Ribonuclease and high salt sensitivity of the ribonucleoprotein complex formed by the human LINE-1 retrotransposon

P40 is encoded by the first open reading frame of the human LINE-1 retrotransposon and is found in a large cytoplasmic ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex, the p40 RNP-complex, in association with LINE-1 RNA(s) in human teratocarcinoma cell lines. We report here investigations on the stability of the p40 RNP-complex against various nucleases and high salt (0.5 M NaCl) treatment. The results indicate that (1) the p40 RNP-complex is dissociated after ribonuclease or high salt treatment, (2) DNase I does not disrupt the complex, (3) after dissociation of the complex, p40 maintain protein-protein interactions but in smaller complexes, and (4) p40 is not associated with the LINE-1 RNA(s) after high salt treatment. These observations suggest that the RNA molecule(s) is(are) essential for the stability of the large p40 complex and that the complex has a structure which allows various nucleases to reach the RNA. These features are distinct from those of typical virus and virus-like particles of retroviruses and other retrotransposons, respectively. Together with the fact that no significant sequence homology exists between p40 and the gag and gag-like proteins, it is likely that the p40 RNP-complex is structurally different from the typical virus and virus-like particles.