ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF RIBONUCLEIC ACID FROM RAT LENS
1962 ◽
Vol 40
(1)
◽
pp. 41-47
◽
Keyword(s):
E Coli
◽
RNA from rat ocular lens has been isolated by a method based on Kirby's original procedure (7), but greatly modified so as to avoid any degradation of RNA by RNase during the process of its extraction from lenses. The absorption at 260 mμ of a 1.0% solution of this purified material in a 1-cm cell is 1.95. Its N/P ratio is 1.58. It has 20 to 25% activity of that of yeast-soluble RNA in accepting activated amino acids. When this RNA (like all other RNA's) is heated and cooled the polynucleotide chain can again form loops, thus suggesting a randomly coiled structure for this RNA. On the other hand, DNA preparations from calf thymus, rat liver, and E. coli showed irreversible changes when heated and cooled.