Premium
THE METABOLISM OF GUANINE BY THE DIATOM PHAEODACYLUM TRICONUTUM BOHLIN 1
Author(s) -
Allison G.,
Syrett P. J.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
journal of phycology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.85
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1529-8817
pISSN - 0022-3646
DOI - 10.1111/j.1529-8817.1987.tb04222.x
Subject(s) - guanine , biology , allantoin , phaeodactylum tricornutum , xanthine , biochemistry , metabolism , hypoxanthine , botany , diatom , enzyme , nucleotide , gene
ABSTRACT Guanine taken up by intact cells of Phaeodactylum tricornutum Bohlin was rapidly converted to allantoin which accumulated in the cells; the earleir view that the compound which accumulated was a methylahypoxanthine is shown to be erroneous. In contrast, cells of P. tricornutum, after premeabilisation with toluene, converted guanine only to xanthine, the reaction presumably being catalysed by guanine diaminase. Freshly harvested N‐replete cells contained substantial guanine deaminase activity (ca. 200 nmol (10 8 cells h) −1 ); this activity doubled during 5 hours of N‐deprivation. During the same period, the ability to take up guanine, which was initially low, increased by about 25x.