Maintenance of the ratio of alpha and beta globin synthesis in rabbit reticulocytes.

The synthesis of rabbit alpha and beta globins under various conditions was studied using intact reticulocytes and reticulocyte cell-free systems. Raising salt concentration of media in which reticulocytes were incubated with radioactive amino acids reduced the total protein synthesis but did not affect the ratio of alpha to beta globins produced. Using a reticulocyte lysate which had been incubated with micrococcal nuclease to remove the endogenous globin messenger RNA activity, it was found that unlike the intact cell or the untreated lysate very little alpha globin was synthesised on adding purified globin mRNA. These results are discussed in terms of their compatibility with some proposed models of coordination of alpha and beta globin production.