Studies on RNA metabolism in HeLa mitochondria

Citation

Gelfand, Robert Allen (1980) Studies on RNA metabolism in HeLa mitochondria. Dissertation (Ph.D.), California Institute of Technology. doi:10.7907/rjx2-w897. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechETD:etd-08042006-124851

Abstract

The metabolism of mitochondrial ribonucleic acid was studied in the human cell line HeLa. Studies of labeling kinetics show that polyadenylated mitochondrial RNA species are turned over with half-lives ranging from a few minutes to about two hours.

Several giant RNA species transcribed from the mitochondrial DNA light strand were studied. They range in size from approximately 25% to 60% of the length of the mitochondrial genome and overlap in their mapping locations.

The kinetics of labeling of mitochondrial polyadenylic acid not covalently linked to larger RNA molecules was studied. This "free" polyadenylic acid is not derived from the breakdown of larger polyadenylated RNA molecules and may be a precursor to polyadenylic acid covalently linked to messenger RNA molecules.

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