Destabilization of cytoplasmic mouse mammary tumor RNA by heat shock: prevention by cycloheximide pretreatment.

Thermal stress of cultured mouse mammary carcinoma cells results in a rapid loss of basal and glucocorticoid-stimulated mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) RNA. MMTV RNA is almost nondetectable within 1-2 hr after a shift in the culture temperature to 42 degrees. Actin mRNA is stable over this time period. Pretreatment of the cells with cycloheximide prevents the decay of MMTV RNA. Nuclear associated glucocorticoid receptor is not decreased but rather increased about 95% by the heat shock. The results show that heat shock has pronounced effects on expression of a glucocorticoid-regulated gene, and suggest that a nuclease, which is subject to rapid turnover, is stimulated by thermal stress.