Semiconservative Synthesis of Single-Stranded RNA by Bacteriophage φ6 RNA Polymerase

The RNA polymerase in the nucleocapsid of seudomonas phaseolicola bacteriophage φ6 transcribed large, medium, and small single-stranded RNA from the viral double-stranded RNA genome by a semiconservative (displacement) mechanism. Approximately 23%, 63%, and 65% of the nucleocapsid particles in the assay mixture synthesized at least one round of large, medium, and small single-stranded RNA molecules, respectively. Some of these particles reinitiated synthesis such that an average of 1.5 large, 33 medium, and 24 small singlestranded RNAs were synthesized from each double-stranded RNA