Journal of Molecular Biology
Volume 5, Issue 3, September 1962, Pages 251-264
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Molecular and metabolic properties of messenger RNA from normal and T2-infected Escherichia coli*

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  • 1

    A method has been developed for the preparation of “undegraded“ messenger RNA from normal and T2-phage infected E. coli cells. On methylated albumin columns the RNA was heterogeneous, and could be fractionated into four main components with sedimentation coefficients of 8 s (M-RNA-I), 10 to 12 s (M-RNA-II), 19 to 21 s plus 13 s (M-RNA-III) and 23 to 30 s (M-RNA-IV), respectively.

  • 2

    The time course of the incorporation of [14C]uracil into M-RNA-II, M-RNA-III and M-RNA-IV, or of the disappearance of radioactivity from these RNAs prelabeled with the isotopes, has been investigated. The radioactivity in these three components increased or decreased in a parallel fashion, indicating that no precursor-product relationship exists among them.

  • 3

    Chloramphenicol inhibited the synthesis of M-RNA-IV without preventing synthesis of M-RNA-II and M-RNA-III.

  • 4

    The specific ability of M-RNA-IV to associate with 70 s ribosomes in vitro has been demonstrated. Neither M-RNA-II nor M-RNA-III has such an ability. The RNA-ribosome complex has a sedimentation coefficient about 10 to 15 s higher than the normal 70 s ribosome.

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  • Cited by (13)

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    *

    This work was supported by grants from the Asahi Press and the Ministry of Education of Japan.

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