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. 1961 Dec;82(6):867–874. doi: 10.1128/jb.82.6.867-874.1961

ROLE OF ONE-CARBON PRECURSORS IN THE BIOSYNTHESIS OF DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID IN BACTERIOPHAGE-INFECTED AND GROWING CELLS OF ESCHERICHIA COLI1

Eugene W Nester a,2, John Spizizen a
PMCID: PMC279269  PMID: 14479081

Abstract

Nester, Eugene W. (Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio) and John Spizizen. Role of one-carbon precursors in the biosynthesis of deoxyribonucleic acid in bacteriophage-infected and growing cells of Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol. 82:867–874. 1961.—The ability of growing and T2 bacteriophage-infected cells of Escherichia coli to incorporate serine-3-C14, glycine-2-C14, formate-C14, and formaldehyde-C14 into purine and pyrimidine moieties of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was determined. All four one-carbon precursors are effective contributors to the DNA-purines, but only glycine-2-C14 and serine-3-C14 are incorporated into the side chains of the pyrimidines. In addition, formate-C14 becomes incorporated only into position 8 of the purine ring, whereas isotope from serine-3-C14 and glycine-2-C14 is incorporated equally into the 2 and 8 positions. No qualitative differences were observed in the patterns of incorporation of any one-carbon units in growing or bacteriophage-infected cells. However, the 3-carbon of serine serves as a more effective precursor of the 2 and 8 positions of the DNA purine ring when the cells are infected. Formate-C14 and to a slight extent glycine-2-C14 are somewhat better precursors of these positions when the cells are infected under appropriate conditions.

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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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