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. 1962 Nov;84(5):1061–1070. doi: 10.1128/jb.84.5.1061-1070.1962

RIBONUCLEIC ACID IN A “MEMBRANE” FRACTION OF ESCHERICHIA COLI AND ITS RELATION TO CELL-WALL SYNTHESIS

Joan C Suit 1
PMCID: PMC278010  PMID: 13979166

Abstract

Suit, Joan C. (The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute, Houston). Ribonucleic acid in a “membrane” fraction of Escherichia coli and its relation to cell-wall synthesis. J. Bacteriol. 84:1061–1070. 1962.—A small amount of ribonucleic acid (RNA) was found in a “membrane” fraction prepared from osmotically sensitized Escherichia coli. It exhibited an elevated metabolic activity in that it attained the highest specific activity of any RNA in subcellular fractions of logarithmic-phase cells or spheroplasts prepared from logarithmic-phase cells which had been allowed to incorporate P32 briefly. The metabolic activity of this RNA, in terms of P32 incorporation, was found to be independent of cell-wall synthesis in the diaminopimelic acid (DAP)-less mutant, E. coli W 173-25, but was inhibited by penicillin in both this strain and in E. coli B. The latter effect is considered to be a result of other complex inhibitions of cellular metabolism by the antibiotic. The development of sensitivity to osmotic shock, capability of recovery, and synthesis of macromolecules in penicillin-treated and DAP-starved cultures, under these conditions, is described.

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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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