Two classes of membrane binding of replicative RNA of bacteriophage MS2.

Escherichia coli membranes were isolated in the presence of 6 mM Mg(++). They were washed with buffer containing no Mg(++) to yield a fraction containing material bound only in the presence of divalent cations, "membrane eluate," and that bound in the absence of divalent cations, "membrane." When E. coli infected with bacteriophage MS2 are labeled with [(14)C]uracil, all MS2 replicative RNA, i.e., the RNA species containing MS2 complementary RNA, is in the membrane eluate and membrane. The amount of [(14)C]uracil in replicative RNA found in the membrane eluate increases with time of labeling, whereas that in the replicative RNA in the membrane reaches a plateau in 1-2 min. This finding is consistent with a precursor-product relationship. Most of the label entering single-stranded viral RNA comes from the replicative RNA in the membrane eluate. This result suggests that polymerase components or factors required for complementary-strand synthesis are bound to membrane even in the absence of divalent cations and that the polymerase is no longer bound to these factors when it is making the bulk of the progeny single-stranded RNA.