The effect of trichloroethylene and acrylonitrile on RNA and ribosome synthesis and ribosome content in Saccharomyces cells.

The effects of trichloroethylene (TCE) and acrylonitrile (ACN) on growth, RNA synthesis, ribosome synthesis, and ribosome content were tested in yeast cells. TCE causes a delay of the growth of a cell culture (prolongation of the lag phase), but does not cause inhibition. Cells exposed to increasing concentrations of ACN show increasing damage, so that, at a certain point of the growth curve, cell division stops altogether. Similar results were obtained when RNA synthesis was investigated: After treatment with TCE, the maximum RNA synthesis of the cell culture was retarded, but subsequently reached the same level as the untreated control cells. In the presence of ACN, however, the rate of RNA synthesis was lowered with increasing ACN concentrations. The same effect was observed upon investigation of ribosome synthesis: Whereas TCE produces only a slight effect, treatment with increasing concentrations of ACN leads to a substantial decrease in ribosome synthesis, and finally to total inhibition. Parallel to this, the content of free and membrane-bound ribosomes is diminished. Obviously, the decrease in ribosome content is caused not only by an inhibition of ribosome synthesis, but also by a degradation of existing ribosomes, as well as by induction of a ribosome-associated RNase.