Premium
The Degradation of Nucleic Acids by Cytophaga johnsonii
Author(s) -
Greaves M. P.,
Vaughan D.,
Webley D. M.
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
journal of applied bacteriology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.889
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1365-2672
pISSN - 0021-8847
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2672.1970.tb02210.x
Subject(s) - deoxyribonuclease , nucleic acid , ribonuclease , biochemistry , dna , deoxyribonuclease i , sephadex , biology , rna , cytophaga , chemistry , bacteria , microbiology and biotechnology , enzyme , pseudomonas , base sequence , gene , genetics , flavobacterium
Summary. In growth experiments Cytophaga johnsonii rapidly degraded nucleic acids to release purine and pyrimidine bases and inorganic orthophosphate. The products were the same when the nucleic acids were added separately or were contained in autoclaved or ultrasonically disintegrated cells of Aerobacter aerogenes. Commercial preparations of RNA and DNA either inhibited or enhanced growth of the myxobacterium according to the medium used. When present as the major nutrient neither RNA nor DNA served as carbon or phosphorus sources and were poor nitrogen sources for C. johnsonii. The extra‐cellular nucleases, measured by a fluorimetric method, were produced mainly during the stationary phase of growth. Passage of the cell free culture fluid from C. johnsonii through Sephadex G 100 separated the ribonuclease and deoxyribonuclease activities. The deoxyribonuclease obtained after gel filtration is similar to deoxyribonuclease 1, being specific for high MW DNA and apparently inhibited by DNA of low MW.