The Chemistry of the Nucleic Acids and Nucleoproteins

Abstract

This contribution makes no attempt to be a complete compendium of the literature but is designed as a critical survey of the present position in a few main sections of this field. Considerable difficulties and delays have been encountered in obtaining copies of certain journals and any omissions on this score are regretted.

The Effect of Nucleic Acids and of Carbohydrates on the Formation of Streptolysin

“…At the end of 7 hours, it was found that 90 to 95 per cent of the total phosphorus had been converted to inorganic phosphorus. Assay of the digestion mixture for streptolysin-inducing activity showed that 2 to 3 times as much digestion mixture was required to stimulate the same amount of hemolysin formation as was induced by an undigested control solution con- (16,(20)(21)(22) that yeast nucleic acid is incompletely digested by pancreatic ribonuclease, and that after treatment with the enzyme, there remains a ribonuclease-resistant, non-diffusible portion representing, according to Loring, Carpenter, and Roll (22), about 50 per cent of the original nucleic acid. The present studies show that the streptolysininducing activity is associated with the ribonuclease-resistant fraction.…”

The “scientific catastrophe” in nucleic acids research that boosted molecular biology

“…That is until, a few years after Levene's death, solid evidence suddenly appeared indicating that at least the deoxyribonucleic type seemed to be, or to carry, a "transforming principle" (51). Then John M. Gulland (52,53), Erwin Chargaff (1,3,54,55), and many other biochemists then leading the field, prompted by the exciting news, wrote profusely about nucleosides, nucleotides, and polynucleotides with the original technical meanings of these terms since 1908, and called both types of nucleic acids according to the specific pentose involved in their particular structures. Yet little or no mention was made of the earlier papers by Levene and his team where such concepts, and the experimental findings behind them, were first presented.…”

Lothar Jaenicke and C1-metabolism: his first 25 years of research

“…Most of the structural studies were performed with nucleic acids isolated from yeast and animal cells, which were thought to be composed of almost equal molar amounts of G, C, T, and A. The nucleotide compositions were based on analyses that were not very accurate, which is why the "tetranucleotide" hypothesis was questioned [13,14]. In the light of this situation Dimroth and Jaenicke felt it necessary to develop novel methods to quantitatively hydrolyze the nucleic acids into nucleosides or nucleotides and to then determine these quantitatively, after separation either by paper chromatography or paper electrophoresis.…”

“…Together with Karl Dimroth and E. W. Becker he showed in 1952 using [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] C-labeled serine that purine biosynthesis involves serine as precursor, C2 and C8 of the purines ( Figure 1A) being derived from C3 of serine [27,28]. Together with Herrmann M. Rauen he provided evidence in 1953 that folic acid ( Figure 1B) was required in the transfer of C3 from serine into the C 1 positions of the purines [29].…”