Further studies on the presumed adenine nucleotide storage compound of rat heart

Further studies on the acid-precipitable radioactive substance formed during perfusion of Langendorff rat hearts with [14C]adenosine have shown that very brief (30 s) ischaemia causes a sudden rise (20-35%) in its level in the tissue which is followed by the steady fall we have previously described. Analysis of the products of alkaline hydrolysis of this compound shows that at least 96% of the radioactivity appears in the form of a mixture of 2'- and 3'-AMP as would be expected for RNA while its relatively high resistance to dilute alkali suggests that it is poly A. Subcellular localization studies indicate that radioactivity enters all compartments of the cell, with maximum label in the nucleus. However, a significant proportion is present in the mitochondria and may be poly A acting as the mitochondrial storage form of adenine nucleotides whose existence we have proposed.