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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1974 May;71(5):2038–2042. doi: 10.1073/pnas.71.5.2038

Increased RNA Synthesis in Nuclear Monolayers of WI-38 Cells Stimulated to Proliferate

Bernd M Bombik 1, Renato Baserga 1
PMCID: PMC388381  PMID: 4599991

Abstract

Nuclear monolayers of WI-38 cells prepared by the method of Tsai and Green were used to determine RNA synthesis in isolated nuclei in situ. In nuclear monolayers, incorporation of [3H]UTP into RNA is dependent on the presence of the other three nucleotide triphosphate and is abolished by actinomycin D. The extent of RNA synthesis under these conditions was measured in density-inhibited WI-38 human diploid fibroblasts at various intervals after cell proliferation was stimulated by a change of medium.

RNA synthesis increases 15 min after the nutritional change and reaches a peak at 18 hr, which is also the peak of DNA synthesis. Thereafter RNA synthesis declines. Essentially similar results are obtained whether the endogenous RNA polymerase or a bacterial polymerase is used. Replacement of the stimulating medium by conditioned medium stops the increase in RNA synthesis that occurs in cultures subject to continuous stimulation. Finally, RNA synthesis in nuclear monolayers, using the endogenous RNA polymerase, occurs by chain elongation only, while re-initiation occurs with the bacterial RNA polymerase.

Keywords: endogenous [WI-38] RNA polymerase, exogenous RNA polymerase, chromatin template activity, gene sites, DNA synthesis

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Selected References

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