Evidence for the existence of a coat protein messenger RNA associated with the top component of each of three tymoviruses.

On centrifugation in a CsCl density gradient the three tymoviruses, eggplant mosaic, wild cucumber mosaic, and okra mosaic, separate into a major bottom component and several less dense minor components. The RNA of the top component is composed of about 90% tRNA and 10% of an approximately 250 000 dalton messenger RNA. The latter induced the synthesis of coat protein when translated in wheat-germ and rabbit-reticulocyte cell-free systems.