Analysis of rabbit brain polysomal poly (A+) mRNA by DNA excess hybridization

Analysis of brain and pituitary RNA metabolism: a review of recent methodologies

Recent characterization of brain and pituitary RNA metabolism is reviewed. Relative to other tissues, the brain transcribes more of the unique, single-copy DNA. This transcriptional diversity reflects the inherent heterogeneity in organization and development of the brain. The end product of transcriptional regulation in the brain is a population of functional cytoplasmic mRNAs with multiple components, differing in complexity and abundance. Analysis of nuclear and cytoplasmic RNA provides evidence that both brain-specific synthesis and processing may determine the final mRNA population. Both polyadenylated and non-polyadenylated RNA classes contribute significantly to the total brain polysomal mRNA fraction. Characterizations of individual species of mRNA from both brain and pituitary are described. One possible transcriptional modulator in both the pituitary and brain is the presence of steroid hormone at responsive sites. Functional consequences of steroid accumulation within the brain may be (1) interactions with neurotransmitter, especially catecholamine, metabolism and function, (2) developmental interactions with neuronal systems, and (3) differentiation of glial cell function. The pleiotropic nature of steroid hormone effects (both transcriptional and non-transcriptional) within one brain region is considered by examining the biochemical effects of glucocorticoids in the hippocampus.

Developmental changes in chromatin organization in rat cerebral hemisphere neurons and analysis of DNA reassociation kinetics

Previous reports have demonstrated that neuronal nuclei of rabbit, mouse and rat cerebral hemispheres exhibit a short DNA repeat length of 160 bp compared to the more typical repeat size of 200 bp found in glial nuclei and other cell types of higher eukaryotes. In this study we report that the conversion of chromatin to a short DNA repeat length in rat cerebral hemisphere neurons is a gradual process which begins between the first and second day after birth and is complete by 8 days. In these neurons, histone H1 appears to be less accessible to degradation by trypsin in the newborn rat brain compared to the 8 day old rat. This suggests that the developmental shift to a short DNA repeat length may be accompanied by a dispersal or decondensation of neuronal chromatin which results in an increased accessibility of neuronal histone H1 to degradation by trypsin. The increase in nuclear DNA content to 3.5C which has been reported in rat cortical neurons during early postnatal development does not appear to be associated with a selective amplification of a subset of DNA sequences as determined by DNA reassociation kinetics.

Analysis of the membrane-associated poly(A)+RNA in the cytoplasm of dormant Artemia cysts by DNA excess hybridization. Evidence for a nuclear origin

Encysted embryos of Artemia contain latent mRNA, to a large extent associated with a fraction of cytoplasmic membranes. The membranes, purified by EDTA treatment and banding in a sucrose gradient at 1.17 g/cm3, include endoplasmic vesicles and mitochondria. The origin of the membrane-associated poly(A)+RNA was therefore investigated. In gel electrophoresis poly(A)+RNA from the purified membranes of dormant cysts forms two distinct bands at approx. 3 . 10(5) and 5 . 10(5) Da. Later during development the lighter component decreases. Nuclei from dormant cysts are devoid of poly(A)+RNA, while nuclei from developing embryos (50% emergence) contain a predominant poly(A)+RNA component of approx. 5 . 10(5) Da. 125I-labelled preparations of nuclear DNA and of nuclear and membrane-associated poly(A)+RNA were used in reassociation and hybridization experiments with excess nuclear DNA. Poly(A)+RNA from the membranes of dormant cysts hybridized to nuclear DNA to the same extent as the nuclear poly(A)+RNA from developing embryos. The hybridization of labelled, nuclear poly(A)+RNA to nuclear DNA was strongly inhibited by unlabelled membrane RNA from either dormant cysts or developing embryos. It is concluded that the stored, membrane-associated poly(A)+RNA in dormant cysts is essentially of nuclear origin. The 5 . 10(5)-Da component is largely homologous with the corresponding component of nuclear poly(A)+RNA at later stages.

Cell-free translation of free and membrane-bound polysomes and polyadenylated mRNA from rabbit brain following administration of d-lysergic acid diethylamide in vivo

Free and membrane-bound polysomes and polyadenylated mRNA isolated from rabbit brain were translated in an mRNA-dependent rabbit reticulocyte lysate system. Electrophoretic analysis of the cell-free translation products demonstrated that although most of the nascent proteins were common to both free and membrane-bound brain polysomes, qualitative and quantitative differences were observed. Compared with the results obtained with purified polyadenylated mRNA, the addition of intact polysomes to the cell-free translation assay was more efficient and produced higher molecular weight products. Analysis of the translation products of free and membrane-bound polysomes revealed the appearance of 74K protein following neither LSD administration or hyperthermia induced by elevated temperature treatment. The presence of this 74K protein was verified by analysis of the translation products by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis.

Comparison of the effect of intravenous administration of d-lysergic acid diethylamide on free and membrane-bound polysomes in the rabbit brain

The intravenous administration of LSD to young adult rabbits resulted in the disaggregation of both free and membrane-bound classes of brain polysomes. Based on the analysis of LSD dosage and the time course of the LSD-induced brain polysome shift, it was found that free polysomes were more sensitive to the drug than the membrane-bound polysome fraction. LSD-induced hyperthermia may be involved in the disaggregation of free and membrane-bound polysomes, since a correlation was found between the extent of LSD-induced hyperthermia and the degree of brain polysome shift. Prevention of LSD-induced hyperthermia by maintaining the animal at 4 degrees C blocked the disaggregation of both polysome classes. Induction of hyperthermia by elevation of ambient temperature also resulted in a shift in free and membrane-bound polysomes. In all cases the disaggregation of polysomes to monosomes was not caused by RNase activation. During polysome disaggregation, polyadenylated mRNA associated with both free and membrane-bound polysomes was not degraded but was relocalized from polysomes to monosomes.

De novo synthesis of neuron-specific enolase in a rabbit reticulocyte translation system programmed by poly(A)-RNA from rat brain

Poly(A)-RNA prepared from the brains of 30-day-old male rats has been shown to direct the synthesis of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) in a cell-free system derived from rabbit reticulocytes. The newly synthesized polypeptides were immunoprecipitated and analyzed on SDS-polyacrylamide slab gels. Autoradiography indicated the synthesis of a product that comigrated with purified NSE and was recognized only by the anti-NSE antisera. Similar immunoprecipitation of reticulocyte lysates programmed with total RNA derived from embryonic chick heart failed to indicate the synthesis of NSE. These results show that the mRNA coding for NSE contains a poly(A) sequence and that brain-specific factors are not required for its translation.

Poly(A)- and nonpoly(A)-RNA associated with rat brain microsomal fractions: in vivo labelling studies

The time course of incorporation of radiolabelled precursor into RNA associated with rat brain free polyribosomes, rough membranes, and smooth membranes was measured following a single intracranial injection of [3H] orotic acid. Polyadenylated RNAs were separated from nonpolyadenylated RNAs by affinity chromatography on oligo (dT)-cellulose columns. Poly(A)-RNA associated with each of the microsomal fractions became more rapidly labelled than did the nonpoly(A)-RNA of the same fractions. While the labelling profiles of the nonpoly(A)-RNA isolated from the polyribosomes and rough membranes are similar from one fraction to another, the specific radioactivity of the poly(A)-RNA isolated from free polyribosomes increased much more drastically than that of the poly(A)-RNA associated with rough membranes. The labelling profiles of RNA species isolated from smooth membranes were very different in this respect from the two ribosomal fractions. There was a lag of more than four hours before significant label appeared in the RNA associated with the smooth membrane fraction. These studies demonstrate that the different populations of brain microsomal RNA are labelled at different rates, perhaps reflecting differences in the turnover of these RNAs and differences in their function.

Organization and transcriptional activity of brain chromatin subunits

Digestion of brain nuclei with micrococcal nuclease produces 11.2-S chromatin subunits which comprise up to 80% of the total nuclear DNA. Hybridization studies with excess subunit DNA demonstrate that subunits are distributed throughout the repeated and nonrepeated sequences of the genome. No class of nonrepeated DNA appears to be excluded from subunits. Transcribed DNA is present in chromatin subunits since in vitro labelled poly(A+)-mRNA hybridizes to excess subunit DNA with kinetics identical to that for total DNA.