Poliovirus Is an RNA Virus of the Picornavirus Group, Which

Multiple Choice

Poliovirus is an RNA virus of the picornavirus group, which uses its RNA as mRNA. At its 5' end, the RNA genome has a viral protein (VPg) instead of a 5' cap. This is followed by a nontranslated leader sequence, and then a single long protein-coding region (~7000 nucleotides) , followed by a poly-A tail. Observations were made that used radioactive amino acid analogues. Short period use of the radioactive amino acids results in labeling of only very long proteins, while longer periods of labeling result in several different short polypeptides. What conclusion is most consistent with the results of the radioactive labeling experiment?

A) Host-cell ribosomes only translate the viral code into short polypeptides.
B) The RNA is only translated into a single long polypeptide, which is then cleaved into shorter ones.
C) The RNA is translated into short polypeptides, which are subsequently assembled into large ones.
D) The large radioactive polypeptides are coded by the host, whereas the short ones are coded for by the virus.