Demonstration that a mouse immunoglobulin light chain messenger RNA hybridizes exclusively with unique DNA

Abstract

32P-labeled light chain messenger RNA was prepared from mouse MOPC 21 myeloma cells. The messenger RNA was hybridized to purified repetitive nuclear DNA and both the hybridized (repetitive 32P-RNA) and nonhybridized (nonrepetitive 32P-RNA) fractions were isolated. Only the nonhybridized RNA gave a T1 ribonuclease fingerprint showing oligonucleotides derived from the variable and constant regions of the light chain messenger RNA. In addition, this fingerprint showed oligonucleotides derived from the untranslated regions of the light chain messenger RNA. The nonrepetitive 32P-RNA was shown to rehybridize only with the unique fraction of total nuclear DNA. The rapidly hybridizing part of the unfractionated 32P-RNA preparation, therefore, is not a component of the light chain messenger RNA itself. Complementary DNA was prepared with reverse transcriptase using unlabeled light chain messenger RNA as template, and the transcripts were fractionated into various size classes. Complementary DNA molecules greater than 900 bases in length hybridized with both the initial messenger RNA and with the nonrepetitive 32P-RNA but failed to hybridize with excess purified repetitive 32P-RNA. The rapidly hybridizing component of the messenger RNA fraction, therefore, does not appear to be transcribed by reverse transcriptase. It is concluded that, under the experimental conditions used, the light chain messenger RNA hybridizes exclusively with unique DNA.