The site of ribonucleic acid synthesis in the isolated nucleus

Abstract

There is still controversy concerning the primary site of RNA synthesis in the cell.(1) When tissues are radioautographed after administration of radioactive inorganic phosphorus or radioactive RNA(2) precursors such as tritiated uridine or cytidine, it is commonly observed that radioactivity appears in the nucleus first and in the cytoplasm later. It has furthermore been shown that isolated nuclei of both animal(3) and plant(4) material are able to synthesize RNA in vitro but that enucleated cytoplasm is unable to carry on such synthesis.(5) Although the problem of whether or not RNA is synthesized in both nucleus and cytoplasm is not completely understood,(6-8) there is increasing cytological evidence that a substantial portion of the cytoplasmic RNA is synthesized in the nucleus (9-17) and subsequently migrates to the cytoplasm.