Queuosine deficient tRNAHis and tRNAAsp from the spleens of young mice,erythroleukemic tumoral spleens and cultured Friend cells

tRNAs were isolated from the spleens of young mice, erythroleukemic spleens and cultured Friend cells. Queuosine (Q) deficient tRNAs were labelled in their anticodon with radioactive guanine using the exchange reaction catalyzed by E. coli tRNA-guanine transglycosylase. tRNAs were then specifically aminoacylated. In both normal and tumoral spleen (TF-P10), tRNA^His was the main guanine containing (G) isoacceptor as shown by RPC-5 chromatography. In vitro, the tumor derived cell line (TF-P10c) retained the G-tRNA^His species while Friend cell line, clone 707 (FLC), did not. A common feature found in both cultured cell lines was the high level of G-tRNA^Asp. The meaning of the relative abundance of Q-deficient tRNA^His and of tRNA^Asp observed in transformed cells of erythroid origin is discussed.