The Base Composition of Nucleic Acids in Chromosomes, Puffs, Nucleoli, and Cytoplasm of Chironomus Salivary Gland Cells

The base composition of RNA from individually isolated giant chromosomes, puffed chromosome segments, nucleoli, and samples of cytoplasm from Chironomus salivary gland cells was determined by microelectrophoresis. Data on the adenine: guanine quotient of the chromosomal DNA were also obtained. The results show that: 1) Chromosomal, nucleolar, and cytoplasmic RNA's differ significantly from each other in base composition. 2) Nucleolar and cytoplasmic RNA's, in spite of the difference, show great similarities with regard to the base composition and are both rich in adenine and uracil. 3) The RNA extracted from chromosome I differs significantly from the RNA's extracted from different segments of chromosome IV, and the latter differ significantly from each other. 4) The values for the RNA: DNA quotients of chromosome segments parallel the development of synthetically active genes, so-called Balbiani rings. 5) The chromosomal RNA does not show a base symmetry in any of the investigated cases, nor is the content of guanine + cytosine the same as that for DNA. The first of these two facts excludes the possibility that the chromosomal RNA is a complete copy of both strands of the chromosomal DNA. In spite of the difference in guanine + cytosine content between the two nucleic acids the RNA may still partly or completely be a single strand copy depending upon how representative the DNA values are for the synthetically active DNA.