Translation of Rl7 RNA fragments

Examination of the events during infection of cells by RNA phages reveals phemonomena that are surprisingly complex for a virus that has only enough information to code for three to four proteins. The coat protein is synthesized at a rapid rate through most of the infectious cycle making it the predominant product. In contrast, the RNA synthetase is made at early times but not at late times. Since the RNA genome is itself messenger, the RNA phages present a unique opportunity to study translation of a polycistronic messenger.