ASSAY OF BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY OF SYNTHETIC YEAST ALANINE TRANSFER RNA (tRNA y Ala )

The biological activity of the synthetic tRNA_y~(Ala) was studied with an extremely sensitive method, tRNA_y~(Ala). accepted alanine in the presence of rat liver aminoacyl-tRNA_y~(Ala)-synthetase (this was called the accepting actvity). The aminoacylated tRNA_y~(Ala) was conveniently precipitated by ethanol with good recovery. The efficiency of transferring alanine from the aminoacylated tRNA_y~(Ala) into the protein was determined in in vitro rabbit reticulocyte lysate cell-free protein-synthesizing system (this was called the incorporation activity). Both accepting and incorporation activities could be determined in one assay with only 5-7 pmoles of tRNA_y~(Ala) either in ligation mixture or in purified form.Our results show that the accepting activities of the synthetic products were 51.6-65.6% and 91.3-106.0% of that of natural and reconstituted natural tRNA_y~(Ala) respectively. The efficiency of the incorporation of alanine in the aminoacylated tRNA_y~(Ala) into the protein was 61.6-63.1%, corresponding to 90.6-91.7% and 97.2-115.8% of that of the natural and the reconstituted natural tRNA_y~(Ala) respectively.