The four RNAs of brome mosaic virus induce substantial incorporation of amino acids into protein when used as messengers in a cell-free proteinsynthesizing system derived from wheat embryo. RNA showed, quite unequivocally, that viral coat protein can be synthesized in a cell-free system from wheat embryo programmed with the RNA of satellite tobacco necrosis virus (STNV). The in vitro product has nearly the same spectrum of tryptic peptides as authentic STNV coat protein, although it is slightly lower in molecular weight, presumably as a consequence of an aberrant post-translational proteolytic cleavage. Klein et al. presented evidence that translation is initiated correctly and that synthesis of the single product is substantial. The exceptional success of this in vitro synthesis is attributable to the careful definition, by these investigators and also by Marcus and his colleagues (4, 5), of several of the important variables of the wheat system.The efficacy of the wheat-embryo system, the partial success of brome mosaic virus (BMV) RNA and STNV RNA translation in Escherichia coli extracts (6-8), and the fact that wheat is a natural host of BMV (although not of STNV) has prompted us to test the BMV RNAs as messengers in a wheat-embryo system. We find that the BMV RNAs serve as excellent messengers-with an efficiency comparable to that reported for bacteriophage RNA in E. coli extracts.BMV is one of several RNA-containing plant and animal viruses whose genetic complement is divided among several nucleic acids (9
MATERIALS AND METHODSPreparation of BMV, BMV RNA, and BMV Coat Protein. BMV (Russian strain) was grown and isolated by procedures described (10). BMV RNA was isolated from purified virus by phenol extraction (11). RNA 4, RNA 3, and a mixture of RNA 1 and 2 were obtained by fractionation of whole BMV RNA on 5-20% sucrose density gradients centrifuged in a Spinco SW25 rotor at 25,000 rpm for 18 hr followed by a second separation of appropriately combined fractions (6).Coat protein was prepared by dialyzing the virus against 1 M CaCI2. This degrades the virus and quantitatively precipitates the viral RNA, leaving the protein in solution (12).Isolation of Wheat Embryo and Preparation of an S23 CellFree Extract. Wheat embryos were isolated from seeds of Kenosha winter wheat (Triticum vulgare L, cultivar kenosha, 1799 Abbreviations: STNV, satellite tobacco necrosis virus; BMV, brome mosaic virus.