Immunogenicity of Rice Dwarf Virus-Ribonucleic Acid

Abstract

Using rice dwarf virus (RDV)-RNA which was extracted from RDV and further purified by MAK-column chromatography, anti-RDV-RNA antibodies were produced in rabbits immunized with RDV-RNA-methylated bovine serum albumin complexes. The antisera, as analzyed by complement fixation, cross-reacted with synthetic double stranded RNAs (poly (A)•poly (U), poly (I)•poly (C)), but not with native or denatured DNA, rRNA, tRNA, 5 S RNA and nucleic acids from rice plants. RDV-RNA treated with heat or dimethylsulfoxide was markedly reduced in reactivity to the antisera. When RDV-RNA was digested with RNase A at low salt concentration, its complement fixation activity was abolished. In double diffusion tests, two different precipitation lines were demonstrated between the antiserum and RDV-RNA. One of the precipitation lines connected with those was formed between the antisera, poly (A)•poly (U) and poly (I)•poly (C). As regards immunoglobulin classes of the antibodies, one of the two rabbits employed had antibody activity only in IgM and the other, exclusively in IgG.