Summary
At least four species of nucleases (nuclease N1, N2, N3 and N4) and one ribonuclease (ribonuclease N3) were detected in extract of wild type mycelia grown in high phosphate media by gel filtration of 0–65% ammonium sulfate precipitate through Sephadex G-100. Nuclease N4 eluted the first is a latent nuclease, the activity of which is not detectable within a week after preparation of the extract but a significant increase in nuclease activity was observed during additional one or two weeks by standing the fraction at 4°C. Nuclease N1 eluted the second is very labile and nuclease N2 eluted the third is stable at the temperature. Nuclease N3 eluted the last was activated within two or three weeks at 4°C. Although all the four nucleases were detected independent of the concentration of orthophosphate in culture media, significantly large amounts of latent ribonuclease (ribonuclease N3) and a number of nucleases including at least one latent nuclease were observed in wild type mycelia grown in low phosphate media. Ribonuclease N3 was determined to be a repressible enzyme. The activities of these constitutive latent nucleases, ribonuclease N3 and a number of nucleases specifically present in wild type mycelia grown in low phosphate media were not observed or significantly reduced in both nuc-1 and nuc-2 mutants, which were deficient to derepress at least eight orthophosphate repressible enzymes relating to phosphate metabolism. A revertant from nuc-2 restored the ability to show activation of at least one of the constitutive latent nucleases.
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Hasunuma, K. Control of the activity of intracellular nucleases in Neurospora crassa . Molec. Gen. Genet. 160, 259–265 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00332969
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00332969