Necessity of transferrin for RNA synthesis in chick myotubes

Chick transferrin (Tf) is essential not only for growth and differentiation but also for the maintenance of chick myotubes in culture. Its removal from the culture medium gives rise to degeneration of the myotubes. The analysis of this process revealed that the removal resulted in decrease in total and messenger RNA content in the myotubes; this was mainly due to a decrease in RNA synthesis. Activity of in vitro RNA synthesis in isolated nuclei from myotubes cultured without Tf was lower than the activity in nuclei from myotubes cultured with Tf and increased with the addition of FeCl3. Although RNA degradation in myotubes was also enhanced following Tf removal, the degree was small. The synthesis of most proteins was reduced. In contrast to this, a few new proteins of unknown nature were synthesised in myotubes cultured in Tf-free medium. The role of Fe ion carried into the cells by Tf in promoting myogenic cell growth and differentiation and in preventing the myotubes from degeneration can be explained, at least in part, on the basis of its effect on RNA synthesis. Since we have found that Fe is required for activation of RNA polymerase purified from embryonic muscles (Shoji and Ozawa, 1985b), these effects may be ascribed to this activating effect.