The RNA of influenza virus.

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Abstract
Influenza virus may contain 5 physically distinct RNA components. Virus-specific RNA components which are probably the same are also detectable at an early time during the eclipse period in the infected cell. The RNase -resistant RNA of the influenza virus-infected cell can also be resolved into at least 4 distinct components. Thus the RNA of mature influenza virus and the single- and the double-stranded virus-specific RNA in the infected cell all show a specific and very similar heterogeneity. Since none of these RNA preparations were infectious there is no proof that they represent the intact RNA of the virus, but their apparent heterogeneity is consistent with a number of properties of influenza virus discussed in the introduction. The behavior of influenza virus RNA suggests a fundamental difference between the RNA structures of the 2 types of myxoviruses, the influenza and para-influenza viruses. The same methods of extraction of the RNA yield a large, single RNA molecule if applied to Newcastle disease virus (NDV), a typical parainfluenza virus, but several small RNA components if applied to influenza virus. The heterogeneity and small size of influenza RNA (not> 18SW 20, which is smaller than any known viral RNA) as well as the relative complexity of the virus further suggest that influenza RNA may consist of several pieces since one large RNA could not be extracted.