Immunogenicity of rice dwarf virus-ribonucleic acid.

Using rice dwarf virus (RDV)-RNA which was extracted from RDV and further purified by MAK-column chromatography, anti-RNA antibodies were produced in rabbits immunized with RDV-RNA antibodies were prods immunized with RDV-RNA-methylated bovine serum albumin complexes. The antisera, as analzyed by complement fixation, cross-reacted with synthetic double stranded RNAs (poly (A)-poly (U), poly (I)-poly (C)), but not with native or denatured DNA, rRNA, tRNA, 5 S RNA and nucleic acids from rice plants. RDV-RNA treated with heat or dimethylsulfoxide was markedly reduced in reactivity to the antisera. When RDV-RNA was digested with RNase A at low salt concentration, its complement fixation activity was abolished. In double diffusion tests, two different precipitation lines were demonstrated between the antiserum and RDV-RNA. One of the precipitation lines connected with those was formed between the antisera, poly (A)-poly (U) and poly (I)-poly (C). As regards immunoglobulin classes of the antibodies, one of the two rabbits employed had antibody activity only in IgG.