Skip to main content
Molecular and Cellular Biology logoLink to Molecular and Cellular Biology
. 1989 Apr;9(4):1667–1671. doi: 10.1128/mcb.9.4.1667

Transcription and processing of RNA from mouse ribosomal DNA transfected into hamster cells.

Raziuddin 1, R D Little 1, T Labella 1, D Schlessinger 1
PMCID: PMC362585  PMID: 2725522

Abstract

Transcription of mouse genes coding for rRNA in CHO cells was promoter dependent at levels 3 to 10% of that of endogenous rRNA synthesis. Northern (RNA) and S1 nuclease mapping analyses demonstrated that transcription proceeds through the entire gene segment coding for rRNA in transfected constructs and continues, at least in some cases, into the adjoining plasmid sequences. S1 nuclease mapping also detected some processing cleavages in the transcripts, including those at the 3' terminus of 18S rRNA, those at the rapidly cleaved site at +650 in the external transcribed spacer, and those at a previously uncharacterized, rapidly cleaved site in the internal transcribed spacer. Deletion of sequences upstream or downstream from the promoter generally had no measurable effect on the level of transcription, but deletion of a 300-base-pair XhoI-XhoI fragment starting 1,287 base pairs from the transcription start site sharply increased the steady-state level of rRNA. Effects on processing were harder to test, because many intermediates are too unstable to detect even by S1 nuclease mapping; however, the data suggest that RNAs with deletions in the external transcribed spacer are processed poorly at distal sites. Processing at some sites may thus depend on interactions involving distant segments of rRNA.

Full text

PDF
1667

Images in this article

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Berk A. J., Sharp P. A. Sizing and mapping of early adenovirus mRNAs by gel electrophoresis of S1 endonuclease-digested hybrids. Cell. 1977 Nov;12(3):721–732. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(77)90272-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bowman L. H., Goldman W. E., Goldberg G. I., Hebert M. B., Schlessinger D. Location of the initial cleavage sites in mouse pre-rRNA. Mol Cell Biol. 1983 Aug;3(8):1501–1510. doi: 10.1128/mcb.3.8.1501. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bowman L. H., Rabin B., Schlessinger D. Multiple ribosomal RNA cleavage pathways in mammalian cells. Nucleic Acids Res. 1981 Oct 10;9(19):4951–4966. doi: 10.1093/nar/9.19.4951. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Braaten D. C., Thomas J. R., Little R. D., Dickson K. R., Goldberg I., Schlessinger D., Ciccodicola A., D'Urso M. Locations and contexts of sequences that hybridize to poly(dG-dT).(dC-dA) in mammalian ribosomal DNAs and two X-linked genes. Nucleic Acids Res. 1988 Feb 11;16(3):865–881. doi: 10.1093/nar/16.3.865. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Burke D. T., Carle G. F., Olson M. V. Cloning of large segments of exogenous DNA into yeast by means of artificial chromosome vectors. Science. 1987 May 15;236(4803):806–812. doi: 10.1126/science.3033825. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Cassidy B. G., Yang-Yen H. F., Rothblum L. I. Transcriptional role for the nontranscribed spacer of rat ribosomal DNA. Mol Cell Biol. 1986 Aug;6(8):2766–2773. doi: 10.1128/mcb.6.8.2766. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Dhar V. N., Miller D. A., Miller O. J. Transcription of mouse rDNA and associated formation of the nucleolus organizer region after gene transfer and amplification in Chinese hamster cells. Mol Cell Biol. 1985 Nov;5(11):2943–2950. doi: 10.1128/mcb.5.11.2943. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Feinberg A. P., Vogelstein B. A technique for radiolabeling DNA restriction endonuclease fragments to high specific activity. Anal Biochem. 1983 Jul 1;132(1):6–13. doi: 10.1016/0003-2697(83)90418-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Goldman W. E., Goldberg G., Bowman L. H., Steinmetz D., Schlessinger D. Mouse rDNA: sequences and evolutionary analysis of spacer and mature RNA regions. Mol Cell Biol. 1983 Aug;3(8):1488–1500. doi: 10.1128/mcb.3.8.1488. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Grummt I., Roth E., Paule M. R. Ribosomal RNA transcription in vitro is species specific. Nature. 1982 Mar 11;296(5853):173–174. doi: 10.1038/296173a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kass S., Craig N., Sollner-Webb B. Primary processing of mammalian rRNA involves two adjacent cleavages and is not species specific. Mol Cell Biol. 1987 Aug;7(8):2891–2898. doi: 10.1128/mcb.7.8.2891. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Learned R. M., Tjian R. In vitro transcription of human ribosomal RNA genes by RNA polymerase I. J Mol Appl Genet. 1982;1(6):575–584. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Miesfeld R., Arnheim N. Species-specific rDNA transcription is due to promoter-specific binding factors. Mol Cell Biol. 1984 Feb;4(2):221–227. doi: 10.1128/mcb.4.2.221. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Nordheim A., Rich A. Negatively supercoiled simian virus 40 DNA contains Z-DNA segments within transcriptional enhancer sequences. Nature. 1983 Jun 23;303(5919):674–679. doi: 10.1038/303674a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Padgett R. A., Grabowski P. J., Konarska M. M., Seiler S., Sharp P. A. Splicing of messenger RNA precursors. Annu Rev Biochem. 1986;55:1119–1150. doi: 10.1146/annurev.bi.55.070186.005351. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Rigby P. W., Dieckmann M., Rhodes C., Berg P. Labeling deoxyribonucleic acid to high specific activity in vitro by nick translation with DNA polymerase I. J Mol Biol. 1977 Jun 15;113(1):237–251. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(77)90052-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Sharp P. A. Splicing of messenger RNA precursors. Science. 1987 Feb 13;235(4790):766–771. doi: 10.1126/science.3544217. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Thomas P. S. Hybridization of denatured RNA and small DNA fragments transferred to nitrocellulose. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1980 Sep;77(9):5201–5205. doi: 10.1073/pnas.77.9.5201. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Vance V. B., Thompson E. A., Bowman L. H. Transfection of mouse ribosomal DNA into rat cells: faithful transcription and processing. Nucleic Acids Res. 1985 Oct 25;13(20):7499–7513. doi: 10.1093/nar/13.20.7499. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Wigler M., Pellicer A., Silverstein S., Axel R., Urlaub G., Chasin L. DNA-mediated transfer of the adenine phosphoribosyltransferase locus into mammalian cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1979 Mar;76(3):1373–1376. doi: 10.1073/pnas.76.3.1373. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Molecular and Cellular Biology are provided here courtesy of Taylor & Francis

RESOURCES