2′-O-Methylation of Adenosine, Guanosine, Uridine, and Cytidine in RNA of Isolated Rat Liver Nuclei

Abstract

Nuclei isolated from rat liver, when incubated with methyl-labeled S-adenosylmethionine, incorporated label into 2′-O-methyladenosine, 2′-O-methylguanosine, 2′-O-methyluridine, and 2′-O-methylcytidine of endogenous nuclear RNA. Addition of ribosomal RNA from wheat germ to the reaction markedly stimulated 2′-O-methylation of total RNA. The relative incorporation of label into the four different 2′-O-methyl ribonucleosides was greatly changed by the addition of wheat germ RNA. There was much more 2′-O-methylation of the purine ribonucleosides, relative to the pyrimidine ribonucleosides, in the reaction stimulated by wheat germ RNA.

• S-adenosyl methionine
• wheat-germ RNA
• paper chromatography