THE CONCENTRATION OF NUCLEIC ACIDS IN SOME COMMON MARINE ALGAE

Abstract

The method of Smillie and Krotkov has been applied to the estimation of soluble ribonucleic acid and deoxyribonucleic acid in nine species of marine algae, representative of the Chlorophyceae, Rhodophyceae, and Phaeophyceae. Treatment of the extract with an anion exchange resin was essential for the determination of RNA. Values for RNA and DNA, expressed as percentages of total solids, were respectively as follows: Ulva lactuca 0.63 and 0.10, Chondrus crispus 0.91 and 0.65, Rhodymenia palmata 0.73 and 0.41, Porphyra umbilicalis 1.62 and 0.19, Furcellaria fastigiata 0.37 and 0.36, Laminaria longicruris 0.68 and 0.06, L. digitata 0.67 and 0.30, L. agardhii 0.90 and 0.07, Fucus vesiculosus 0.29 and 0.05, based on commercial nucleic acids assayed by ultraviolet absorption, as standards. Use of ribose and deoxyribose as standards gave lower results. Attempts to prepare pure polynucleotides from several marine algae were unsuccessful.