Characterization of single-stranded viral DNA sequences present during replication of adenovirus types 2 and 5

Replication intermediates of adenovirus DNA apparently contain extensive stretches of single-stranded DNA. Such single-stranded viral DNA sequences homologous to different regions of the viral genome present in adenovirus-infected cells during viral DNA replication have therefore been characterized by hybridization to the separated strands of restriction endonuclease fragments of ³²P-labeled adenovirus types 2 and 5 DNA. Saturation hybridization experiments with infected cell DNA extracted at late times suggest that all regions of the adenovirus genome are represented in the single-stranded fraction, but at unequal frequencies. This nonuniform representation has been characterized in more detail with self-annealed, total cell DNA extracted 18 hr after adenovirus type 2 infection: the concentration of single-stranded sequences homologous to different regions of the viral genome was determined by comparing the rates of hybridization of ³²P-labeled, single-stranded DNA probes with such self-annealed 18 hr DNA to the rates of hybridization of the same probes with equal concentrations of their complements. This approach allows the concentration of single-stranded viral DNA sequences in excess of their complements to be determined. Such sequences can be represented by two concentration gradients across the viral genome: those homologous to the r strand increase in concentration from 27.8-40.9 units toward the right end, whereas sequences homologous to the I strand increase from an area 27.8-40.9 units toward the left end. The time course of synthesis of single-stranded viral DNA sequences relative to accumulation of total viral DNA during the productive cycle and their behavior following a shift of H5ts125-infected cells in which viral DNA replication has begun from a permissive to a nonpermissive temperature support the contention that these sequences are indeed generated as adenovirus DNA is replicated. These results are therefore discussed in terms of current models of adenovirus DNA replication.