Evidence for Multiplicity Reactivation of Ultraviolet Light Irradiated Ribonucleic Acid Isolatedfrom Tobacco Mosaic Virus

Abstract

Multiplicity reactivation (MR) seems to take place in leaves of Nicotiana glutinosa inoculated with ultraviolet (UV) light irradiated RNA from tobacco mosaic virus (TMV-RNA). A similar phenomenon was not observed with UV-irradiated TMV particles. Considering MR as resulting from genetic recombination between viral genomes, a recombination mechanism, which has been difficult to prove with plant viruses, is proposed as being operative during multiplication of TMV. From the pattern of MR of TMV-RNA, the location of the gene for the RNA replicase within a TMV-RNA strand is discussed.