Interactions of U1 RNP with heterogeneous nuclear RNA in rat Novikoff hepatoma nuclei.

The nature of the association of U1 RNA with rapidly sedimenting RNP structures in rat hepatoma nuclei was investigated. The effects of salt and proteinase K treatment on the stability of this 'bound' form of U1 RNA were studied using sucrose density gradient analyses. Quantitation of the amount of U1 RNA remaining associated with large structures after treatment was used to assess the relative contribution of protein-protein (and protein-RNA) versus RNA-RNA interactions. Forty-eight percent of the total nuclear U1 RNA released by sonication was found in a 'bound' form when the sonicate was centrifuged through gradients containing 50 mM NaCl. Fifty percent of this 'bound' U1 RNA remained associated with rapidly sedimenting RNPs when the NaCl concentration was raised to 500 mM. To assess the contribution of protein independent interactions, large RNPs were completely deproteinized and their RNA moieties were then recentrifuged on gradients. By this analysis, 27% of the U1 RNA originally 'bound' to hnRNPs was associated with rapidly sedimenting (greater than 30 S) RNA (at 50 mM NaCl) suggesting their association by RNA-RNA hydrogen bonds. When the concentration of NaCl was 500 mM, 31% of the U1 RNA was associated with large RNA. Hence, approximately 30% of the U1 RNA molecules originally 'bound' (or about 15% of the total nuclear U1 RNA) were found to be associated by RNA-RNA hydrogen bonds while the remainder of the binding of U1 RNP to hnRNP was by protein-protein and/or protein-RNA interactions.