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Enzymatic Synthesis of Ribonucleic Acid

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Radioactive Isotopes in Physiology Diagnostics and Therapy / Künstliche Radioaktive Isotope in Physiologie Diagnostik und Therapie

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Abstract

The nucleic acids perform important biological functions. As disclosed by the pioneer experiments of Cassperson and Brachet, RNA1 is concerned with cell growth through its participation in the biosynthsis of proteins. DNA, on the other hand, is concerned with the transmission of hereditary characters. It is now known that the individual genes control the synthesis of individual enzymes and other proteins and there are good grounds for the belief that genes are but stretches of a DNA chain with a specific nucleotide sequence. The nucleotides in DNA represent, therefore, the letters of an alphabet used by nature in the transmission of genetic information. It is of interest -that in certain viruses which consist of RNA and protein, such as tobacco mosaic, influenza, or poliomyelitis virus, RNA is the carrier of genetic information. The distribution of DNA and RNA in the cell reflects their biological function. DNA is exclusively located in the nuclear chromosomes while RNA is mainly localized in the cytoplasm. There are two kinds of cytoplasmic RNA, one of small size (molecular weight 20,000 to 50,000) is present in the cytoplasmic supernatant obtained by high speed centrifugation and is referred to as soluble RNA; the other is of much larger size (molecular weight 1 to 2 × 106) and is a component of the ribonucleoprotein particles or ribosomes. Both play an essential role in protein biosynthesis. Small amounts of RNA are also found in the nucleus, predominantly in the nucleolus.

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References

  1. The following abbreviations are used: adenosine, guanosine, uridine, cytidine and inosine are represented by A, G, U, C and I, respectively; 5′-monophosphates of these nucleosides by AMP, GMP, UMP, CMP and IMP; the corresponding 5′-diphosphates by ADP, GDP, UDP, CDP and IDP; the 5′triphosphates by ATP, GTP, etc. Synthetic polyribonucleotides are abbreviated thus: polyadenylic acid, poly A; polyguanylic acid, poly G; polyuridylic acid, poly U; polycytidylic acid, poly C; polyinosinic acid, poly I; polyribothymidylic acid, polyribo T; polythiouridylic acid, polythio U; polyfluorouridylic acid, polyfluoro U; copolymer of adenylic and uridylic acids, poly AU; copolymer of guanylic and cytidylic acids; poly GC; copolymer of adenylic, guanylic, uridylic and cytidylic acids (synthetic RNA), poly AGUC; copolymer of adenylic, guanylic, uridylic, cytidylic and thiouridylic acids, poly AGUC thio U. Other abbreviations are: ribonucleic acid, RNA; deoxyribonucleic acid, DNA; orthophosphate, P; pyrophosphate, PP. Small polynucleotides (oligonucleotides) are designated by the following system: a phosphate residue is designated by p; when placed to the left of a nucleoside symbol, the phosphate is esterified at C-5′ of the ribose moiety; when placed to the right of the nucleoside symbol, the phosphate is esterified to C-3′ of the ribose moiety. Thus pApA is a dinucleotide with one phosphate monoesterified at C-5′ of an adenosine residue and a phos-phodiester bond between C-3′ of the same adenosine residue and C-5′ of the other adenosine group.

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Authors
  1. Severo Ochoa
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  1. Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston 14, Mass., USA

    Alan C. Aisenberg M. D., Ph. D.

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Ochoa, S. (1961). Enzymatic Synthesis of Ribonucleic Acid. In: Aisenberg, A.C., et al. Radioactive Isotopes in Physiology Diagnostics and Therapy / Künstliche Radioaktive Isotope in Physiologie Diagnostik und Therapie. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-49761-2_31

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-49761-2_31

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