J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 265, Issue 12, 6536-6539, Apr, 1990
Poly(A) binding proteins located at the inner surface of resealed nuclear envelopes
D Prochnow, N Riedel, PS Agutter and H Fasold
Institut fur Biochemie, Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universitat, Frankfurt am Main, West Germany.
We have used a photoreactive cross-linking reagent, poly(A/8-N3-A) (a
poly(A) of average molecular mass of 100 kDa in which 5-10% of the A
residues are replaced by 8-N3-A), to label poly(A) binding proteins of rat
liver nuclear envelopes. This reagent was prepared by polymerizing a
mixture of ADP and 8-N3-ADP with polynucleotide phosphorylase. The purified
poly(A) was labeled in the 5'-position with a 32P group. In nuclear
envelopes prepared by a low salt DNase I procedure, the poly(A/8-N3-A)
labeled a protein-nucleic acid complex of approximately 270 kDa, which on
degradation with RNase U2 or NaOH at pH 10 yielded two polypeptides of
approximately 50 and 30 kDa. These photoreaction products were markedly
decreased when resealed nuclear envelopes or non- nuclear envelope proteins
were irradiated in the presence of poly(A/8- N3-A). The affinity labeling
was intensified when resealed vesicles were made leaky by freezing or
ultrasonication, suggesting that the poly(A) binding proteins are
accessible from the nucleoplasmic but not the cytoplasmic face of the
envelope. Moreover binding was specific for poly(A). Alternative reagents,
random poly(A/8-N3-A,C,G,U) of about 100 kDa and poly(dA) (molecular mass
between 350 and 515 kDa), showed a very low affinity for poly(A)
recognition proteins in the low salt DNase I-treated nuclear envelopes; the
270-kDa band was labeled only weakly. The binding site was not protected by
poly(A,C,G,U), weakly by poly(dA), and distinctly by poly(A).