JBC, Vol. 252, Issue 5, 1758-1763, Mar, 1977
The 5'-terminal structures of murine alpha- and beta-globin messenger RNA
T. C. Cheng and H. H. Kazazian Jr
The 5'-terminal structures of murine alpha- and beta-globin mRNA were
determined after incubating cells of the erythropoietic spleens of mice
with [methyl-3H]methionine. Globin mRNA was obtained from total cellular
RNA by oligo(dT)-cellulose chromatography followed by elution of mRNA from
formamide gels after electrophoresis. The globin mRNA was then hydrolyzed
with KOH or digested with a combination of RNase T2 and bacterial alkaline
phosphatase, and 5'-terminal structures were isolated by DEAE-cellulose
chromatography. The methylated nucleotides of these 5'-structures were
determined following digestion with specific ribonucleases and bacterial
alkaline phosphatase. Analyses of mRNA fractions enriched for either alpha-
or beta-mRNA gave similar results. Our data indicate that murine alpha- and
beta-globin mRNAs are identical through the first three nucleotides and
that partial dimethylation exists at the second position: m7G(5')ppp(5')
[m6Am/Am]pCmpNp.