Messenger RNA-containing ribonucleoprotein from mitochondrial polyribosomes of rat liver.

A ribonucleoprotein was released from carefully purified rat liver mitochondrial polyribosomes after dissociation with 1 M potassium chloridepuromycin. This ribonucleoprotein was characterized by a sedimentation coefficient ranging from 10-14 S and buoyant density of 1.48 g cm(-3) in cesium chloride equilibrium centrifugation differing in these parameters from the subunits of mitochondrial ribosomes. Poly(A)-containing RNA constituted more than 30% of the total RNA content in this non-ribosomal ribonucleoprotein.