Question

Poliovirus is an RNA virus of the picornavirus group, which uses its RNA as mRNA. At its 5' end, the RNA genome has a viral protein (VPg) instead of a 5' cap. This is followed by a nontranslated leader sequence and then a single long protein-coding region (~7000 nucleotides), followed by a poly-A tail. Observations were made that used radioactive amino acid analogues. Short-period use of the radioactive amino acids result in labeling of only very long proteins, while longer periods of labeling result in several different short polypeptides. What conclusion is most consistent with the results of the radioactive labeling experiment?

Answer 1

The RNA is only translated into a single long polypeptide, which is then cleaved into shorter ones.

Step-by-step explanation:

the poliovirus would first interact with host cell vpg region to mediate translation of the RNA into a single long polypeptide, which is then cleaved into shorter ones. Short-period use of the radioactive amino acids result in labeling of only very long proteins, while longer periods of labeling result in several different short polypeptides