Abstract
IN bacteria, amino-acids are needed in small amounts for the synthesis of ribonucleic acid (RNA) to occur1 and, if an amino-acid auxotroph is starved of its required amino-acid, both protein and RNA synthesis cease2. However, under certain conditions this ‘stringency’ is not maintained, in that protein synthesis can be sharply retarded while synthesis of RNA is less affected. In Escherichia coli, this differential synthesis of RNA can be brought about by incubation of cells with chloramphenicol3, puromycin4, or chlortetracycline5, and mutants in which the control of RNA synthesis by amino-acids is ‘relaxed’ have also been described6,7. Relaxed mutants which require an amino-acid for growth continue to make RNA when starved of their amino-acid requirement; synthesis of RNA in a relaxed strain during inhibition of protein synthesis by 5-methyl tryptophan has also been, demonstrated8.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Gros, F., Exp. Cell Research, 14, 104 (1958).
Pardee, A. B., and Prestidge, L. S., J. Bact., 71, 677 (1956).
Gale, E. F., Adv. Protein Chem., 8, 285 (1953).
Takeda, Y., Hayashi, S.-I., Nakagawa, H., and Suzuki, F., J. Biochem. (Tokyo), 48, 169 (1960).
Gale, E. F., and Folkes, J. P., Biochem. J., 53, 493 (1953).
Borek, E., Ryan, A., and Rockenbach, J., J. Bact., 69, 460 (1955).
Stent, G. S., and Brenner, S., Proc. U.S. Nat. Acad. Sci., 47, 2005 (1961).
Turnock, G., and Wild, D. G., Nature, 197, 597 (1963).
Fowden, L., and Richmond, M. H., Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 71, 459 (1963).
Peterson, P. J., and Fowden, L., Nature, 200, 148 (1963). Atherley, A. G., and Bell, F. E., Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 80, 510 (1964).
Kurland, C. G., and Maaløe, O., J. Mol. Biol., 4, 193 (1962).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
MIDGLEY, J., WILD, D. Synthesis of Ribonucleic Acid by Escherichia coli during Inhibition by Azetidine-2-carboxylic Acid. Nature 208, 585–586 (1965). https://doi.org/10.1038/208585a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/208585a0
- Springer Nature Limited