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Biosynthesis of Deoxyribonucleotides in Ochromonas malhamensis
Author(s) -
BRADBEER CLIVE
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
the journal of protozoology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.067
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1550-7408
pISSN - 0022-3921
DOI - 10.1111/j.1550-7408.1971.tb03288.x
Subject(s) - deoxyribonucleotides , deoxyribonucleotide , biochemistry , cytidine , biosynthesis , nucleotide , orotic acid , pyrimidine , pyrimidine metabolism , chemistry , dna , uridine , rna , purine , dna synthesis , enzyme , gene
SYNOPSIS. Uniformly 14 C‐labeled pyrimidine ribonucleosides and orotic‐6‐ 14 C acid were fed to growing cultures of Ochromonas malhamensis and the radioactivity appearing in RNA and DNA was determined. The carbon skeletons of uridine and cytidine were incorporated intact into all of the pyrimidine nucleotides from RNA and DNA. Incorporation of radioactivity into the purine nucleotides was negligible. The evidence supports the conclusion that deoxyribonucleotide biosynthesis in this organism proceeds via a pathway involving the direct reduction of the corresponding ribonucleosides or ribonucleotides. An important role for a trans‐ N ‐deoxyribosylase in deoxyribonucleotide biosynthesis here appears to be ruled out.