Biomaterial Database

Rise per base pair in helices of double-stranded rotavirus RNA determined by electron microscopy. 1985

P Taylor, and F Rixon, and U Desselberger

Regular helices of double-stranded RNA occur in nature only as the genome of certain viruses. The structure of such double-stranded RNA helices has been little studied compared to that of DNA, but some X-ray crystallographic data (Arnott, 1970; Saenger, 1984) are available. The recent advent of sequence data of bovine rotavirus RNA (Dyall-Smith et al., 1983; Elleman et al., 1983; Ward et al., 1984) has enabled us to determine by direct measurement of electron micrographs the translation, or axial distance between base pairs in RNA duplexes. Using two different spreading conditions we obtained values of 2.79 +/- 0.10 and 2.80 +/- 0.11 A. These results are consistent with the 11-fold A RNA (Arnott, 1970; Rosenberg et al., 1976) proposed for the conformation of double-stranded RNA. We included both circular and linear molecules of phi X174 RF DNA in the same preparations, and the translations for these molecules were between 3.23 +/- 0.06 and 3.29 +/- 0.05 A. Thus, double-stranded RNA contained 1.16 to 1.17 times more nucleotides per unit length than DNA.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008854	Microscopy, Electron	Microscopy using an electron beam, instead of light, to visualize the sample, thereby allowing much greater magnification. The interactions of ELECTRONS with specimens are used to provide information about the fine structure of that specimen. In TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY the reactions of the electrons that are transmitted through the specimen are imaged. In SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY an electron beam falls at a non-normal angle on the specimen and the image is derived from the reactions occurring above the plane of the specimen.	Electron Microscopy
D009711	Nucleotides	The monomeric units from which DNA or RNA polymers are constructed. They consist of a purine or pyrimidine base, a pentose sugar, and a phosphate group. (From King & Stansfield, A Dictionary of Genetics, 4th ed)	Nucleotide
D010584	Bacteriophage phi X 174	The type species of the genus MICROVIRUS. A prototype of the small virulent DNA coliphages, it is composed of a single strand of supercoiled circular DNA, which on infection, is converted to a double-stranded replicative form by a host enzyme.	Coliphage phi X 174,Enterobacteria phage phi X 174,Phage phi X 174,phi X 174 Phage,Phage phi X174
D002417	Cattle	Domesticated bovine animals of the genus Bos, usually kept on a farm or ranch and used for the production of meat or dairy products or for heavy labor.	Beef Cow,Bos grunniens,Bos indicus,Bos indicus Cattle,Bos taurus,Cow,Cow, Domestic,Dairy Cow,Holstein Cow,Indicine Cattle,Taurine Cattle,Taurus Cattle,Yak,Zebu,Beef Cows,Bos indicus Cattles,Cattle, Bos indicus,Cattle, Indicine,Cattle, Taurine,Cattle, Taurus,Cattles, Bos indicus,Cattles, Indicine,Cattles, Taurine,Cattles, Taurus,Cow, Beef,Cow, Dairy,Cow, Holstein,Cows,Dairy Cows,Domestic Cow,Domestic Cows,Indicine Cattles,Taurine Cattles,Taurus Cattles,Yaks,Zebus
D004270	DNA, Circular	Any of the covalently closed DNA molecules found in bacteria, many viruses, mitochondria, plastids, and plasmids. Small, polydisperse circular DNA's have also been observed in a number of eukaryotic organisms and are suggested to have homology with chromosomal DNA and the capacity to be inserted into, and excised from, chromosomal DNA. It is a fragment of DNA formed by a process of looping out and deletion, containing a constant region of the mu heavy chain and the 3'-part of the mu switch region. Circular DNA is a normal product of rearrangement among gene segments encoding the variable regions of immunoglobulin light and heavy chains, as well as the T-cell receptor. (Riger et al., Glossary of Genetics, 5th ed & Segen, Dictionary of Modern Medicine, 1992)	Circular DNA,Circular DNAs,DNAs, Circular
D004279	DNA, Viral	Deoxyribonucleic acid that makes up the genetic material of viruses.	Viral DNA
D004591	Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel	Electrophoresis in which a polyacrylamide gel is used as the diffusion medium.	Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis,SDS-PAGE,Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate-PAGE,Gel Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide,SDS PAGE,Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate PAGE,Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate-PAGEs
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D012330	RNA, Double-Stranded	RNA consisting of two strands as opposed to the more prevalent single-stranded RNA. Most of the double-stranded segments are formed from transcription of DNA by intramolecular base-pairing of inverted complementary sequences separated by a single-stranded loop. Some double-stranded segments of RNA are normal in all organisms.	Double-Stranded RNA,Double Stranded RNA,RNA, Double Stranded
D012367	RNA, Viral	Ribonucleic acid that makes up the genetic material of viruses.	Viral RNA