Ribosomal proteins synthesis and exchange in the absence of 28-S and 18-S ribosomal RNA synthesis in L5178Y cells.

The effect of the adenosine analogue toyocamycin on ribosomal proteins synthesis and assembly within ribosomal particles was investigated in the murine cells, L5178Y. The analogue was used for periods not exceeding 5 h, at a concentration which permits the synthesis of ribosomal precursor RNA but inhibits the maturation process. The following observations were made: 1. Ribosomal proteins, synthesized de novo in the presence of the drug, were associated with toyocamycin-containing 45-S pre-rRNA in preribosomal-like 80-S ribonucleoproteins which accumulated in the nucleolus. Two-dimensional electrophoresis revealed a full protein complement of these particles, although minor discrepancies were observed in the relative proportions of a limited number of polypeptides. 2. In the absence of 28-S and 18-S rRNA formation, a surprisingly high proportion of newly synthesized ribosomal proteins were incorporated into high-salt washed ribosomal subunits. The extent of individual protein exchange as well as their apparent turnover rates were markedly heterogeneous. Most of these exchangeable proteins were shown to be labeled rapidly in ribosomal subunits of normal cells. Some alternative interpretations of these results are discussed.