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Accumulation and retention of Tritium (tritiated water) inRhodopseudomonas spheroides under aerobic condition

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Summary

Nonsulfur purple photosynthetic bacteria,Rhodopseudomonas spheroides cells grown aerobically in the dark were incubated with medium containing tritiated water (THO) under growth and no-growth conditions. R value defined as the ratio of specific activity (T/H) of tritium (T) incorporated into cell materials to T in medium was about 0.5 in growing cells and 0.2 in nongrowing cells regardless of THO-concentration in medium. From the fractionation of these lyophilized cells by modified Schneider method, the distribution of volatile T (i.e., exchangeable T) in cold perchloric acid (PCA)-soluble fraction, nonexchangeable T of small molecules in cold PCA- and ether-ethanol-soluble fractions and nonexchangeable T of macromolecules in hot PCA- and alkali-soluble fractions was 16 : 17 : 67 in growing cells and 38 : 24 : 38 in nongrowing cells. Moreover, the nucleic acids were extracted by phenol method from the cells incubated with THO and fractionated on methylated albumin-coated column chromatography. R value of nonexchangeable H in DNA, sRNA, and rRNA was 0.4–0.6 in growing cells and 0.06–0.13 in nongrowing cells. R value of nonexchangeable H in ribo- and deoxyribo-mononucleotides hydrolyzed by treatment with either KOH or DNase and phosphodiesterase was 0.38–0.84 in growing cells. Average R value of nonexchangeable H in nucleic acids and these mononucleotides in growing cells were similar to that of total H in the lyophilized cells. From the study of retention of T in the cells, radioactivity of T of long-lived component decreased at the biological half life of 69 h in nongrowing cells and at rate of 0.4n (n: number of cell division) in growing cells. The retention of bound T in nucleic acids of nongrowing cells was considerable, i.e., 100, 78, and 86% remaining after 16 h in DNA, sRNA, and rRNA, respectively, for 76% in the overall cells. Decrease of activity of nonexchangeable T bound to DNA in nongrowing cells was expected only the cell death.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiation Research, Tohoku University School of Medicine, 980, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan

    T. Inomata

  2. Laboratory for Radioisotopic Research, Tohoku University School of Medicine, 980, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan

    M. Higuchi

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  1. T. Inomata
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  2. M. Higuchi
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Dr. M. Higuchi died in August, 1979

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Inomata, T., Higuchi, M. Accumulation and retention of Tritium (tritiated water) inRhodopseudomonas spheroides under aerobic condition. Radiat Environ Biophys 20, 123–136 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01323933

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01323933

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