The assimilation of amino acids by bacteria. 26. The incorporation of adenine into the nucleic acid of disrupted staphylococcal cells

Abstract

A constant rate of incorporation of (C14) adenine into the nucleic acid fraction occurs when disrupted staphylococcal cells are incubated in the presence of adenosine tri-phosphate, hexose diphosphate and a mixture of all the amino acids required for protein synthesis, ribose, guanine, thymine and uracil. Incorporation is correlated with an increase. n the nuclei acid content of the preparation. Approximately 12% of the incorporated adenine is found in the deoxyribonucleic acid fraction. Removal of nucleic acid from the disrupted cells results in a decrease of up to 98% in the rate of adenine incorporation; the rate can be restored by addition of nucleic acid to the incubation mixture. Nucleic acid can be replaced by the incorporation-factor preparation (Gale and Folkes, 1958); replacement is only complete if the full mixture of amino acids is present. In disrupted cells highly depleted of nucleic acid, the incorporation factor is unable to replace nucleic acid completely if chloramphenicol is also present in the medium. Under the experimental conditions used, chloramphenicol reduces the synthesis of deoxyribonucleic acid. Deoxyribonucleic acid increases the activity of incorporation factor in promoting the incorporation of adenine into ribonucleic acid. A number of inhibitors, including 8-hydroxyquinoline and derivatives of benzimi-dazole, inhibit the incorporation of adenine or quanine to the same extent as they inhibit the incorporation of glycine.