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Isolation and Properties of Potato Virus Y Ribonucleic Acid. K. M. Makkouk, Graduate Student, Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, Riverside 92502; D. J. Gumpf, Assistant Professor, Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, Riverside 92502. Phytopathology 64:1115-1118. Accepted for publication 18 March 1974. DOI: 10.1094/Phyto-64-1115.

Potato virus Y (PVY) ribonucleic acid (RNA) isolated from purified virus preparations was found to be infectious, susceptible to ribonuclease, and resistant to deoxyribonuclease. The sedimentation coefficient of PVY-RNA was 39S as determined in linear-log sucrose density gradients. Formaldehyde-treated PVY-RNA sedimented at 25S. The estimated molecular weight is 3.1 × 10⁶. Heat-treated PVY-RNA shows breakdown after heating at 40 C for 10 min, with complete destruction at 60 C for 10 min. Heat treatment of virus preparations prior to RNA isolation indicated that the coat protein provided some protection to heat. Breakdown of the RNA was not observed until 50C, and complete destruction did not occur even after heating at 60C for 10 min.