Differential metabolism of large and small poly(A) sequences in the heterogeneous nuclear RNA of HeLa cells.

The heterogeneous RNA of the HeLa cell nucleus contains short internal poly(A) sequences which, in contrast to the longer poly(A) sequences at the 3' ends, are not found in messenger RNA of the cytoplasm. A distinct origin for each of these homologous sequences is evident when the effects of actinomycin D and 3'-deoxyadenosine on their biosynthesis are compared. The shorter poly(A) appears to be transcribed, while the longer one does not. A kinetic analysis of the metabolism of each type of poly(A) sequence within different size classes of HnRNA after treatment of the cells with 3'-deoxyadenosine reveals distinctive distribution and metabolism of these sequences and also provides insight into mechanisms proposed for the generation of messenger RNA from these large RNA molecules in the nucleus.