Characterization of the prosome from Drosophila and its similarity to the cytoplasmic structures formed by the low molecular weight heat-shock proteins.

We have identified and characterized a ribonucleoprotein structure from the cytoplasm of Drosophila melanogaster tissue culture cells which is equivalent to the prosome, a recently described ribonucleoprotein particle of duck and mouse cells. During the recovery period following heat shock, the low mol. wt. heat-shock proteins form cytoplasmic ribonucleoprotein particles which co-purify with the Drosophila prosome. Both ribonucleoprotein particles share several structural properties but their protein constituents differ in their metabolism and cellular localization during the heat treatment. We also report the partial nucleotide sequences of several small RNA species associated with the Drosophila prosome. One of them has a strong sequence homology with the U6 mammalian small nuclear RNA.