RNA synthesis of vesicular stomatitis virus. VIII. Oligonucleotides of the structural genes and mRNA.

The single-stranded RNA genome of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV, Indiana serotype, San Juan strain) yields approx. 75 RNase T1-resistant oligonucleotides ranging in size from 10 to 50 bases. Each of the five structural genes, isolated as duplex RNA molecules hybridized to complementary mRNA, contains two or more of these large oligonucleotides. One of the oligonucleotides is identified as part of the non-coding region near the 3' end of the genome. Comparison of these results with others indicate that the RNA sequence of VSV is apparently stable in the laboratory but not in the wild. RNase T1-resistant oligonucleotides are also shown for all five VSV mRN species. Whether the mRNA for these digestions are are isolated from duplex RNA molecules or as single-stranded RNA species, the oligonucleotide patterns for each mRNA are virtually identical, indicating that each mRNA is transcribed from contiguous sequences on the genome. Comparison with published oligonucleotide patterns obtained from other isolates of VSV or from VSV deletion mutants indicate that identity and changes in their genome structure can be correlated with specific structural genes.