Genetic Recombination with Newcastle Disease Virus, Polioviruses, and Influenza
This extract was created in the absence of an abstract.
Excerpt
The importance of genetic studies in understanding the nature of an organism has been repeatedly demonstrated. In the case of viruses, there is an added incentive for genetic study since some of them are unique in their dependence on RNA for the transmission of hereditary characters. Among the known RNA viruses, those which affect plants are the least amenable to genetic study for technical reasons. The newly discovered RNA phages are a most promising source of information on RNA genetics but this development lies in the future. Among the animal RNA viruses there are three on which genetic studies have been made in our laboratory: poliovirus, Newcastle disease virus (NDV) and influenza. In each of these RNA viruses, the elementary particle contains on the average about 2 × 106 mol wt units of nucleic acid. Because of this low RNA content, a very small proportion of recombinants is to be...
