Size distribution of rat liver nuclear RNA containing mRNA sequences.

Total rat liver poly(A)-containing polysomal mRNA was size-fractionated on polyacrylamide gels in 98% formamide. Complementary DNA (cDNA) was prepared from the 8--14-S mRNA fraction and separated into sequences representing abundant and non-abundant mRNAs. The cDNA complementary to the abundant small mRNA of the rat liver cell (approximately 20 species) was hybridized to nuclear RNA of different lengths to determine the size distribution of nuclear RNA molecules which contain these messenger sequences. It was found that: 1. All abundant 8--14-S poly(A)-containing mRNAs have larger nuclear precursor molecules; 20% of the different messenger sequences are found in nuclear RNA of several times their cytoplasmic length. 2. 70% of the mass of the examined nuclear messenger sequences is in RNA molecules of a size similar to their polysomal mRNA; 30% are in larger than 18-S RNA and 2% are between 37 S and 44 S. 3. The majority of small messenger-containing RNA molecules in the RNA prepared from isolated nuclei are of true nuclear origin, since their frequency distribution differs significantly from that of the polysomal 8--14-S mRNA.