Intranuclear Accumulation of Rna Resembling the Smaller Ribosomal Rna Component

Abstract

A study was made of the nuclear RNA in HeLa cells with particular reference to the rapidly labelled fractions. It was found that if cells were incubated at a high density, that is, under ‘step-down’ conditions, there was a rapid accumulation of RNA in the nucleus. The fraction of the nuclear RNA which includes rapidly labelled RNA and which binds tightly to columns of methylated albumin on kieselguhr increased in amount and reached levels which permitted enough of the material to be isolated for direct measurement of its base composition. This was found to be very similar to that of 16s ribosomal RNA. When cells growing logarithmically were treated with low concentrations of actinomycin D and then incubated in the presence of [3H]uridine it was found that an RNA fraction which bound tightly to methylated albumin on kieselguhr again accumulated in the nucleus. This fraction resembled that which accumulated under ‘step-down’ conditions. It contained over 85% of the total radioactivity in the nuclear RNA and again had a base composition very similar to 16s ribosomal RNA. Since nucleolar RNA synthesis was inhibited by the concentrations of actinomycin D used, it appeared that an RNA closely resembling 16s ribosomal RNA was synthesized outside the nucleolus. Sedimentation patterns on sucrose density gradients and thermal denaturation profiles lent support to the view that the RNA which binds tightly to columns of methylated albumin on kieselguhr probably represents ‘nascent’ 16s ribosomal RNA.