Protein synthesis by rat transplantable yolk sac tumor and its relation to the cytosol levels of translatable messenger RNA's.

alpha-Fetoprotein (AFP) was shown to be the major secretory protein produced in vitro by normal rat yolk sacs. While not so active, AFP production was also detected in the transplantable tumors derived from normal yolk sacs. The major secretory protein synthesized by the tumor cells had a molecular weight of 40,000 and was reactive with an anti-rat albumin antibody. The functional messenger RNA's coding for these proteins were quantitated by translation in a cell-free system derived from wheat germ followed by specific immunoprecipitation of the newly synthesized peptides. The overall template activity of the RNA prepared from the normal yolk sacs and yolk sac tumor cells was virtually identical. The cytosol RNA prepared from the normal yolk sacs was approximately 12 times more active than that from the tumor cells in directing the synthesis of AFP. The presence of the cytosol RNA prepared from the tumor cells was required for the synthesis of proteins immunoprecipitable with the antialbumin antibody. These results suggest that the changes in AFP and albumin synthesis can be accounted for by a corresponding change in the levels of functional messenger RNA's coding for these proteins.