Methylated constituents of Aedes albopictus poly (A)-containing messenger RNA

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Abstract
Poly (A)-containing mRNA prepared from cultured mosquito (Aedes albopictus) cells was found to contain methylated 5'-terminal “caps” as well as internal m 6 A residues. Both type I [m 7 G(5')ppp(5')Xmp] and type II [m 7 G(5')ppp(5'1)XmpYmp] caps were present, at molar ratio of ca five to one. All four common RNA bases were represented in the second position (Xm) of the caps, adenine being the most abundant and N 6 -methyladenine being absent. The four bases were also represented in the third position (Ym), but here uracil was the predominant base. There was approximately one internal m 6 A residue for every three caps. These studies demonstrate that mRNA from an invertebrate source can have a methylation pattern comparable with that of mammalian cells in its complexity.