Strand-specific transcription of polyoma virus DNA-early in productive infection and in transformed cells

The DNA strand origin of nuclear and cytoplasmic polyoma-specific RNA in productively infected mouse cells and in a line of polyoma-transformed hamster cells was determined by hybridization of unlabeled RNA with radioactively labeled separated strands of polyoma DNA. Early in the productive cycle (10 h postinfection) nuclear viral RNA is complementary to only about 40% of the E strand of viral CNA. No RNA complementary to the L strand was detected even when the RNA was first self-annealed to enrich for possible minor species. Early cytoplasmic RNA is complementary to the same 40% of the E strand. Thus, only that part of the poloma genome which codes for early virual messenger RNA appears to be transcribed. Late in infection, nuclear viral RNA is complementary to most or all of the L strand and to at least 60% of the E strand. Late cytoplasmic viral RNA hybridizes to 40 to 45% of the E strand and 50 to 55% of the L strand. The transformed cell nuclear viral RNA is complementary to 60% of the E strand, whereas cytoplasmic RNA is complementary to 40% of the E strand and comprises the same polyoma-specific sequences as are found in RNA early in productive infection. No L strand transcripts could be detected. Thus, in the transformed cells and late in productive infection, viral RNA sequences in the cytoplasm are a specific subset of those in the nucleus.