Characterization of messenger-like ribonucleic acid from Saccharomyces cerevisiae by the use of chromatography on methylated albumin-kieselguhr.

Chromatography on methylated albumin-kieselguhr of RNA from Saccharomyces cerevisiae was used to separate stable RNA from a tenaciously bound DNA-like RNA fraction. The tenaciously bound RNA, which was eluted with a dilute solution of sodium dodecyl sulphate, was characterized as messenger-like RNA by its sedimentation behaviour, nucleotide composition, lack of methylated bases and labelling kinetics. Chromatography of purified ribosomal RNA indicated a minor contamination of the tenaciously bound fraction with ribosomal RNA. On the other hand, a large portion of pulse-labelled polyribosomal RNA from protoplasts of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was tenaciously bound to the columns. The ;chase' of isotopic label from the messenger-like RNA was found to be retarded during inhibition of protein synthesis both by cycloheximide and by starvation for a carbon source.