Deletion in the 3' pol sequence correlates with aberration of RNA expression in certain replication-defective avian sarcoma viruses.

The RNA expression of a series of replication-defective recovered avian sarcoma viruses (rASVs) were studied. Abnormal-sized viral RNAs, both larger and smaller than the genome, were observed in the nonproducer cells infected with rASVs containing env and pol deletions. Each nonproducer clone contained a single provirus integrated at a unique site and expressed a unique RNA pattern. Upon rescuing of the sarcoma virus with a helper virus and subsequent cloning, the RNA pattern of individual nonproducer clones again displayed variation according to the integration sites. This was not seen in nondefective rASV or in rASVs containing only an env deletion. The aberrant RNA expression did not result from the lack of reverse transcriptase activity per se, since neither nonconditional nor temperature-sensitive mutants of RSV expressed abnormal viral RNAs in the absence of a functional reverse transcriptase. The abnormal RNA patterns could not be corrected in trans by helper virus functions. The unusual-sized RNAs in env- pol- rASV-infected cells are not due to splicing to alternative acceptor sites for src mRNA because there are no extra viral sequences between the 5' leader and the src sequences; instead, they are due to the presence of extra sequences, most likely of cellular origin, at the 3' ends of the viral RNAs. Based upon the extent of deletions in the viral genomes, the data suggest that deletion in the 3' pol region of those rASVs results in a cis effect on the transcription and processing of the 3' ends of viral RNAs. The unusual-sized viral RNAs are most likely due to read-through transcription from the right-hand terminus of provirus into downstream cellular sequences, followed by cleavage and polyadenylation at multiple sites of the 3' region of the RNA transcripts. The extent of read-through transcription appears to depend on the chromosomal location of the provirus.