ABSTRACT
Rhabdoviruses contain one piece of single-stranded RNA which is complementary to messenger-RNA and is enclosed in a helical nucleocapsid complex composed of one or more proteins. The nucleocapsid complex is surrounded by a lipoprotein envelope composed of a lipid bilayer and the envelope proteins. A number of investigators have attempted to determine what makes the lipid bilayer of the viral envelope more rigid than that of cellular plasma membranes. The results of these experiments suggested that both the lipid-lipid and lipid-protein interactions increased the rigidity of the lipid phase of the viral membrane. Although there are many rhabdoviruses, the chemical composition of only a few has been studied. These include the plant rhabdoviruses sowthistle yellow vein virus, potato yellow dwarf virus, and lettuce necrotic yellows virus. The rhabdovirus protein which has a molecular weight ranging between 62 and 85 × 103 daltons, incorporates radioactively labeled carbohydrates, and stains with the PAS reagent, has been designated G for glycoprotein.
