Sizing of two bacteriophage T4 specific messenger ribonucleic acids formed in vitro and in vivo

Messenger RNA for two T4 specific enzymes, deoxynucleotide kinase and α glucosyltransferase, have been sized by sedimentation on sucrose density gradients. The sedimentation constants of transferase and kinase mRNAs formed $\text{in vitro}$ were 21.5S and 14.5S respectively, regardless of the duration of incubation up to 20 min. Although the kinase mRNA isolated from cells infected with T4 phage for 10 min was the same size as found $\text{in vitro}$ (14.5S), the transferase mRNA was found in a segment approximating the size of the kinase mRNA (14.5S). The experiments indicate that α glucosyltransferase mRNA is formed first as a polycistronic message and is then processed to the smaller unit.