Cellular Skeletons and RNA Messages

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This chapter presents the experimental results that suggest an interrelation between cellular topology and nucleic acid metabolism. Gentle lysis of HeLa cells with a nonionic detergent reveals an elaborate remnant structure that retains much of the cellular morphology. Electron micrographs and biochemical studies show that a majority of the protein synthetic apparatus remains affixed to this “cytoskeleton.” It discusses that the skeleton structure possibly plays an important role in cytoplasmic RNA metabolism. Two of the small RNA species found in mammalian cells, ScK and ScL, are intimately associated with the cytoskeleton, and ScL is, in part, associated with membranes. The function of these molecules is unknown, but there is the possibility that they serve a structural role and may help determine the architecture of the cytoskeleton. If so, then RNA metabolism could play a direct role in determining cellular topology. The nucleus also has a “skeletal” structure, although much less can be visualized in this case. Many of the small RNA species are found localized in this nuclear skeleton, suggesting that they also may play a role in either structure or function determination. The chapter reviews that the experiments indicates an aspect of the metazoan cell with no obvious counterpart in bacteria—that is, an interrelation between spatial organization and RNA metabolism.

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