Detection of RNA-instructed DNA polymerase in the mitochondria of Rous sarcoma cells using sephadex G-150 thin-layer gel filtration.

Analyses of the DNA polymerase present in the inner mitochondrial membrane and matrix fraction of the mitochondria isolated from Rous sarcoma cells and chick embryo cells, and in the lysate of Rous sarcoma virus were performed, using a modification of the thin-layer gel filtration on Sephadex G-150 superfine. The method allowed the simultaneous determination of the molecular weight of the isolated enzymes. In the mitochondria or Rous sarcoma cells an RNA-directed DNA polymerase, activated by poly(rA): oligo (dT) synthetic duplex, was detected, with the same molecular weight as the reverse transcriptase isolated from Rous sarcoma virus. Such enzyme was not found in the mitochondria of chick embryo cells.