A method for the purification of large quantities of biologically active ribonucleic acid components from cowpea chlorotic mottle virus, a multicomponent plant virus.

Cowpea chlorotic mottle virus RNA has been prepared in comparatively high yield (at least 50%) by a modified phenol extraction method. The preparation, which has high biological activity, has been resolved into four components by zonal centrifugation on a 15-40% (w/v) sucrose density gradient. The components obtained have been tested for biological activity against whole plants and plant protoplasts. Each of the two largest components RNA 1 and RNA 2 was by itself infective (50-90% of the specific infectivity of the whole genome) and produced virus-specific proteins (coat protein and P2) and RNAs ("RNA 3" and "RNA 4"). Contamination by small proportions (less than 10%) of neighbouring RNAs is presumed to be involved in this infectivity. The two smallest components were obtained in an almost pure form.