title: Mouse kidney nonpolysomal messenger ribonucleic acid: metabolism, coding function, and translational activity.
abstract: To elucidate the distribution and function of mRNA in mouse kidney cytoplasm, we compared mRNA isolated from polysomal (greater than 80S) and native postpolysomal (20--80S) ribonucleoproteins with respect to synthesis and lifetime, sequence content, and translational activity. The 20--25% of cytoplasmic mRNA recovered from postpolysomal ribonucleoprotein is similar to polysomal mRNA in size (20--22S), in apparent half-life (11--13 h), in major products of cell-free translation, and in nucleotide complexity (approximately 4 x 10(7) nucleotides). The labeling kinetics of polysomal and postpolysomal mRNA suggest these mRNA populations are in equilibrium. [3H]cDNAs transcribed from polysomal and from postpolysomal poly(A)-containing mRNAs react with template mRNA and with the heterologous mRNA at the same rate (Cot1/2 approximately 6.3 mol.s/L) and to the same extent (95%). Therefore, these mRNAs are equally diverse and homologous and occur at similar relative frequencies. Postpolysomal mRNA directs cell-free protein synthesis at only approximately 30% of the rate of polysomal mRNA and to only 30% of the extent of mRNA from polysomes. Postpolysomal mRNA is approximately 3-fold less sensitive than polysomal mRNA to inhibition of translation by m7GMP, suggesting postpolysomal mRNA contains a greater fraction of molecules deficient in 5'-terminal caps. Postpolysomal mRNA may derive from renal mRNAs that initiate translation inefficiently and thus accumulate as postpolysomal ribonucleoproteins.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002474:Cell-Free System; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D005815:Genetic Code; D007668:Kidney / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D011061:Poly A / Q000378:metabolism; D011132:Polyribosomes / Q000378:metabolism; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011061:Poly A