Translatability of rat kidney mRNA after mercury administration

Abstract

Young male rats received an intraperitoneal injection of 0.5 mg HgCl2/kg body weight and 16 h later the kidneys were removed and homogenized to prepare the polysomal fraction from which the poly(A)+ RNA was obtained. The activity of this fraction was assessed by translating the poly(A)+ RNA in a mRNA-dependent rabbit reticulocyte lysate and the activity was markedly elevated relative to preparations from control rat kidneys. The incorporation of labelled leucine and cysteine, but not phenylalanine, into a low molecular weight protein (approximately 10 000 as judged by denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis) accounted for the increased mRNA activity. The mobility during electrophoresis of the denatured labelled product and carboxymethylated product, as well as their acidic isoelectric points, provided evidence that it is metallothionein mRNA which exhibits increased translatability in preparations derived from mercury-treated rats.