Nucleated erythroid cells were incubated for 10 min in the presence of [5-Hluridine, and the total RNA was isolated by three different extraction procedures. RNA containing globin messenger RNA sequences was purified from other cellular RNAs by selective hybridization to globin complementary DNA cellulose. Depending upon the extraction procedure employed, 0.4-0.6% ofthe radioactively-labeled total cellular RNA applied to the column annealed to globin comlementary DNA cellulose. (27 Ci/mmol), were added and the incubation continued for an additional 10 min. After the incubation, the cells were chilled on ice, collected by centrifugation, washed once with 10 ml of cold (40) isotonic saline, and resuspended in 2 ml of cold saline. Isolation of RNA Proteinase K Procedure. The cell suspension (0.9 ml) was added dropwise with stirring to 50 ml of a solution (12) containing 30 mM Tris-HCI, (pH 7.4), 100 mM NaCl, 5 mM EDTA, 3% sodium dodecyl sulfate (NaDodSO4), heparin (150 yg/ml) dextran sulfate (100 ,g/ml), 3 mM each of 2' and 3' AMP, CMP, and UMP, and 300 ,ug/ml of proteinase K. The proteinase K was autodigested in the above buffer, without NaDodSO4, for 10 min at 350 prior to use. The cell suspension was incubated for 30 min at 350. After the incubation, 50 ml of the above buffer including NaDodSO4, but without proteinase K were added, followed by 100 ml of buffer-saturated, redistilled phenol and chloroform (1:1, vol/vol). The mixture was stirred at room temperature for 15 min. The aqueous phase was collected by centrifugation at 5000 X g for 5 min at 200.The interphase was re-extracted with extraction buffer minus proteinase K and the combined aqueous phases were re-extracted twice with phenol/chloroform and once with chloroform alone. The aqueous solution was adjusted to 0.3 M NaCl and the nucleic acids were precipitated with 2 volumes of absolute ethanol at -200. After allowing the mixture to stand overnight at -20°, the nucleic acids were collected by centrifugation and washed three times with 70% ethanol. The nucleic acids were immediately dissolved with stirring at 30, in 10 ml of a solution containing 10 mM sodium acetate (pH 5.2), 3 mM MgCI2, heparin (200 ,g/ml), polyvinyl sulfate (30 ,ug/ml), dextran sulfate (200 Ag/ml), 3 mM each of 2' and 3' AMP, CMP, and UMP and 40,g/ml of DNase (Worthington RNase-free) which had been treated with iodoacetate (13). The mixture was stirred at 100 for 20-25 min during which time the viscosity became markedly reduced. The solution was then made 2% in NaDodSO4, 5 mM in EDTA, and 300 ,tg/ml of proteinase K was added to digest the DNase. After a 10 min incubation at 300, sodium acetate (pH 5.2) was added to give a final concentration of 50 mM and an equal volume of phenol/chloroform was then added and the mixture stirred for 5 min at 25°. The aqueous layer was collected, re-extracted first with phenol/chloroform and then twice with chloroform, and the RNA precipitated as described above. The RNA pellet was washed with 70% ethanol, dissolved in water and stored at -700...