Stimulation of protein synthesis by hemin in extracts of Friend erythroleukemia cells.

Extracts prepared from Friend erythroleukemia cells were highly active in translating endogenous mRNA and a consistent 2-fold stimulation by hemin was observed. When extracts were treated with micrococcal nuclease and incorporation was dependent on exogenous globin mRNA, there was more significant stimulation by 37.5 micron hemin and greater than 10-fold stimulation by 75 or 150 micron hemin. The effects of hemin were not strikingly different in extracts of dimethyl-sulfoxide-induced or uninduced cells. The results could reflect an effect on initiation of protein synthesis analogous to that in rabbit reticulocytes.