Purification and properties of soybean leghemoglobin messenger RNA

Poly(A)-containing leghemoglobin mRNA from soybean root nodules has been purified 84-fold, as judged by its ability to direct the in vitro synthesis of leghemoglobin in a wheat germ system. It has a poly(A) content of 8.6% and a molecular weight, estimated by formamide gel electrophoresis, of 260 000. mRNA with a molecular weight of around 143 000 would be sufficient to code for leghemoglobin. Thus, with respect to both its poly(A) content and its unexpectedly high molecular weight, leghemoglobin mRNA is similar to mRNAs isolated from animal tissues.