Effect of Sarkosyl on chromatin and viral RNA synthesis. The isolation of SV40 transcription complex.

The endogenous RNA polymerase activity of mouse nucleic is enhanced several-fold by the anionic detergent Sarkosyl. The action of Sarkosyl is exerted primarily on the alpha-amanitin sensitive form of the enzyme. This detergent causes the release of nearly all the protein associated with cellular DNA but does not release initiated RNA polymerase. Sarkosyl was also able to activate the RNA polymerase activity from mitotic cells, in which transcription of the highly condensed chromatin is minimal. The use of this anionic detergent has also permitted the extraction of a nucleoprotein complex from Simian Virus 40 (SV40) infected monkey cells. Molecular hybridization experiments have established the viral specificity of the RNA synthesized in vitro by the endogenous polymerase present in this complex.