Characterization of the ribonucleic acid of a type D retrovirus (PMFV) isolated from a permanent human cell line.

The RNA of a type D retrovirus (PMFV) isolated from and propagated in a human cell ine has been characterized. Like other retroviruses PMFV contains a 60 to 70 S RNA as determined by glycerol gradient velocity sedimentation with marker RNAs. When denatured by heat the high-molecular-weight RNA prepared from fresh virus yielded subunits of about 30 S. As shown by poly(U)-Sepharose chromatography the 60 to 70 S RNA as well as the 30 S subunits contain a poly (A) stretch of approximately 80 to 200 nucleotides.