In vitro transcription of defective interfering particles of influenza virus produces polyadenylic acid-containing complementary RNAs.

Influenza virus defective interfering (DI) RNAs, which originate from polymerase genes by simple internal deletion, can be transcribed in vitro. These DI RNA transcripts contain covalently linked polyadenylic acid, and their synthesis is dependent on ApG or capped RNAs as primers. Furthermore, like the standard viral RNA transcripts, they are complementary in nature and are slightly smaller in size compared with the corresponding DI RNAs. Hybridization of the specific DI RNA transcripts with the corresponding DI RNA segments and analysis of the duplex RNA by gel electrophoresis indicate that they are not incomplete polymerase gene transcripts, but rather the transcripts of the DI RNAs. Since influenza virus DI RNAs contain both the 5' and the 3' termini and transcribe polyadenylic acid-containing complementary RNAs in vitro the mechanism of interference may differ from that of the 5' DI RNAs of Sendai and vesicular stomatitis viruses.