Isolation and characterization of casein mRNAs from lactating ewe mammary glands.

RNA from bound polysomers of lactating ewe's mammary gland directs the synthesis of the three major milk proteins (alphas, beta and kappa-caseins) in a cell-free system derived from rabbit reticuyocytes. The "in vitro" product was identified by immunoprecipitation with specific antibodies and by electrophoresis in SDS polyacrylamide gel. Each of these messengers was purified from 20 to 25 fold from total membrane-bound polysomal RNA using poly U-Sepharose chromatography. This purified fraction assayed in a reticulocyte cell-free system is able to direct also the synthesis of 2 minor secretory proteins (beta-lactoglobulin and alpha-lactalbumin). The messenger RNAs purified by hybridization to poly U-Sepharose have a sedimentation coefficient of about 12 S and an apparent molecular weight of approximatively 3.5 s 10-5 daltons was observed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under denaturing contitions. This value which correspond to about 900 nucleotides is significantly greater than the number expected for coding milk proteins.