Relationship between the messenger RNAs transcribed from two overlapping genes of influenza virus

The relationship of the mRNAs encoding the NS1 and NS2 polypeptides of influenza virus has been investigated through synthesis and characterisation of complementary DNA copies of the mRNAs. Previous work had shown that both mRNAs are encoded by virion RNA segment 8, and that the sequences comprising the smaller of the two mRNAs (the NS2 mRNA) were also present on the NS1 mRNA. Our results indicate that the mRNA encoding the NS2 polypeptide of the avian influenza, fowl plague virus, is approximately 400 ntds long, and that its sequences correspond largely with the 3'-terminal region of the NS1 mRNA.