Stimulation of collagen synthesis in a cell-free system by mRNA from chick embryos.

Embryonic chick RNA was translated in a cell-free system derived from wheat germ. One of the products synthesized in vitro under the direction of this RNA could be identified as collagen on the basis of collagenase digestion experiments and sodium dodecylsulfate-acrylamide gel electrophoresis. By submitting the RNA to chromatography on oligo(dT)-cellulose, a 26-30-fold enrichment of the mRNA coding for collagen was achieved.