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Nucleic Acids Research, 1977, Vol. 4, No. 1 177-194
© 1977

Articles

Conformation of viroids

Karsten Henco, Detlev Riesner and Heinz Ludwig Sanger*

Institut für Klinische Biochemie and Physlologische Chemie, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover Karl-Wiechert-Allee 9, D-3000 Hanover, GFR

Received October 18, 1976.

Viroids are uncoated infectious RNA molecules (MW 107 OOO-127 000) known as pathogens of certain higher plants. Thermo-dynamic and kinetic studies were carried out on highly purified viroid preparations by applying UV-absorption melting analysis and temperature jump methods. The thermal denaturation of viroids is characterized by high thermal stability, high co-operativlty and a high degree of base pairing. Two relaxation processes could be resolved; a process in the sec range could be evaluated as an independent all-or-none-transition with the following properties: reaction enthalpy + 550 kcal/mol, activation enthalpy of the dissociation + 470 kcal/mol; G : C content + 72 %. These data indicate the existence of an uninterrupted double helix of 52 base pairs. A process in the msec range involves 15–25 base pairs which are most probably distributed over several short double helical stretches. A tentative model for the secondary structure of viroids is proposed and the possible functional implications of their physico-chemical properties are discussed.

*Arbeitsgruppe Pflanzenvirologle, Justus Liebig Universitát, Schubertstr. 1, D-6300Giessen, GFR


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T. Diener
Viroids: structure and function
Science, August 31, 1979; 205(4409): 859 - 866.
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