Nucleic Acids Research, 1977, Vol. 4, No. 3 625-639
© 1977
Articles |
Messenger ribonucleoprotein complexes of cryptobiotic embryos of Artemia salina
Department of Cell Biology, University of Antwerp B-2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
*The author to whom all correspondence should be addressed.
Received December 20, 1976. Poly(A)-containing ribonucleoprotein [poly(A)+RNP) particles in the post-mitochondrial supernatant of cryptobiotic embryos of Artemia salina were characterized by hybridization to [3H]poly(U). By sucrose isopycnic centrifugation, approximately 2/3 of poly(A)+RNPs was found to band at 1.271.30 (g/cm3) and the rest 1/3 at 1.201.23 (g/cm3) and below 1.20 (g/cm3). The 1.271.30 RNP8 could be separated into two density classes, 1.271.26 and 1.30 (g/cm3) respectively. The latter RNP class was apparently complexed with ribosomal components because they were completely converted to the former RNP class [free RNPs) by 25 mM EDTA treatment. Further, the 1.30 (g/cm3) RNPs were res-solved into several RNP species having sedimentation coefficients above 50 S, which were transformed mostly to 2030 S RNPs in the presence of 25 mM EDTA. The free 2030 S RNPs contained 814 S poly(A)+RNAs, having the highest template activity in a wheat embryo cell-free system, whereas the 1.201.23 poly(A)±RNPs consisted of 10 S and 16 S RNPs, both of which contained 4 S poly(A)-containing sequences without any template activity.