Composition of the Zaysan virion

The sedimentation coefficient of Zaysan virion ribonucleic acid (RNA), estimated by sucrose density gradient centrifugation, was 42 S. Pancreatic ribonuclease digested the viral RNA to acid-soluble fragments. Two viral structural proteins with apparent molecular weight of 50,000 and 30,000 daltons were identified by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. A dense, RNA-rich particle, containing the smaller polypeptide, was isolated after mild detergent treatment of Zaysan virus.