Translation Products of Genome and Satellite RNAs of Tomato Black Ring Virus

In wheat germ extracts and reticulocyte lysates the genome RNA molecules of tomato black ring virus (TBRV), RNA-1 (mol. wt. 2.8 x 10⁶) and RNA-2 (mol. wt. 1.6 x 10⁶), were translated into products of maximum mol. wt. 2.2 x 10⁵ and 1.6 x 10⁵, respectively. These products represent about 80% and 100% of the coding capacity of the two RNA species. The 1.6 x 10⁵ mol. wt. polypeptide reacted with antiserum to TBRV particles but the translation products of RNA-1 did not; this is additional evidence that RNA-2 contains the coat protein cistron.

Satellite RNA molecules (RNA-3, mol. wt. 4.8 x 10⁵) associated with strain S of TBRV, like those associated with strain G, were translated in wheat germ extracts into a polypeptide of mol. wt. 4.8 x 10⁴; this did not react with TBRV antiserum. Protease digestion released peptides from the translation product of strain S RNA-3 which were different from those released from the translation product of strain G RNA-3, suggesting that the two kinds of satellite RNA molecules differ in base sequence.