Glutamine synthetase induction in embryonic neural retina: immunochemical identification of polysomes involved in enzyme synthesis.

Glutamine synthetase (EC 6.3.1.2) in embryonic neural retina in culture is rapidly induced by hydrocortisone. Retina polysomes involved in translation of this enzyme were precipitated with a high degree of specificity by the gammaglobulin isolated from antiserum against the enzyme (anti-enzyme gammaglobulin). Using immunoprecipitation procedures, we determined that the amount of polysome-bound nascent enzyme was maximal in polysomes comprising 9-14 ribosomes and was about 3-fold higher in the induced than in the noninduced retina. Within this size group of polysomes, those comprising 11-13 ribosomes showed consistently greater binding of anti-enzyme [(125)I]gammaglobulin than of normal [(125)I]-gammaglobulin. This size of polysomes corresponds to that calculated for a monocistronic messenger RNA for the subunit of this enzyme, which has a molecular weight of 42,000. The application of immunochemical techniques to identification of templates for synthesis of an enzyme in embryonic cells that constitutes less than 1% of the total cellular proteins indicates the usefulness of this method for detailed studies on regulation of other quantitatively minor products significant in cell differentiation.