Characterization of Ribonucleic Acid from Visna Virus

Abstract

A single-stranded ribonucleic acid(s) has been isolated from purified virions of visna virus. It consists of two major components, namely 63S and “4 S ,” under the conditions employed for ribonucleic acid (RNA) extraction. The 63 S component can be converted to subunits by heat and dimethylsulfoxide treatments. Analyses by base composition indicate that the “4 S ” RNA isolated from visna virus is not a random breakdown product of the 63 S component as a result of extraction, nor is it randomly derived from cellular RNA.