Faculty Bibliography

The messenger RNAs coding for alpha- and beta-tubulin have been isolated from embryonic chick brain. Although the mRNAs for the two tubulin subunits have been resolved on native gels, they are very similar in molecular weight (650,000 daltons) as judged by mobility on denaturing gels containing methy mercury. The mRNAs for beta- and gamma-actin have also been resolved on native gels, but migrate as an unresolved peak (molecular weight 6500,000-700,000 daltons) under denaturing conditions. Since the nonmuscle actins are substantially smaller proteins than alpha- and beta-tubulin, the large size of chick nonmuscle actin mRNAs suggests an unusually long untranslated region. Since tubulin and actin polypeptides are internal structural proteins, one would expect them to be synthesized only on free polysomes. Translation of mRNA derived directly from a purified membrane fraction or by puromycin release from that fraction, however, showed the synthesis of a small proportion of these proteins on polysomes that are membrane-associated. Peptide mapping has in all cases confirmed the identity of the products of cell-free synthesis with authentic alpha-tubulin, beta-tubulin and actin. Approximately 67% of the alpha- and 13% of the beta-tubulin chains produced by in vitro translation are competent for co-assembly into microtubules with added carrier microtubule protein

Detailed information on the nature and frequency of somatic mutations has been derived from studies of the clonal diversification of the myeloma MOPC 21 in tissue culture. A screening procedure is described that permitted the isolation of four spontaneous mutations at the gamma1 structural gene locus. These originate from four mutation events. Two seem to be point mutations: a 'nonsense' and a 'mis-sense.' Of the other two, one is a frameshift leading to mistranslation and early termination, the other a large deletion due to perhaps an intrachromosomal translocation or a mitotic recombination. Fusion between myeloma-producing cells has shown that variable and constant region genes cannot be scrambled. Differentiation from stem to plasma cells seems to involve changes in the primary sequence of the DNA. Fusion between myeloma cells and spleen cells from immunized animals is a satisfactory method for the derivation of permanent tissue culture lines producing specific antibody. The hybrids express the myeloma as well as the specific antibody light and heavy chains. By subcloning and selection, one can derive lines that selectively lose individual chains. Lines that no longer express the myeloma components can thus be derived. The use of appropriate defective variants of the myeloma parental line is another way of avoiding the presence of the myeloma components

A mutant cell line (IF2) derived from the mouse myeloma MOPC 21 has been used for the isolation and sequence analysis of H-chain mRNA. The IF2 cells synthesise an H-chain of reduced size in which the CH1 homology region is missing. Sizing of the IF2 H-chain mRNA and wild-type H-chain mRNA revealed that the deletion is expressed at the mRNA level. The mutant H-chain mRNA sedimented at 16-S, enabling effective resolution from 18-S ribosomal RNA. In experiments using IF2 cells labelled with [32P]phosphate, the 16-S mRNA was purified by oligo(T)-cellulose chromatography. Polyacrylamide gel analysis of the poly(A)-containing fraction showed the presence of a single radioactive band. Comparison of the mobility of this band relative to markers of known molecular weight revealed that the molecule contained about 1600 nucleotides. Digestion of the 32-P-labelled mRNA with T1 ribonuclease and two-dimensional fractionation of the resulting oligonucleotides yielded a 'finger-print' suitable for a preliminary sequence analysis. By using the established amino acid sequence of the IF2 H-chain and a knowledge of the genetic code, 14 oligonucleotides were assigned within the constant region and four within the variable region of the IF2 H-chain. This sequence data accounts for 19.5% of the coding region. Several other oligonucleotides, which could not be assigned within the coding region but which occurred in approximately molar yield, have also been partially characterised. These oligonucleotides are presumably derived from the untranslated regions of mRNA