Two classes of translational control RNA (tcRNA) have been isolated from embryonic chick muscle. One of these classes, the tcRNA isolated from messenger ribonucleoprotein particles (mRNP-tcRNA), is effective in inhibiting the translation of mRNP-mRNA while having little if any effect on polysomal mRNA. The other class, polysome-tcRNA, has no effect on mRNP-mRNA while it stimulates the translation of polysomal mRNA. Translational control RNA (tcRNA) has been isolated from initiation factor preparations and has been demonstrated to specifically inhibit the translation of heterologous mRNAs (3). The inhibition by muscle tcRNA results from the inability of the globin mRNA to bind to ribosomes during the formation of the initiation complex when tcRNA is added to the cell-free system (6). Due to the specific nature of this inhibition, it is likely that the tcRNA interacts directly with mRNA. However, the involvement of initiation factors in this tcRNA-mediated inhibition cannot be excluded.In order to determine if tcRNA is effective in the regulation of protein synthesis within the cell from which it is derived, we have isolated mRNA from both polysomes and messenger ribonucleoprotein particles (mRNPs) of embryonic chick muscles and tested the ability of muscle tcRNA to inhibit the translation of these mRNAs. We report here that tcRNA may be obtained from either the polysomal or mRNP sources. Both tcRNA preparations inhibit globin synthesis, while only the tcRNA obtained from mRNPs is effective in inhibiting the Abbreviations: tcRNA, translational control RNA; mINP, messenger ribonucleoprotein particles. * Permanent address: Tygerberg Hospital, Capetown, South Africa.
1523translation of muscle mRNAs; and, in this case, only the translation of mRNP-mRNA is inhibited. It therefore is likely that at least two classes of tcRNA are present in muscle. It was of particular interest that the tcRNA effective in inhibiting muscle mRNP-mRNA translation contains a poly(U) tract that is absent in the polysomal class of tcRNA. From these results, a model is proposed to explain the manner by which tcRNA specifically regulates the utilization of cytoplasmic mRNAs.
MATERIALS AND METHODSThe preparation of rabbit reticulocyte lysates and the conditions for cell-free protein synthesis were as described (3) except that 50 AM hemin and 15 jAg of muscle initiation factor 3 (IF3) were present in the reaction mixture, which had a final volume of 0.1 ml. Incubations were for 30 min at 300. Twentyfive one hundredth nmol each of 20 amino acids containing 8 jACi of 3H-labeled amino-acid mixture (New England Nuclear Corp.) was added to each incubation mixture. Where indicated, 2 ,g of tcRNA and 15 ug of poly(A)-containing mRNA from muscle were added to the cell-free, amino-acid incorporating systems.The mRNA and tcRNA preparations were prepared from 14-day embryonic chick leg muscle in the following manner. Approximately 45-50 g of muscle was gently homogenized in 0.25 M KC1, 5 MM M\gCI2, 20 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.4) as described (7). The 10,00...