Protein-linked RNA of poliovirus is competent to form an initiation complex of translation in vitro.

Poliovirus RNA that had been labelled with 125I in the 5'-terminal protein (VPg) was found competent to form an initiation complex of translation in a cell-free reticulocyte lysate. In conditions of ribosome binding, no cleavage occurred between VPg and RNA. We conclude that removal of VPg from poliovirus RNA is not a prerequisite for this RNA to initiate translation in vitro.