Metabolism of the polyadenylate sequence of nuclear RNA and messenger RNA in mammalian cells.

The poly(A) sequences at the 3' end of mRNA and nuclear RNA molecules of mouse sarcoma and Chinese hamster cells are subject to an elongation process distinct from de novo synthesis. This process continues in cells treated with a high level of actinomycin D to block transcription. This results in the labeling of the steady-state poly(A) population in the cytoplasm and of unusually long poly(A) segments in the nucleus. In cells incubated with 3H-adenosine in the absence of drug treatment, cytoplasmic steady-state poly(A) segments with short labeled sequences at the 3' end can be detected by their heterogenous size distribution and by measurements of adenosine and AMP released by alkaline hydrolysis. These measurements indicate an average size of 8 residues for the labeled sequences. In the nucleus, a slow elongation of preexisting poly(A) chains can also be detected through measurements of AMP and adenosine. The cytoplasmic elongation process leads to turnover of the 3' end of the poly(A) sequence on mRNA, because of concomitant removal of AMP residues. It is apparently not linked to mRNA translation. The Chinese hamster and mouse sarcoma cells appear to differ markedly with respect to relative extents of poly(A) chain extension and de novo synthesis.