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Viroid replication is inhibited by α-amanitin

Nature volume 278, pages 185–188 (1979)Cite this article

A Corrigendum to this article was published on 01 May 1979

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Abstract

VIROIDS are infectious single-stranded circular RNA molecules1 which cause disease in higher Plants. Although the complete molecular structure of one viroid has recently been established2, the mechanism of viroid replication and patho-genesis is still unknown. The viroid molecule carries insufficient genetic information to code for a complete viroid-specified replicase. Replication must therefore depend on host cell enzymes. We report here the inhibition by α-amanitin, of 3H-uridine incorporation into viroid RNA in infected tomato protoplasts. The inhibitory intracellular concentrations of α-amanitin which we determined suggest the involvement of the nuclear DNA-dependent RNA polymerase II in viroid replication.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Arbeitsgruppe Pflanzenvirologie, Justus-Liebig- Universität, Giessen, D-6300, FRG

    HANS-P. MÜHLBACH & HEINZ L. SÄNGER

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  1. HANS-P. MÜHLBACH
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  2. HEINZ L. SÄNGER
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MÜHLBACH, HP., SÄNGER, H. Viroid replication is inhibited by α-amanitin. Nature 278, 185–188 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1038/278185a0

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