Abstract: | Physico-chemical properties and RNA synthesis in the rat liver and human lymphocytes have been compared in a nuclear system in vitro. Human lymphocytes were isolated from blood of healthy donors and of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia patients. The isolated nuclei served as the source of polymerase and template DNA. 3H-CTP was incorporated into the acid insoluble fraction linearly for 60 min. The nuclei of lymphocytes contained small amounts of RNA and protein, and the isolation procedure was complicated. Rat liver nuclei seem to be less prone to clumping at high pH values and may incorporate much more 3H-CTP. The nuclear synthesis was compared with incorporation of 3H-rU and 32P-orthophosphate into nuclear RNA of intact lymphocytes. Normal cells easily incorporated 32-P, and in contrast leukaemic cells incorporated 3H-rU to a greater extent. |