BREAKDOWN OF MESSENGER RNA DURING IN VITRO AMINO ACID INCORPORATION INTO PROTEINS

Abstract

When crude extracts are incubated at 30[degree]C, mRNA breaks down and the rate of this breakdown is greatly increased on addition of adenosinetriphosphate (ATP) and an ATP generating system. For this breakdown to occur both ribosomes and supernatant are necessary. It is clear that the time course of mRNA breakdown corresponds rather closely to that of amino acid incorporation. The destruction of mRNA may thus be the primary cause for the rapid loss of amino acid incorporation ability during incubation. After incubation has taken place and the extract has become inactive, the addition of mRNA or poly-uridylic acid results in a new burst of amino acid incorporation.