Control of simian virus 40 gene expression at the levels of RNA synthesis and processing: thermally induced changes in the ratio of the simian virus 40 early mRNA's and proteins.

Examination of the simian virus 40 early mRNA's from infected AGMK or CV-1 cells showed that the ratio of large T- to small t-antigen mRNA's increased with an increased incubation temperature. In tsA58 mutant-infected cells, an increased incubation temperature resulted in the overproduction of early RNAs'; however, the ratio of the early mRNA's was the same, at any temperature, in both wild-type- and tsA58-infected cells. Thus, the thermally induced alteration in the early mRNA ratios was apparently not affected by the tsA mutation or by the overproduction of early RNA in tsA mutant-infected cells. Time course studies at various temperatures showed that, although the ratio of large T- to small t-antigen mRNA's increased with temperature, at any one temperature it was consistent from early to late times of infection. Furthermore, the ratio of the early mRNA's adjusted in temperature shift experiments. Thus, the ratio of the early mRNA's appeared to be intrinsic to the thermodynamic environment of the cell. The thermally induced alterations in the early mRNA's were reflected at the protein level by parallel changes in the ratio of large T- to small t-antigens. These data suggest a level of gene expression control which may function at the stage of splicing.