Purification and subunit structure of deoxyribonucleic acid-dependent ribonucleic acid polymerase III from the posterior silk gland of Bombyx mori.

DNA-dependent RNA polymerase III was purified from the posterior silk gland of the moth Bombyx mori by chromatography on DEAE-cellulose, DEAE-Sephadex, CM-Sephadex, and phosphocellulose and by sedimentation in sucrose density gradients. The specific activity of this chromatographically homogeneous enzyme was comparable to that reported for other purified eukaryotic RNA polymerases. Sucrose gradient sedimentation analysis suggested a molecular weight of approximately 590,000 to 660,000 for B. mori RNA polymerase III. Analysis of subunit composition by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under denaturing conditions showed that the chromatographically purified RNA polymerase III contained subunits with molecular weights of 155,000 (IIIa), 136,000 (IIIb), 67,000 (IIIc), 62,000 (IIId), 49,000 (IIIe), 39,000 (IIIf), 36,000 (IIIg), 31,000 (IIIh), 28,000 (IIIi), and 18,000 (IIIj). Molar ratios were close to unity for all subunits except for IIIj, which was present in an approximate molar ratio of 2. As has been observed for mammalian class III enzymes, the B. mri RNA polymerase III can be resolved into two components upon electrophoresis under nondenaturing conditions. Comparative studies of the class III enzymes from B. mori and from higher eukaryotic cells show that many of the general chromatographic and catalytic properties, as well as the overall subunit compositions, are similar for the various enzymes. However, unlike the mammalian class III enzymes, B. mori RNA polymerase III is completely resistant to high concentrations of alpha-amanitin, and it does not contain an 89,000-dalton subunit. The data are discussed in terms of the function and regulation of RNA polymerase III in lower and higher eukaryotes.