Abstract
Measles, canine distemper (CDV) and respiratory syncytial (RS) virus nucleocapsids were isolated and purified from infected cell cytoplasm, and virions were processed from the extracellular fluid of infected cell monolayers. Ultrastructurally the nucleocapsids possessed diameters of 17–18 nm with no differences noted between the RS nucleocapsids and other nucleocapsids examined. The nucleocapsids exhibited sedimentation values of from 200–300S and possessed buoyant density values of 1.29–1.30 gm/cc in CsCl. Direct chemical measurements and/or 280/260 nm absorption ratios, showed measles, CDV and RS nucleocapsids to contain 5% RNA. RNA, phenol extracted from [32P]-labelled measles, CDV and RS nucleocapsids was found to be RNase A sensitive, while being DNase resistant. Base composition studies of the [32P]-labelled RNA from these three viral nucleocapsids yielded values of 20–22 mole % for cytosine 21–23 mole % for guanine, 26–28mole % for adenine and 29–31 mole % for uridine. Uridine was always found to be the nucleotide in greatest abundance. Analysis by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) of measles and CDV nucleocapsid obtained from infected cells dispersed without enzymes revealed them to contain a single polypeptide with molecular weights of 61000 and 54000 daltons, respectively. The polypeptide patterns of [3H]-fucose and [14C]-amino acid labelled measles and CDV virions were examined by SDS-PAGE and each was revealed to possess at least six polypeptides. At least one of the measles and two of the CDV polypeptides contained carbohydrate. These results demonstrate that measles, CDV and RS viruses have a number of properties in common with the better characterized members of the paramyxovirus group (NDV, Sendai and SV5).
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Bussell, R.H., Waters, D.J., Seals, M.K. et al. Measles, canine distemper and respiratory syncytial virions and nucleocapsids. A comparative study of their structure, polypeptide and nucleic acid composition. Med Microbiol Immunol 160, 105–124 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02121718
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02121718