Refined molecular weights for phage, viral and ribosomal RNA.

The RNAs of the Escherichia coli bacteriophages MS2 and Qbeta as well as E. coli 16S ribosomal RNA were examined under identical conditions by electron microscopy using the protein-free benzyldimethylalkylammonium chloride (BAC) spreading technique. From the contour length ratios of the RNAs and the known number of nucleotides for MS2, the chain lengths for Qbeta RNA and 16S RNA were found to be 4790 +/- 150 and 1645 +/- 55 nucleotides. Correcting for the base composition of Qbeta RNA the molecular weight of the Na salt of this RNA is (1.64 +/- 0.06) . 10(6) daltons. Since published values on the relative lengths of Qbeta RNA and several other homogeneous RNAs (E. coli 23S rRNA, E. Coli bacteriophage R17 and f2 RNAs, Pseudomonas aeruginosa phage PP7 RNA and Newcastle disease virus RNA) are available, we are able to calculate the approximate number of nucleotides for these useful standards.