Abstract
The RNA of myelocytoma virus MC29, a replication-defective avian acute leukemia virus, was investigated. Sedimentation and electrophoretic analyses indicated that the virus contains a distinct 28S RNA with about 5700 nucleotides. It is the smallest avian tumor virus RNA detected to date. The small size of the RNA suggests that the defectiveness of the virus is due to deletions in replicative genes. The RNA shared 3 to 5 of 30 large RNase T1-resistant oligonucleotides with the RNA of other avian leukosis and sarcoma and may represent the transforming information of the virus. Sequences of the conserved transforming gene of avian sarcoma viruses were not detected in MC29 RNA. It was concluded that the transforming sequences of MC29 RNA define a new class of avian tumor viral transforming genes.