Synthesis of a double-stranded cDNA transcript of the killer toxin-coding region of the yeast M1 double-stranded RNA.

Reverse transcription of methylmercuryhydroxide-treated M1 double-stranded RNA of yeast produces several discrete single-stranded and double-stranded cDNA's from oligo (dT)12-18 primer. S1 nuclease analysis shows that the longest transcript of the 1.8 kb template, a 2.2 kb molecule, is a 1.1 kb duplex terminated at one end by a hairpin-like structure. The 1.1 kb ds cDNA contains a complete copy of the M1-1, toxin-coding, sequence of M1 double-stranded RNA, and its synthesis is primed from oligo (dT)12-18 that anneals to a sequence within the internal, AU-rich, region of the template.