Turnip Yellow Mosaic Virus RNA as a Substrate of the Transfer RNA Nucleotidyltransferase II. Incorporation of Cytidine 5'-Monophosphate and Determination of a Short Nucleotide Sequence at the 3' End of the RNA.

Turnip yellow mosaic virus (TYMV) RNA treated with snake venom phosphodiesterase accepts cytidine 5'-monophosphate and adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP) when it is incubated in the presence of cytidine 5'-triphosphate (CTP), adenosine 5'-triphosphate, and Escherichia coli transfer RNA nucleotidyltransferase; untreated TYMV RNA accepts only AMP. When alpha (32)PCTP was used for terminal labeling, the nearest neighbor analyses and the anallyses after action of various nucleases showed that the sequence of five nucleotides at the 3' end of TYMV RNA is: pGpCpApCpC. A nuclease present in commerical preparations of snake venom phosphodiesterase leads to the fragmentation of TYMV RNA, the 3' end of which is found in a fragment having a sedimentation constant close to 5s.