Mechanism of carcinogenesis by RNA tumor viruses. I. An RNA-dependent DNA polymerase in murine sarcoma viruses.

A highly active and stable DNA polymerase was found in purified preparations of two murine sarcoma viruses. Enzyme activity is not detected in most virus preparations unless they are treated with low concentrations of a nonionic detergent such as Nonidet P-40. The incorporation of labeled thymidine triphosphate requires all four deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates and either Mg(2+) or Mn(2+). Enzyme activity is proportional to virus concentration and is linear with time up to 90 min. That the template is RNA is suggested by the reduction in polymerase activity upon treatment of murine sarcoma virus with RNase, and by the absence of detectable amounts of DNA in the virus. That the product is DNA is shown by the incorporation of all four deoxyribo-nucleoside triphosphates into an acid-insoluble product which is stable in alkali, is destroyed by DNase, sediments in alkaline sucrose gradients with a sedimentation coefficient of 7 S, and bands in isopycnic CsCl gradients with a mean buoyant density of 1.700.