Isolation of high-molecular-weight, P32-labeled influenza virus ribonucleic acid.

Abstract

Influenza virus labeled with P32 has been purified from allantoic fluid by centrifugation onto a dense sucrose solution layer followed by chromatography on an agarose column. The single-stranded RNA extracted from purified virus sedimented, on sucrose gradients, as three components at 7S, 19S, and 38S. A part of the 38S component retains its original sedimentation rate after being heated in dilute solution to 80[degree]C for 80 sec. and these covalently intact molecules have antimated molecular weight of 2.8 s 106. One such RNA molecule per particle could account for the amount of RNA found in purified virus preprations.