Ubiquitin mRNA is a major stress-induced transcript in mammalian cells

Ubiquitin mRNA was found to be an abundant transcript which was induced by heat shock (HS), and certain other stresses in mammalian cells. In Chinese hamster cells, the 2 major ubiquitin transcripts of 2.6 kb and 1.7 kb were induced coordinately, while a minor ubiquitin transcript of 0.8 kb was not induced; the response was similar in human cells with induction of the 2.5 kb Ub C and 1.0 kb Ub B transcripts. A representative ubiquitin cDNA clone, isolated from a cDNA library derived from HS-treated Chinese hamster cells, coded for a typical tandem repeat polyubiquitin transcript. Only a portion of the 5' nontranslated sequence of this clone had homology with the previously published corresponding region in human Ub B mRNA. Oligonucleotide probes complementary to the portion of the 5' nontranslated sequence with homology to the human sequence and also portions with no homology hybridized only to the 1.7 kb transcript. There was coordinate induction of ubiquitin, HSP27, and HSP70 mRNA by HS as determined by both increased RNA and increased transcription. Ubiquitin mRNA was induced by certain DNA damaging agents, in particular the alkylating agent methylmethane sulfonate, or incubation in isoleucine-deficient medium under conditions where the other HSP mRNA were not.