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J Bacteriol. 1971 June; 106(3): 994-1004
Copyright © 1971 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Cell Division and Prophage Induction in Escherichia coli: Studies of Nucleotide Levels

^a Department of Biochemistry, Case Western Reserve University, School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio 44106

ABSTRACT

Cell division and prophage repression in the Escherichia coli mutant, T-44, are very sensitive to the levels of certain purine and pyrimidine derivatives in the media. The hypothesis that a change in the level of an adenine derivative in the small molecule pool of this strain was responsible for prophage induction and filament formation was tested. The nucleoside triphosphate pools in T-44 and C-600 nonlysogenic and lysogenic strains were labeled in experiments with ³²P and ³³P. Cultures were mixed, and the nucleotides were isolated. When adenine was present, the level of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in T-44 compared to C-600 (as indicated by the isotope ratio) was increased up to twofold. Most of the other nucleotides increased but not to the same degree. In the lysogenic strain guanosine triphosphate and deoxycytidine triphosphate showed increases comparable to ATP, whereas increases noted in the deoxynucleotides in T-44 ± with adenine present were less. In experiments where T-44 and C-600 were incubated with ³H- and ¹⁴C-adenine, the levels of several compounds, including ATP, were slightly elevated in T-44. The combined data suggest that cultures of T-44 ± , grown in the presence of adenine, show a preferential increase in the level of ATP when compared to C-600 ± , but the increase in relation to the other nucleotides is less than twofold. In the experiment with ³H- and ¹⁴C-adenine, the level of inosine was found to be increased in T-44 relative to C-600. Cyclic AMP, when added to cultures of T-44 under various conditions, had no effect on prophage induction. Intracellular and extracellular levels of cyclic AMP in T-44 compared to C-600, incubated with had-acidin, guanosine, and cytidine (HGC) or with HGC plus adenine, were not significantly different. No compelling evidence for altered nucleotide metabolism in T-44 ± as a cause of prophage induction or filament formation was obtained.

¹ Department of Biochemistry, Howard University, Washington, D.C.

² Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Wash.