The aminoacylation of transfer ribonucleic acid. Recognition of methionine by Escherichia coli methionyl-transfer ribonucleic acid synthetase.

The mechanism of the recognition of methionine by Escherichia coli methionyl-tRNA synthetase was examined by a kinetic study of the recognition of methionine analogues in the ATP-PPi exchange reaction and the tRNA-aminoacylation reaction. The results show that the recognition mechanism consists of three parts: (1) the recognition of the size, shape and chemical nature of the amino acid side chain at the methionine-binding stage of the reaction; (2) the recognition of the length of the side chain at the stage of aminoacyl-adenylate complex-formation; (3) the recognition of the sulphur atom in the side chain at the stage of methionyl-tRNA formation. It is proposed that the sulphur atom interacts with the enzyme to induce a conformational change. A model of the active site incorporating the mechanism of methionine recognition is presented.     

The dissociation of sigma-factor from ribonucleic acid polymerase.

The sigma-factor of Escherichia coli RNA polymerase was shown to dissociate from the core enzyme as a function of absolute concentration. The association constant is in the range 10(6)-10(8) litre/mol. This implies that the amount of holoenzyme, core enzyme and sigma-factor in RNA polymerase assays may vary according to the absolute concentration of the enzyme.     

The postnatal methylation of transfer ribonucleic acid in brain. Evidence for the methylation of precursor transfer ribonucleic acid.

Incubation of 3-day-old rat brain with L-[methyl-3H]methionine resulted in the rapid labeling of low-molecular-weight cytoplasmic RNA. Electrophoresis in 15% polyacrylamide gels provided evidence for the methylation of precursor tRNA molecules, and high-performance liquid chromatography demonstrated N2-methylguanine to be the predominant methylated base formed during the first 2 min of labelling.     

Kinetics and template-dependency of ribonucleic acid synthesis by bacterial ribonucleic acid polymerase.

The rate of RNA synthesis catalysed by DNA-dependent RNA polymerase shows a Michealis-Menten-type saturation curve with increasing template concentration. However, the apparent Km is proportional to enzyme concentration, indicating that the reaction does not obey a simple kinetic scheme. The action of inhibitors also indicates a more complex interaction between the enzyme and the DNA template; many inhibitors of RNA synthesis either decrease Vmax. without affecting Km, or increase Km without affecting Vmax. All of these observations can be accounted for quantitatively by a reaction pathway in which the non-specific binding sites of the viral DNA template inhibit competitively the binding of the enzyme to the initiation sites. In terms of this pathway the two classes of inhibitors of RNA synthesis must then act predominantly either on the rate of elongation or on the availability of the binding sites respectively.     

The quantitative histochemistry of ribonucleic acid using gallocyanin.

A method for the cytophotometric estimation of ribonucleic acid in tissue sections using gallocyanin-chrome alum is described. The dye obeys Beer's law in gelatin sections. The effect of deoxyribonuclease on the staining of ribonucleic acid is also investigated. The results indicate that this method is of value in the quantitation of ribonucleic acid.     

Effects of estradiol on uterine ribonucleic acid metabolism. Assessment of transfer ribonucleic acid methylation.

Immature rats treated with estradiol for selected periods of time demonstrated both increased methylation of uterine transfer ribonucleic acid (tRNA) and methylase activities. Whereas the former parameter was assessed by incubating whole uteri with [methyl-14C]methionine and measuring the incorporation of isotope into the tRNA, methylase activity was obtained by measuring the rate of incorporation of methyl groups from S-adenosyl[methyl-14C]methionine into heterologous tRNA (Escherichia coli B) in the presence of uterine cytosol preparations (100,000g supernatants). Although increased methylation of tRNA during the estrogen response was demonstrated, additional studies indicated that these results were largely attributable to an increased rate of synthesis of tRNA rather than gross changes in either the type or amount of methylated constituents present. Evidence in this regard included the inability of estrogen treatment of alter significantly the (a) resulting patterns of methyl-14C-methylated constituents of uterine tRNA, (b) the extent ot which [2-14C]guanine residues, incorporated into tRNA, become methylated, (c) the extent of methylation of precursor tRNA in the absence of tRNA synthesis, and (d) the types of methylase activities expressed in vitro.     

The theory of the deoxyribonucleic acid - ribonucleic acid hybridization reaction.

A general equation is derived describing data of DNA-RNA hybridization in the presence of a competing self-annealing reaction of RNA. The well known double-reciprocal relation and the Scatchard equation are shown to be limiting cases of this general equation. Some new hybridization data at various temperatures are presented and analysed by using the new equation. The results can only be explained if we assume that the behavior of DNA towards single RNA molecules is the same as that towards the annealed form, (RNA12. The variation of the equilibrium constant of the hybridization reaction with temperature is small, indicating a small heat of reaction. The maximum amount of hybridized RNA at equilibrium appears to be independent of temperature.