Organization of six early transcripts synthesized from a vaccinia virus EcoRI DNA fragment

Four early transcripts and the polypeptides they encode have been mapped to the vaccinia virus EcoRI F DNA fragment, which spans the vaccinia HindIII J and H fragments. In addition, two transcripts for which no encoded polypeptides have been identified have also been mapped. Elucidation of the organization of these six transcripts by hybrid selection, S1 nuclease mapping, translation of size-fractionated RNA, and by filter hybridization demonstrates that approximately 90% of this DNA fragment is transcribed during early infection. All but one of these RNAs (1.35 kilobases [kb]) are transcribed in a rightward direction. The leftmost transcript of 0.6 to 0.7 kb encodes a 19,000-dalton (19K) polypeptide that has been determined to be thymidine kinase (D.E. Hruby and L.A. Ball, J. Virol. 43:403-409, 1982; G. Bajszar et al., J. Virol. 45:62-72, 1983). Immediately following the 3' end of this RNA is the 1.7-kb transcript encoding a 36K polypeptide. The 5' end of a 1.25-kb RNA encoding a 22K polypeptide is downstream of the 5' end of the 1.7-kb RNA, and its 3' end may be coterminal with the 3' end of the 1.7-kb RNA. The 2.45-kb transcript is coterminal at its 5' end with the message encoding thymidine kinase and is coterminal at its 3' end with the adjacent 1.7-kb mRNA. This RNA was not demonstrated to encode a polypeptide. Approximately 300 nucleotides from the 3' end of the 1.7-kb RNA is a 3.6-kb transcript encoding a 110K polypeptide. The 3' end of this large RNA lies several hundred nucleotides from the 3' end of the 1.35-kb RNA which is transcribed in the opposite direction. No splicing of RNA has been detected with the S1 nuclease mapping technique of Berk and Sharp. The organization of three late messages, which overlap these early transcripts, has been determined, and these results are discussed in the accompanying paper.