The Synthesis of Polyadenylated Messenger RNA in Herpes Simplex Type I Virus Infected BHK Cells

The pattern of polyadenylated messenger RNA (mRNA) synthesis n BHK cell monolayers, infected under defined conditions with herpes simplex type I virus has been investigated by polyacrylamide g l electrophoresis of pulse-labelled RNA isolated by oligo dT-cellulose chromatography. Two classes of mRNA molecules were synthesized in infected cells; these were not detected in unin-fected cells. The rate of synthesis of the larger, 18 to 3oS RNA class reached a maximum soon after infection and then declined, whereas the rate of synthesis of the 7 to I I S RNA class did not reach a maximum until much later and did not decline. In the presence of cytosine arabinoside, the rate of mRNA synthesis in infected cells was reduced but the electrophoretic pattern remained the same