Cell-free synthesis of rat and rabbit gastric proton pump

Ribonucleic acid was isolated from the fundic gastric mucosae of rats and rabbits by cesium chloride centrifugation of guanidine isothiocyanate-denatured mucosal homogenates, and poly A+ RNA was recovered from the pellets by oligodeoxythymidine column selection. When added to rabbit reticulocyte lysates, this poly A+ RNA stimulated [35S]methionine incorporation into trichloroacetic acid-precipitable material. Fluorographic analysis of the lysates showed protein synthesis to be dominated by polypeptides with molecular weights from 40,000 to 50,000, presumably prepepsinogen isoforms. Immune precipitation of the lysates with monoclonal antibodies directed against the gastric H+,K+-adenosine triphosphatase yielded bands at 94 kilodaltons and more diffuse banding at 180 kilodaltons. Further purification of the poly A+ RNA on sucrose gradients eliminated prepepsinogen messenger RNA; nascent H+,K+-adenosine triphosphatase synthesized by purified messenger RNA consisted of polypeptides with molecular weights between 88,000 and 94,000. The study indicates that cell-free translation of gastric mucosal messenger RNA may provide a useful model for analysis of gastric H+,K+-adenosine triphosphatase biosynthesis and processing.