Attempts to Transfer Myeloma Globulin Synthesis with RNA. Iii. Immonological Analyses of Protein Products

摘要

Lymphoid cells from normal C3H mice were pre-treated with protamine sulfate and incubated in vitro with RNA isolated from a C3H plasma cell tumor. The RNA-treated cells were subsequently injected into sublethally irradiated isogenic recipients or cultured in vitro in medium containing C14-L-leucine. In spite of the greatly enhanced uptake of exogenous RNA by lymphoid cells after treatment with protamine sulfate, induced synthesis of myeloma globulin could not be demonstrated when the cells were cultured either in vivo or in vitro. Electrophoretic analyses of sera obtained from recipient mice showed in a few instances the presence of a serum component which had the same electrophoretic mobility as the gamma myeloma protein. However, immunoelectrophoretic and double diffusion tests provided no evidence for the presence in the experimental sera of proteins having the specific antigenic characteristics of the tumor protein. Similarly, although radio-immunoelectrophoretic analyses of extracts from RNA-treated cells cultured in vitro indicated de novo synthesis of globulins, no reaction was observed when the globulins were reacted with specific anti-myeloma globulin antiserum. The inability of RNA to transfer information for myeloma globulin synthesis appeared to be due to the rapid and practically complete quantitative intracellular degradation of the RNA of exogenous origin observed within 24 hours after uptake. The results of these studies strongly suggest that RNA per se does not transfer information for antibody synthesis. (Author)