Molecular and Biological Characterization of Messenger RNA

Several years ago Volkin and Astrachan (1956) reported that the base ratios of the RNA synthesized within T2 infected cells were similar to those of T2 DNA. While, at first, they considered the possibility that this RNA was a precursor to DNA, recent experiments in several laboratories (Nomura, Hall, and Spiegelman, 1960; Brenner, Jacob, and Meselson, 1961; Gros, Gilbert, Hiatt, Kurland, Risebrough, and Watson, 1961) suggest that this RNA carries the genetic information for coding amino acid sequences in the protein molecules synthesized during phage infection. There is also evidence now for the presence in uninfected bacteria of RNA molecules with DNA-like base ratios (Astrachan and Fisher, 1961; Gros, Gilbert, Hiatt, Kurland, Risebrough, and Watson, 1961). Here again the hypothesis has been made that these molecules are genetic messengers (MESSENGER RNA). Both in normal and in phage infected cells, there is surprisingly little messenger RNA, and this appears to be...