Fate of mRNA following disaggregation of brain polysomes after administration of (+)-lysergic acid diethylamide in vivo
Bba Section Nucleic Acids and Protein Synthesis November 22, 1979 James B. Mahony, Ian R. Brown 15 citations
Injecting (+)-lysergic acid diethylamide into young rabbits caused a temporary breakdown of brain polysomes into monosomes, indicating inhibited protein synthesis. The messenger RNA (mRNA) remained intact and was not degraded or released; instead, it accumulated on monosomes. The mRNA coding for a brain-specific protein, S100, was preserved. The formation of a blocked monosome complex containing intact mRNA and ribosomal subunits but lacking nascent peptide chains suggests that (+)-lysergic acid diethylamide disrupts brain protein synthesis at a specific step during late initiation or early elongation.