Purification and Sequence Analysis of the mRNA Coding for an Immunoglobulin Heavy Chain

Abstract

A mutant cell line (IF2) derived from the mouse myeloma MOPC 21 has been used for the isolation and sequence analysis of H-chain mRNA. The IF2 cells synthesise an H-chain of reduced size in which the C_H1 homology region is missing. Sizing of the IF2 H-chain mRNA and wild-type H-chain mRNA revealed that the deletion is expressed at the mRNA level. The mutant H-chain mRNA sedimented at 16-S, enabling effective resolution from 18-S ribosomal RNA. In experiments using IF2 cells labelled with [³²P]phosphate, the 16-S mRNA was purified by oligo(T)-cellulose chromatography. Polyacrylamide gel analysis of the poly(A)-containing fraction showed the presence of a single radioactive band. Comparison of the mobility of this band relative to markers of known molecular weight revealed that the molecule contained about 1600 nucleotides. Digestion of the ³²P-labelled mRNA with T₁ ribonuclease and two-dimensional fractionation of the resulting oligonucleotides yielded a ‘fingerprint’ suitable for a preliminary sequence analysis. By using the established amino acid sequence of the IF2 H-chain and a knowledge of the genetic code, 14 oligonucleotides were assigned within the constant region and four within the variable region of the IF2 H-chain. This sequence data accounts for 19.5% of the coding region. Several other oligonucleotides, which could not be assigned within the coding region but which occurred in approximately molar yield, have also been partially characterised. These oligonucleotides are presumably derived from the untranslated regions of the mRNA.