FIG. 8.

Electrophoretic analysis of RNA packaged by four different single amino acid substitution mutants. (Top) Sequence of the last eight amino acids of the gamma peptide and positions that were changed to alanine. (Bottom) Denaturing agarose gel showing RNAs extracted from gradient-purified particles. Particles were synthesized and purified as described in Materials and Methods, and RNA was extracted with phenol-chloroform. Aliquots were size fractionated on a denaturing 1% agarose-formaldehyde gel, and nucleic acids were visualized by staining with ethidium bromide. Lane 1, RNA molecular size markers; lane 2, RNA extracted from F402A particles; lane 3, RNA extracted from E403A particles; lane 4, RNA extracted from F405A particles; lane 5, RNA extracted from F407A particles; lane 6, RNA extracted from wt particles.