Intracellular murine hepatitis virus-specific RNAs contain common sequences

A major polyadenylated viral RNA of approximately 0.8 × 10(6) daltons was isolated from murine hepatitis virus (A59)-infected cells by preparative polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in formamide. This RNA was shown to encode the viral nucleocapsid protein by direct in vitro translation in a cell-free, reticulocyte-derived system. Single stranded (32)P-labeled complementary DNA was prepared from this RNA and was demonstrated to be virus specific. Using this complementary DNA in a Northern blotting procedure, we were able to identify six major virus-specific intracellular RNA species with estimated molecular weights of 0.8, 1.1, 1.4, 1.6, 3, and 4 × 10(6) daltons. All of these RNA species were polyadenylated. Our results support the idea that coronavirus-infected cells contain multiple intracellular polyadenylated RNAs which share common sequences.