Changes in the patterns of synthesis of ribonucleic acid species in immature rat uterus in response to oestrdiol-17 beta.

1. After treatment of immature rats with diethylstilboestrol, the wet weight and RNA content of uterine tissue increased rapidly, reaching a peak at 40hr. After an initial lag of a few hours, the acid-soluble ribose and protein contents also rose to maxima at 40hr. No increase in DNA content occurred until at least 24hr. after treatment. 2. The RNA from immature rat uterus isolated at various times up to 6hr. after administration of oestradiol-17beta was labelled by injecting [(3)H]uridine and [(3)H]guanosine intraperitoneally 30min. before the animals were killed. It was fractionated on columns of kieselguhr coated with methylated serum albumin and the radioactivity in fractions corresponding to transfer RNA, 7s RNA, ribosomal RNA, Q(1)-RNA, Q(2)-RNA and DNA-like RNA was determined. 3. The radioactivity of the whole RNA increased steadily for 6hr. after hormone treatment. The earliest changes occurred in the Q(1)-RNA (ribosomal RNA precursor), whereas at longer time-intervals the radioactivity of the ribosomal RNA, 7s RNA and transfer RNA increased by four- to five-fold. The radioactivity of the DNA-like RNA increased by about 50%, but only at the longer time-intervals. 4. It is concluded that one of the earliest changes in response to oestradiol treatment is a major increase in synthesis of ribosomal RNA followed later by a similar increase in synthesis of transfer RNA and by a much smaller increase in synthesis of DNA-like RNA. The change in synthesis of ribosomal RNA in immature rat uterus may represent one of the most important responses to oestradiol treatment.