[Postmortem decomposition of skeletal muscle RNA].

RNAs, isolated from rat sceletal muscles by heat and cold phenol treatment within various periods after animal death, were analyzed by means of centrifugation in sucrose gradient. Content of 28 S RNA was found to be decreased by 7-8% within 3 days of autolysis with maintaining of the total ribosomal RNA yield. These data suggest that nucleases were present in microsomal and crude myofibrillar fractions and their activity was increased duing autolysis.