The altered patterns of transfer RNA in SV40-infected and transformed cells

Abstract

Transfer RNAs (tRNA) were extracted from African green monkey kidney (AGMK) cells, SV40-transformed AGMK cells and SV40-infected AGMK cells (70 hr post infection), and their elution profiles from DEAE-Sephadex columns were compared. Among 19 aminoacyl-tRNAs tested, those for aspartic acid, asparagine, and histidine revealed differences between normal and transformed or infected cells. All three eluted in two peaks. The relative amount of the second peaks of these three tRNAs which were eluted at higher salt concentration was much greater in transformed or infected cells than in normal cells. In SV40-infected C14 cells (an established cell line of AGMK), an increase in the amounts of the second peak of aspartic acid and histidine tRNAs was observed after extensive replication of SV40 DNA. Infection with UV-irradiated SV40 did not cause any significant change in aspartic acid and histidine tRNAs. Transfer RNAs from 3T3 and SV40-transformed 3T3 cells (SV3T3) were similarly compared; tRNAs from SV3T3 for leucine, isoleucine, phenylalanine, and threonine contained a new peak which was lacking in the corresponding tRNAs from 3T3 cells. None of the newly appearing species of tRNA could hybridize with SV40 DNA.