Effect of benzo(a)pyrene-diolepoxide on infectivity and in vitro translation of phage MS2 RNA

Journal Article · Thu Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1979 · Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.76.2.620· OSTI ID:6687139

Sagher, D; Harvey, R G; Hsu, W T; Weiss, S B

Previous studies have shown that alkylation of MS2 RNA by certain derivatives of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons renders it noninfectious. Since phage RNA serves as a template for translation and transcription, either of these RNA-directed processes, or both, could be responsible in vivo for the inhibition of phage replication by metabolically activated hydrocarbons. The present study correlates the degree of inhibition of MS2 RNA infectivity, at various levels of alkylation by (+-) trans-7,8-dihydroxy-anti-9,10-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo(a)pyrene, with the translation efficiency in vitro of the same alkylated RNA for the synthesis of viral synthetase and of maturation and coat proteins. The results indicate that dihydroxyepoxy-tetrahydrobenzo(a)pyrene modification of MS2 RNA impairs its template capacity for the synthesis of phage-specific proteins; this inhibition is insufficient, however, to account for the loss of RNA infectivity at lower molar ratios of alkylation. For the three viral proteins synthesized in vitro, the translation of RNA synthetase is much more sensitive to MS2 RNA modification than either coat or maturation protein synthesis. Our results also indicate that the loss of viral RNA infectivity follows a single-hit inactivation mechanism, whereas several alkylation events in the viral RNA synthetase cistron may be necessary to block translation of this gene product.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Chicago, IL
• OSTI ID: 6687139
• Journal Information: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.; (United States), Journal Name: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.; (United States) Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 76:2; ISSN PNASA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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550700 -- Microbiology
560302* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology-- Microorganisms-- (-1987)
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ALCOHOLS
ALKYLATION
AROMATICS
BACTERIOPHAGES
BENZOPYRENE
BIOSYNTHESIS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CONDENSED AROMATICS
EPOXIDES
GLYCOLS
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
IN VITRO
INFECTIVITY
INHIBITION
MICROORGANISMS
NUCLEIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARASITES
POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
RESPONSE MODIFYING FACTORS
RNA
SENSITIVITY
SYNTHESIS
TOXICITY
VIRUSES