PROTEIN BIOSYNTHESIS BY A CELL-FREE BACTERIAL SYSTEM

Abstract
Particulate preparations of Alcaligenes faecalis, consisting largely of cell membrane fragments, incorporate amino acids into their proteins. This incorporation, which appears to reflect protein biosynthesis, is driven by oxida-tive phosphorylation and is stimulated by an enzyme, present in the supernatant extract, which has been isolated in highly purified form. The purified enzyme is free of activating enzymes catalyzing the amino acid-dependent exchange of PP32 (pyrophosphate) with adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP) and the same seems to be true of the bacterial particles.