The beta major and beta minor globin nuclear transcripts of Friend erythroleukemia cells induced to differentiate in culture.

Friend erythroleukemia clone 745 cells were induced to differentiate by dimethyl sulfoxide (Me2SO) or by hemin treatment, and nuclear transcripts of the beta major and beta minor globin genes examined. The beta major and beta minor genomic sequences selectively labaeled in the nonhomologous part of the large intervening sequence 2 were hybridized to the nuclear RNA of Friend cells. The nuclear RNA of Me2SO-treated cells contained both beta major and beta minor nuclear transcripts, whereas hemin-treated cells contained only the beta minor transcripts. The beta minor nuclear transcripts were more abundant in the Me2SO-treated cells than in hemin-treated cells. Nuclear transcripts with the size of partially processed beta major globin mRNA precursors were also detected in the Me2SO-treated cells.