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. 1967 May;103(2):453–461. doi: 10.1042/bj1030453

Intracellular protein breakdown in non-growing cells of Escherichia coli

N S Willetts 1,*
PMCID: PMC1270427  PMID: 5340366

Abstract

1. When Escherichia coli leu− was incubated at 35° in a medium based on minimal medium, but with the omission of phosphate ions, or glucose, or NH4+ ions and leucine, intracellular protein was degraded at a rate of about 5%/hr. in each case. If Mg2+ ions were omitted, however, the rate of degradation was 2·9%/hr. 2. Under certain conditions of incubation, protein degradation was inhibited. The inhibitor was neither NH4+ ions nor amino acids, and its properties were not those of a protein, but it might be an unstable species of RNA. 3. Although a large part of the cell protein was degraded at about 5%/hr. during starvation of NH4+ ions and leucine, some proteins were lost at more rapid rates, whereas others were lost at lower rates or not at all. 4. In particular, β-galactosidase activity was lost at about 8%/hr. during starvation of NH4+ ions and leucine, whereas d-serine-deaminase and alkaline-phosphatase activities were stable. During starvation of Mg2+ ions, all three enzyme activities were stable.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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