Cytoplasmic heat shock granules are formed from precursor particles and are associated with a specific set of mRNAs.

In heat-shocked tomato cell cultures, cytoplasmic heat shock granules (HSGs) are tightly associated with a specific subset of mRNAs coding mainly for the untranslated control proteins. This messenger ribonucleoprotein complex was banded in a CsCl gradient after fixation with formaldehyde (approximately 1.30 g/cm3). It contains all the heat shock proteins and most of the RNA applied to the gradient. During heat shock, a reversible aggregation of HSGs from 15S precursor particles can be shown. These pre-HSGs are not identical to the 19S plant prosomes. Ultrastructural analysis supports the ribonucleoprotein nature of HSGs and their composition of approximately 10-nm precursor particles. A model summarizes our results. It gives a reasonable explanation for the striking conservation of untranslated mRNAs during heat shock and may apply also to animal cells.

Cytoplasmic heat shock granules are formed from precursor particles and are associated with a specific set of mRNAs

In heat-shocked tomato cell cultures, cytoplasmic heat shock granules (HSGs) are tightly associated with a specific subset of mRNAs coding mainly for the untranslated control proteins. This messenger ribonucleoprotein complex was banded in a CsCl gradient after fixation with formaldehyde (approximately 1.30 g/cm3). It contains all the heat shock proteins and most of the RNA applied to the gradient. During heat shock, a reversible aggregation of HSGs from 15S precursor particles can be shown. These pre-HSGs are not identical to the 19S plant prosomes. Ultrastructural analysis supports the ribonucleoprotein nature of HSGs and their composition of approximately 10-nm precursor particles. A model summarizes our results. It gives a reasonable explanation for the striking conservation of untranslated mRNAs during heat shock and may apply also to animal cells.

Formation of cytoplasmic heat shock granules in tomato cell cultures and leaves

Biochemical and electron microscopic analyses of heat-shocked suspension cultures of Peruvian tomato (Lycopersicon peruvianum) revealed that a considerable part of the dominant small heat shock proteins (hsps) with an Mr of approximately 17,000 are structural proteins of newly forming granular aggregates in the cytoplasm (heat shock granules), whose formation strictly depends on heat shock conditions (37 to 40 degrees C) and the presence or simultaneous synthesis of hsps. However, under certain conditions, e.g., in preinduced cultures maintained at 25 degrees C, hsps also accumulate as soluble proteins without concomitant assembly of heat shock granules. Similar heat shock-induced cytoplasmic aggregates were also observed in other cell cultures and heat-shocked tomato leaves and corn coleoptiles.

Formation of cytoplasmic heat shock granules in tomato cell cultures and leaves.

Biochemical and electron microscopic analyses of heat-shocked suspension cultures of Peruvian tomato (Lycopersicon peruvianum) revealed that a considerable part of the dominant small heat shock proteins (hsps) with an Mr of approximately 17,000 are structural proteins of newly forming granular aggregates in the cytoplasm (heat shock granules), whose formation strictly depends on heat shock conditions (37 to 40 degrees C) and the presence or simultaneous synthesis of hsps. However, under certain conditions, e.g., in preinduced cultures maintained at 25 degrees C, hsps also accumulate as soluble proteins without concomitant assembly of heat shock granules. Similar heat shock-induced cytoplasmic aggregates were also observed in other cell cultures and heat-shocked tomato leaves and corn coleoptiles.