Summary
Late third instar imaginal discs of Drosophila melanogaster cultured in vitro in Robb's tissue culture medium synthesize 38S, 28S and 18S ribosomal RNAs which are qualitatively indistinguishable from their in vivo synthesized counterparts (Fig. 1). As found in other insect systems, the 38S molecule appears to be the precursor for both the 28S and 18S rRNAs (Figs. 2, 3 and 4). The 28S rRNA and a portion of the 38S pre-rRNA shift in sedimentation value upon exposure to heat or dimethylsulfoxide (Figs. 5 and 8). Studies of the thermal denaturations of these molecules (Figs. 6, 7 and 9) indicate the existence of a single class of 28S rRNA, but three classes of 38S pre-rRNAs. The addition of β-ecdysone to the in vitro culture medium stimulates the net amount of rRNA synthesized, increases the rate of processing of the 38S precursor and increases the relative amount of 18S material produced (Figs. 10 and 12).
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Communicated by Gunther S. Stent
This work was supported in part by grants from the National Science Foundation (GB-8176) and from the Atomic Energy Commission (AT-04-3-34).
Predoctoral Trainees, PHS Training Grant No. 2-Tl-GM367 from Research Training Grants Branch, National Institute of General Medical Sciences.
1 For purposes of simplification we shall refer to the rRNA molecules of D. melanogaster as being 38S, 30S, 28S and 18S; however, it should be noted that these values are approximate (see Hastings and Kirby, 1966; Greenberg, 1969; Tartof and Perry, 1970).
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Petri, W.H., Fristrom, J.W., Stewart, D.J. et al. The in vitro synthesis and characteristics of ribosomal RNA in imaginal discs of Drosophila melanogaster . Molec. Gen. Genetics 110, 245–262 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00337837
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00337837