In vitro synthesis of mouse neuroblastoma tubulin.

Polyribosomes were isolated from a clonal line of mouse neuroblastoma grown in culture. In a heterologous in vitro system containing rat brain components, these polyribosomes were shown to direct the synthesis of neuroblastoma tubulin. Identification of the tubulin synthesized in vitro was achieved by coelectrophoresis with native neuroblastoma tubulin on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gels, immunoprecipitation, and demonstration of specific aggregation. Tubulin accounted for 2% of the total proteins synthesized. This in vitro protein synthesizing system offers a model for studying possible translational control mechanisms regulating the synthesis of proteins involved in nerve cell function.