Electrophoretic and centrifugation behaviour of mitochondrial ribonucleic acid from Walker 256 carcinosarcoma

To investigate the possibility that mitochondrial transcription could be altered in tumours we started by characterizing the RNA obtained from mitochondria, isolated from Walker carcinosarcoma and purified by a procedure devised to compensate for the lower size and density of these organelles in 10-day tumours. The RNA was extracted by the ‘hot phenol’ technique and analysed by electrophoresis in 2.7 and 2.5% polyacrylamide gels at different running times, identifying the usual cytoplasmic contaminants 28 and 18S peaks plus the other five major peaks at 40, 20.5, 16.3, 15.4, and 4Se. The 28 and 18Se peaks were not eliminated by digitonin treatment of the mitochondria, indicating that they arise from cytoplasmic ribosomes tightly associated with the mitochondria. From its sensitivity to DNAase (deoxyribonuclease), resistance to RNAase (ribonuclease) and coincidence with external marker DNA, the 40Se peak was identified as containing mainly DNA. Sucrosegradient centrifugation for different periods showed a major component at 16.2S, the 28 and 18S cytoplasmic RNA species, peaks at 13.8, 6.4 and 4S and a small 19.5S peak. By polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis of the purified RNA classes separated by one or two cycles of centrifugation, the following correlation were established: 20.5Se19.5S; 16.3Se16.2S; 15.4Se13.8S. The 6.4S RNA ran as a mixture of 4 and 4.7Se species. When the 20.5Se and 15.4Se RNA species were centrifuged, they behaved as 16.2S and 13.8S respectively, thus suggesting that the 16.2S (16.3Se) arises by cleavage from the 19.5S(20.5Se), the 13.8S (15.4Se) being the other RNA from mitochondrial ribosomes.