ISSN:
1399-3054
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Biology
Notes:
The capsular polysaccharides from thymidine-(methyl-3H) labeled cultures of Rhizobium trifolii; strain 162S7 (Nitragin Co.) were centrifuged from bacterial cells and collected by ethanol precipitation. Following the addition of unlabeled carrier nucleic acids, labeled DNA, termed cap-DNA, was isolated from the capsular polysaccharides. Cap-DNA absorbed maximally at H-260 nm and was DNase sensitive. Approximately 11 μg of 3H-cap-DNA were consistently isolated per liter of 48 h cultures. Cap-DNA production was generally synchronized with the synthesis of the capsular polysaccharide and bacterial growth, attaining maximum recoverable amounts in 48 h cultures. By five days of culture growth, significant decreases in the amount of recoverable cap-DNA were noted. The presence of label in the cap-DNA demonstrated that the cap-DNA originated via de novo synthesis by the Rhizobium cells rather than from an anomalous source. The cap-DNA and intracellular Rhizobium DNA had similar buoyant densities of p= 1.719, indicating that cap-DNA arose specifically from the intracellular DNA. In 48-h cultures the specific activity of the cap-DNA was about one-third that of the intracellular DNA. This implies intracellular DNA was released during early growth with a relatively low specific activity which diluted the isotopic label of DNA released later. The evidence suggests lysogeny was the principal release mechanism.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1399-3054.1975.tb03881.x
