Particular RNA primer from growth medium differentially stimulates in vitro DNA synthesis and in vivo cell growth of Neurospora crassa and its slime mutant.

Purine rich small "RNA-primer" molecules (about 10-12 nucleotides), secreted into the growth medium of 3-h germinated conidia of N. crassa, strongly stimulated a concentration-dependent in vitro DNA synthesis of N. crassa slime mutant as well as DNAs from the human cancer cells but did not affect that from normal cells. These "RNA-primer" molecules stimulated also in vivo cell growth of N. crassa slime mutant, but not of the N. crassa wild type. Our studies suggest that DNAs from the slime mutant of N. crassa as well as DNAs from human cancerous cells provide increased sites for enhanced in vitro and in vivo replication of DNAs. "RNA-primer" molecules can be hydrolyzed by T1 RNase but not by pancreatic RNase.