Messenger RNA Species Synthesized in Vitro by the Virion-associated RNA Polymerase of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus

The virion-associated RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) synthesizes in vitro two size classes of RNA products similar to those observed in VSV-infected cells. One RNA product sediments at 31S with an approximate molecular weight of 2.1 X 106. The smaller products consist of at least three classes of RNA sedimenting at 17S, 14.5S, and 12S with molecular weights of 0.7 X 106, 0.52 X 106, and 0.37 X 106, respectively. Hybridization experiments show that both the 31S and 12-18S RNA products are complementary to the genome RNA, and that each class is transcribed from different nucleotide sequences. From the molecular weights of the RNA species and the hybridization experiments, it seems that almost the entire VSV genome RNA is transcribed in vitro.