Nucleic Acid Metabolism in the Lens II. Ribonuclease Activity and RNA Turnover

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Abstract

When a method sensitive to 0.25 µg of crystalline ribonuclease was used, no ribonuclease activity could be detected in the lenses of normal, noncataractous alloxan-diabetic, x-irradiated, xylose-fed, or galactose-fed rats, or aged rats or dogfish. Rats with cataracts due to the abovementioned agents contained measurable activities.

P-32-phosphate and C-14-adenine were incorporated into the RNA's of rat and dogfish lenses under in vitro conditions. When the Duponol-extracted RNA's were hydrolyzed to their constituent nucleotides or bases, P-32-O₄ radioactivity was found in all four nucleotides, indicating RNA synthesis in toto. Adenine-C-14 was incorporated only slightly into bases other than adenine.