[Nuclear and cytoplasmic poly A-containing RNA in normal and leukemic human leukocytes]

Abstract

The method of affinity chromatography on a poly(A)-cellulose column was used to study the content and radioactivity of poly(A)-rich RNAs in the nuclei and cytoplasma of lymphocytes of healthy subjects and patients suffering chronic lymphatic leukemia. It was found that in the nuclei of normal and leukemic lyphocytes the amount of polyadenylated RNAs was higher than that in cytoplasma. The content of poly(A)-rich RNAs in the normal lymphocytes nuclei was 6.7%, whereas in leukemic ones--4.3% of the total nuclear RNA, in the latter, however, the specific radioactivity of polyadenylated RNAs was 1.5 times as that in normal cells. Poly(A)-containing RNAs normally make up as much as 3.1% of the total amount of cytoplasmic RNA, while in leukemic lymphocytes--1%. The specific radioactivity of poly(A)-rich RNAs in normal and leukemic lymphocytes cytoplasma was on average 3 times higher than in other classes of RNA.