The Replication of Bacteriophage MS2: IX. Structure and Replication of the Replicative Intermediate

Abstract

Experiments are described to determine whether the ribonuclease-sensitive component of the replicative intermediate formed during RNA bacteriophage infection is the nascent strand (conservative replication), or is a displaced portion of the viral strand of the RNA duplex (semi-conservative replication). Appropriate labeling experiments indicate that this component arises in each replicative intermediate molecule, with equal probability, from either origin. Those replicative intermediate molecules in which the nascent strand is ribonuclease-sensitive are more readily denatured than those in which the viral strand is partially displaced. The two types of replicative intermediate can be distinguished on this basis. It is proposed that each replicative intermediate molecule replicates both conservatively and semi-conservatively, equally often.

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