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The Journal of Cell Biology, Vol 61, 633-640, Copyright © 1974 by Rockefeller University Press

ARTICLE

REVERSIBLE, THERMOTROPIC ALTERATION OF NUCLEAR MEMBRANE STRUCTURE AND NUCLEOCYTOPLASMIC RNA TRANSPORT IN TETRAHYMENA



Frank Wunderlich 1, Werner Batz 1, Volker Speth 1, and Donald F. H. Wallach 1

1 From the Department of Biology II, Division of Cell Biology, University of Freiburg, the Max-Planck-lnstitut for Immunobiology, Freiburg, West Germany, and the Division of Radiobiology, Tufts-New England Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02666. This paper is dedicated to Dr. Batz who died tragically on 6 February 1974.

We examine the effect of cooling upon the freeze-etch ultrastructure of nuclear membranes, as well as upon nucleocytoplasmic RNA transport in the unicellular eukaryote Tetrahymena pyriformis. Chilling produces smooth, particle-free areas on both faces of the two freeze-fractured macronuclear membranes. Upon return to optimum growth temperature the membrane-associated particles revert to their normal uniform distribution and the smooth areas disappear. Chilling lowers the incorporation of [14C]uridine into whole cells and their cytoplasmic RNA. Cooling from the optimum growth temperature of 28° to 18°C (or above) decreases [14C]uridine incorporation into cells more than into their cytoplasmic RNA; chilling to below 18°C but above 10°C causes the reverse.

[14C]Uridine incorporation into whole cells and their cytoplasmic RNA reflects overall RNA synthesis and nucleocytoplasmic RNA transport, respectively. RNA transport decreases strongly between 20° and 16°C, which is also the temperature range where morphologically detectable nuclear membrane transitions occur. This suggests that the nuclear envelope limits the rate of nucleocytoplasmic RNA transport at low temperatures. We hypothesize that a thermotropic lipid phase transition switches nuclear pore complexes from an "open" to a "closed" state with respect to nucleocytoplasmic RNA transport.

Submitted on April 13, 1973
Revised on January 18, 1974


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