This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Nilsen, T W Articles by Baglioni, C Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Nilsen, T W Articles by Baglioni, C

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Mol Cell Biol. 1982 February; 2(2): 154-160

Heterogeneous nuclear RNA promotes synthesis of (2',5')oligoadenylate and is cleaved by the (2',5')oligoadenylate-activated endoribonuclease.

ABSTRACT

Heterogeneous nuclear RNA contains double-stranded regions that are not found in mRNA and that may serve as recognition elements for processing enzymes. The double-stranded regions of heterogeneous nuclear RNA prepared from HeLa cells promoted the synthesis of (2',5')oligoadenylate [(2',5')oligo(A) or (2'5')An] when incubated with (2',5')An polymerase. This enzyme is present in elevated levels in interferon-treated cells, and labeled heterogeneous nuclear RNA incubated with extracts of these cells is preferentially cleaved, since mRNA included in the same incubations is not appreciably degraded. The cleavage of heterogenous nuclear RNA is caused by the synthesis of (2'5')An and by a "localized" activation of the (2',5')An-dependent endonuclease, since it was enhanced by ATP, the substrate of the (2',5')An polymerase, and inhibited by 2'-dATP and ethidium bromide. Both of these compounds suppress the synthesis of (2',5')An, the first by competitive inhibition and the latter by intercalating into double-stranded RNA. The possible role of double-stranded regions and of the (2',5')An polymerase-endonuclease system in the processing of heterogeneous nuclear RNA is discussed.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Schmitz, J. C., Chen, T.-m., Chu, E. (2004). Small Interfering Double-Stranded RNAs as Therapeutic Molecules to Restore Chemosensitivity to Thymidylate Synthase Inhibitor Compounds. Cancer Res. 64: 1431-1435 [Abstract] [Full Text]