Ribosome subunit to polysome ratios affect the synthesis of rRNA in Drosophila cells

Many investigations have revealed that ribosome numbers increase in parallel with the growth rate of cells. Here we show that the absolute level of protein synthesis may not be the only factor influencing rRNA synthesis in a nondividing eukaryotic cell. Under conditions of complete (greater than 99%) inhibition of protein synthesis by four different antibiotics, there is a corresponding inhibition of rRNA synthesis. At lower levels of inhibition of protein synthesis (70%), a different effect of individual antibiotics on rRNA synthesis is observed. Cycloheximide and anisomycin, which cause a decrease in the free subunit pool due to a buildup of polysomes, stimulate rRNA synthesis, whereas puromycin and pactamycin, which cause an increase in the free subunit pool, cause a decrease in rRNA synthesis. These effects on rRNA synthesis are not solely due to a low level of completed proteins. Pactamycin treatment allows completed proteins to be made yet lowers rRNA labeling, while anisomycin treatment does not show synthesis of complete proteins yet increases rRNA labeling. The result suggest that eukaryotic cells may regulate ribosome synthesis in response to the number of free versus translating (polysomal) ribosomes as do Escherichia coli cells.