Isolation and characterization of canine distemper virus-specific RNA

Ten species of virus-specific RNA were detected in Vero cells infected with the FXNO strain of canine distemper virus (CDV). The largest RNA was the genome-sized RNA and the nine smaller species were polyadenylated RNAs. Similar results were obtained for nine other strains of CDV. The molecular weights of these ten RNAs were determined to be 4.61 X 10(6), 2.46 X 10(6), 1.52 X 10(6), 1.32 X 10(6), 1.19 X 10(6), 1.07 X 10(6), 0.77 X 10(6), 0.65 X 10(6), 0.58 X 10(6), and 0.48 X 10(6). By in vitro translation of the polyadenylated RNAs in a rabbit reticulocyte lysate system, three different proteins which probably correspond to H, NP, and M were synthesized from the fraction containing RNAs 7, 8, 9, and 10.