Alterations in lysine transfer RNA during erythroid differentiation of the Friend cell

The proportion of lysine tRNA represented by the isoacceptor species lysine tRNA4 has previously been shown to be largest in cells with the greatest ability to proliferate. Using reverse phase chromatography (RPC-5), we have analyzed the changes in the relative quantities of lysine tRNA species which occur in different cellular states of the Friend cell, a transformed murine cell infected with Friend erythroleukemia virus complex. This cell undergoes erythroid differentiation when exposed to various chemicals. Lysine tRNA4 comprises 32% of the total lysine tRNA in rapidly dividing, uninduced Friend cells, but only 16% of the total lysine tRNA in uninducase. Friend cells undergoing erythroid differentiation divide more slowly than uninduced cells, and finally cease proliferation, but lysine tRNA4 becomes the major lysine tRNA species (greater than 50%). This does not appear to reflect erythroid properties of the cell, since the lysine tRNA of the mouse reticulocyte contains very little lysine tRNA4. The non-dividing erythroid Friend cell, therefore, represents an exception to the finding that non-dividing cells usually have little or no lysine tRNA4 present.