Nucleotide sequence of tobacco mosaic virus RNA.

Abstract

Oligonucleotide primers were used to generate a c[complementary]DNA library covering the entire tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) RNA sequence. Analysis of these clones permitted completion of the viral RNA sequence and study of its variability within a viral population. The positive strand coding sequence starts 69 nucleotides from the 5'' end with a reading frame from a protein of MW 125,941 and terminates with UAG. Readthrough of this terminator would give rise to a protein of MW 183,253. Overlapping the terminal 5 codons of this readthrough frame is a 2nd reading frame coding for a protein of MW 29,987. This gene terminates 2 nucleotides before the initiator codon of the coat protein gene. Potential signal sequence responsible for the capping and synthesis of the coat protein and MW 29,987 protein mRNA were identified. Similar sequences within these reading frames may be used in the expression of sets of proteins that share COOH-terminal sequences.