Transfer ribonucleic acid in hepatoma tissue culture cells. I. Induction in vivo by dexamethasone phosphate of phenylalanine-accepting activity

A specific increase in phenylalanine chargeable tRNA brought about by the steroid dexamethasone phosphate was observed in Hepatoma Tissue Culture (HTC) cells in vivo. The increase in phenylalanine acceptor activity in steroid treated cells was not accompanied by changes in the intracellular phenylalanine pool, phenylalanine transport or gross increases in other species of tRNA and was dependent on de novo RNA synthesis. This increase in phenylalanine acceptor activity following steroid seems to be simultaneous with but separable from the induction of tyrosine aminotransferase.