments, designed to investigate the selective translation of viral RNA, where various components of the two systems are interchanged.