PROTEIN TURNOVER IN MICRO-ORGANISMS

Abstract

Proteins of non-growing bacteria are continually being degraded and resynthesized at a rate faster than that found in any mammalian tissue. In the logarithmic phase of growth of a bacterial system, this turnover may be masked by the enormous rapidity of protein synthesis. The bulk of the protein in such a system is too immature to permit easy measurement of the cummulative results of turnover. Experimental evidence from which these conclusions are drawn is given.