Association of Rapidly Metabolized DNA and RNA

Abstract

An association of rapidly metabolized DNA and RNA labeled with P ³² has been found in peanut cotyledons by incorporation of either uridine-C ¹⁴ or thymidine-C ¹⁴ by peanut cotyledon slices. Chromatography of the extracted nucleic acids on methylated-albumin columns shows that the rapidly metabolized DNA and RNA are contained only in the first half of the DNA peak where RNA and DNA occur in equal amount. One-fourth of the radioactivity is recovered in ribonucleotides. Density-gradient centrifugation in cesium chloride indicates that the material containing the P ³² has a higher density than most of the DNA.