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Interferon, double-stranded RNA and mRNA degradation

Nature volume 264, pages 370–373 (1976)Cite this article

Abstract

INTERFERONS are glycoproteins which are synthesised in various animal cells following viral infection. They are excreted, interact with other cells and inhibit in them the replication of a broad range of viruses1. Extracts from interferon-treated Ehrlich ascites tumour cells (S30INT) differ in various biochemical characteristics from extracts from control cells (S30C) (refs 2–4 and see also refs 5–8). We have reported recently that reovirus messenger RNAs (mRNAs) are degraded faster in reaction mixtures containing S30INT than in those containing S30C, but only if the reaction mixtures are supplemented with double-stranded (ds) RNA9. We have also reported10 that dsRNA promotes the phosphorylation by ATP of at least two proteins in S30INT. Here we describe further characteristics of the faster degradation of reovirus mRNA in S30INT supplemented with dsRNA. ATP is required, in addition to dsRNA, for the acceleration of mRNA degradation in S30INT (ref. 11), and we show that this phenomenon can be divided into two phases. In the first phase (activation) both dsRNA and ATP, but not reovirus mRNA, are required; in the second phase (endonuclease action), in which added reovirus mRNA is degraded, it seems that neither dsRNA nor ATP has to be present.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, 06520

    G. C. SEN, B. LEBLEU, G. E. BROWN, M. KAWAKITA, E. SLATTERY & P. LENGYEL

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  1. G. C. SEN
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  2. B. LEBLEU
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  3. G. E. BROWN
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  4. M. KAWAKITA
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  5. E. SLATTERY
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  6. P. LENGYEL
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SEN, G., LEBLEU, B., BROWN, G. et al. Interferon, double-stranded RNA and mRNA degradation. Nature 264, 370–373 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1038/264370a0

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