Ribonuclease V of Escherichia coli : Susceptibility of Heated Ribosomal RNA and Stability of R17 Phage RNA

Native ribosomal RNA anid inttact pliage R17 RNA are insensitive to attack by ribonuclease V, an exonucleolytic activity associated with ribosome movement on the substrate RNA. However, ribosomal RNA becomes a substrate when it is heated under conditions that make it a template for protein synthesis, and R17 RNA is attacked if it is either heated or fragmnented. Accessibility of the 5' terminus of an RNA molecule is probably inzcreased by heating or fragmnentation and may determine its susceptibility to ribonuclease V.