Abstract
Viral particles infecting some stocks of the protozoan parasite Leishmania braziliensis subsp. guyanensis contain a double-stranded RNA genome of ca. 5 kbp and are associated with an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase which synthesizes in vitro double-stranded and single-stranded, genome-length transcripts. The majority of viral transcripts are single-stranded and templated from one genomic strand. The putative replicase generates double-stranded RNA by synthesizing the opposite strand on a preexisting RNA template. These data are compatible with a replicative cycle proposed for the yeast viruses. Purification of the Leishmania virus on CsCl yields virus without double-strand synthesis activity, while this activity is consistently present in unpurified virus and in particles from sucrose gradients. The deficiency in double-strand synthesis in CsCl-derived virions correlates with the accessibility of the viral polymerase and genomic RNA to exogenously added enzymes, indicative of a structural modification of the viral capsid.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 4211-4215 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Journal of virology |
Volume | 65 |
Issue number | 8 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1991 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Microbiology
- Immunology
- Insect Science
- Virology