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Isolation and characterization of pteridines from heads of Drosophila melanogaster by a modified thin-layer chromatography procedure

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Abstract

An improved thin-layer chromatography technique is described for the separation of fluorescent compounds found in extracts of heads of Drosophila melanogaster. Eighteen to twenty fluorescent spots are resolved, two of which are xanthurenic acid and 3-hydroxykynurenine, and the remaining spots are presumably pteridines. Of these, nine have been identified and quantitated directly on the chromatograms with a fluorometer. One of the spots present on the chromatogram apparently has not been described previous to this work. Characteristics of this substance, termed “quench spot,” are presented, several of which indicate that it may be a pteridine or pteridine derivative.

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Author notes

  1. T. G. Wilson

    Present address: Department of Biological Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, The University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and the Biology Division, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

    T. G. Wilson & K. Bruce Jacobson

Authors
  1. T. G. Wilson
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  2. K. Bruce Jacobson
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Additional information

T. G. W. is a predoctoral trainee supported by Grant GM 1974 from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institutes of Health.

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory is operated by Union Carbide Corporation for the U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration.

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Wilson, T.G., Jacobson, K.B. Isolation and characterization of pteridines from heads of Drosophila melanogaster by a modified thin-layer chromatography procedure. Biochem Genet 15, 307–319 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00484462

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00484462

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