Cytochalasin B selectively releases ovalbumin mRNA precursors but not the mature ovalbumin mRNA from hen oviduct nuclear matrix.

Hen oviduct nuclear matrix-bound mature ovalbumin mRNA is released from the matrix in the presence of ATP, while the ovalbumin mRNA precursors remain bound to this structure. Detachment of the mature mRNA from the matrix by ATP as well as ATP-dependent efflux of mRNA from isolated nuclei were found to be inhibited by cytochalasin B. On the other hand, in the absence of ATP, cytochalasin B exclusively caused the release (and nucleocytoplasmic efflux) of the ovalbumin messenger precursors, but not of the mature mRNA. After cytochalasin B treatment, actin could be detected in the matrix supernatant. Phalloidin which stabilizes actin filaments did not cause RNA liberation in the absence of ATP, but inhibited the ATP-induced detachment of mature mRNA. RNA release was also achieved with a monoclonal antibody against actin but not with monoclonal antibodies against tubulin and intermediate filaments. These results suggest that actin-containing filaments are involved in the restriction of immature messengers to the cell nucleus.

Mature mRNA is selectively released from the nuclear matrix by an ATP/dATP-dependent mechanism sensitive to topoisomerase inhibitors.

Ovalbumin mRNA precursors were found to be almost quantitatively associated with the hen oviduct nuclear matrix. On the other hand, only one-third of the mature ovalbumin mRNA of whole nuclei was recovered in the nuclear matrix fraction. The binding of both the high molecular weight mRNA precursors and the mature-sized mRNA to the matrix displayed no difference in stability against salt, urea, or detergents. The mature mRNA, however, was found to be released selectively from the matrix by ATP. In contrast, the mRNA precursors remained completely bound to the nuclear substructure in the presence of ATP. Detachment of mRNA from the matrix also occurred in the presence of ADP, AMP plus pyrophosphate, or ATP analogs that contain nonhydrolyzable alpha, beta and beta, gamma bonds. Contrasting with the ATP-induced effect, addition of poly(A), ethidium bromide, or the copper chelator 1,10-phenanthroline to oviduct cell matrices caused an unspecific liberation of both mature and immature ovalbumin messengers. The release of the mature mRNA by ATP was found to be strongly inhibited by both nonintercalative and intercalative inhibitors of type II topoisomerase. These results suggest that the selection of the mature mRNAs for nucleocytoplasmic transport occurs at the release stage from the matrix (i.e. before translocation through the nuclear pore) and that reactions hitherto known to cause changes in the DNA secondary structure are associated with the detachment of mRNA from the nuclear substructure.