Expression of the Esterase-2 Alleles in Mus musculus

Abstract

Several alleles exist for a polymorphic esterase locus located on chromosome-8 in Mus musculus. The locus, which codes for esterase-2, is expressed as four alleles including an Es-2ᴬ (null) allele exhibiting no protein production and an Es-2ᴮ (normal) allele exhibiting a normal amount of protein production. In order to understand the difference in expression of these alleles it becomes necessary to isolate and translate total cellular mRNA for each. Total cellular RNA was prepared using a guanidine-HCl procedure and applied to an oligo(dt)cellulose column which enabled separation of a poly(A+)-enriched mRNA fraction. Cell-free translation was attempted using mRNA fraction and incorporation of ³⁵S-methionine noted by scintillation counting. Early trials showed no incorporation and no conclusion could be reached on the type of expression involved.