Translation Products of Genome and Satellite RNAs of Tomato Black Ring Virus

In wheat germ extracts and reticulocyte lysates the genome RNA molecules of tomato black ring virus (TBRV), RNA-I (tool. wt. 2.8 × lO 6) and RNA-2 (mol. wt. 1.6 × IO6), were translated into products of maximum mol. wt. 2.2 × lO 5 and 1.6 × lO 5, respectively. These products represent about 8o % and IOO % of the coding capacity of the two RNA species. The 1.6× Io 5 mol. wt. polypeptide reacted with antiserum to TBRV particles but the translation products of RNA-I did not; this is additional evidence that RNA-2 contains the coat protein cistron. Satellite RNA molecules (RNA-3, mol. wt. 4.8 × lO 5) associated with strain S of TBRV, like those associated with strain G, were translated in wheat germ extracts into a polypeptide ofmol , wt. 4"8 × lO 4; this did not react with TBRV antiserum. Protease digestion released peptides from the translation product of strain S RNA-3 which were different from those released from the translation product of strain G RNA-3, suggesting that the two kinds of satellite RNA molecules differ in base sequence.