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Biomedical subjects

C T Chow

Publications and source records attributed to C T Chow.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

DNA-dependent RNA and polyadenylic acid polymerase from phototrophically grown Rhodospirillum rubrum.

DNA-dependent RNA and polyadenylic acid polymerases have been purified from phototrophic Rhodospirillum rubrum. Their properties have been found to be very similar to those of the previously reported heterotrophic R. rubrum enzymes. However, several important differences do exist between the enzymes from the phototrophic and the heterotrophic cells, such as the lack of response to added polyadenylic acid for poly A synthesis and the presence of the sigma subunit in the phototrophic enzymes. Furthermore, additional purification steps were necessary for preparation of phototrophic enzyme fractions with high DNA-dependence.

DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases

Multiple forms of DNA-dependent RNA and polyadenylic acid polymerases from heterotrophically grown Rhodospirillum rubrum.

Three, two major and one minor, distinct RNA polymerases have been isolated and partially purified from heterotrophically grown Rhodospirillum rubrum, a facultative photosynethetic bacterium. Associated with each of these three enzymes is a distinct polyadenylic acid polyemrase. All of these enzyme activities are dependent on DNA templates and are resistant to rifampicin and streptovaricin. The structural subunit composition, the response to various chemical compounds and DNA templates, and the properties of the products of these enzymes are studied in detail and compared with those of similar enzyme activities from other bacterial systems. Several unique features have been observed in the R. rubrum enzyme systems, such as an uneven incorporation of purine and pyrimidine nucleotides by the RNA polymerases, and the presence of a lag period in the polyadenylic acid polymerase activities.

Animals

The effect of rifampicin on the developmental phases of germinating spores of Clostridum sp., MSp+.

The effect of rifampicin on the developmental phases of germinating spores of Clostridium botulinum, MSp+, has been studied. At sublethal concentrations of rifampicin (0.05 ng/ml) the time periods required for outgrowth and vegetative growth was significantly prolonged because of the inhibition of RNA and protein synthesis. However, rifampicin had essentially no effect on DNA synthesis or on subsequent spore formation. Chemical analyses showed that the amount of protein present in vegetative cells of the rifampicin-treated cultures was twice as great as in the untreated cultures but the total protein content of endospores was the same in both cases. It was revealed in ultrastructural studies of rifampicin (0.1 ng/ml) treated cultures, examined after 22 h, that septum formation and normal cell division of the emerging cell was blocked and a few cells showed constriction which produced one normal and one protoplast-like daughter cell.

Bacterial Proteins

Properties of ribonucleic acids from photosynthetic and heterotrophic Rhodospirillum rubrum.

Rifampicin causes an initial rapid breakdown of about 30% of the pulse-labeled RNA in both photosynthetic and heterotrophic Rhodospirillum rubrum. An additional degradation of RNA has been observed in the heterotrophic, but not in the photosynthetic cells at a later stage of rifampicin treatment. This secondary RNA degradation is probably caused by breakdown of ribosomal RNA, especially of the 23S species, as shown by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analyses. No qualitative difference between the pulse-labeled RNA species in photosynthetic and heterotrophic cells can be detected by the DNA-RNA hybridization competition technique.

Nucleic Acid Denaturation

Cell-free, protein-synthesizing system of photosynthetic and heterotrophic Rhodospirillum rubrum.

An active in vitro protein-synthesizing system has been developed from Rhodospirillum rubrum grown under either photosynthetic or heterotrophic conditions. A protease activity has been found in both of these systems, and this activity can be readily inactivated by treating the cells with KCl and phenylmethyl sulfonylfluoride. The difference in protein-synthesizing activity between the photosynthetic and the heterotrophic systems has been tested in regard to the requirement of various chemicals and the response to protein synthesis inhibitors or various chemical compounds. It has been concluded that only minor differences in protein-synthesizing activity exist between these two systems.

Amino Acids

Temperature-sensitive mutants of vesicular stomatitis virus: viral RNA synthesis in cells infected with mutants belonging to complementation group I.

The RNA polymerase in cells infected with three group I mutants of vesicular stomatitis virus has been examined. Mouse L cells were incubated at the permissive temperature (30 degrees C) for a few hours after infection to allow the development of secondary transcription. The temperature dependence of the secondary transcription system was determined from the incorporation of labelled uridine, in the presence of cycloheximide, at 30 and at 38 degrees C, the later temperature being non-permissive for viral replication. In cells infected with mutants W14, W28, and G11 at a low multiplicity (20 PFU/cells) secondary transcriptase activity was markedly temperature-sensitive after 3 and 5 h of infection at 30 degrees C. At a high multiplicity of infection (1000 PFU/cell) cells infected with W28 showed considerable RNA synthesis at 38 degrees C after 3 h at 30 degrees C. RNA synthesis was also observed in W28-infected cells in which protein synthesis was allowed to continue after the shift from 30 to 38 degrees C. In the latter two cases the RNA synthesized contained 12-18S species but little or no 30S mRNA.

Cycloheximide

Functional and structural differences between photosynthetic and heterotrophic Rhodospirillum rubrum ribosomes and S-100 fractions.

Cell-free, protein-synthesizing activity has been tested by using various combinations of the S-100 and ribosome fractions prepared from photosynthetic and heterotrophic Rhodospirillum rubrum. The photosynthetic ribosomes are highly active when combined with either the photosynthetic or the heterotrophic S-100 fractions, whereas the heterotrophic ribosomes are active only when combined with the photosynthetic S-100 fraction. Addition of a photosynthetic pigment-containing fraction to the homologous heterotrophic system is, however, able to stimulate its activity. An inhibitor and an activator involved in cell-free protein synthesis have been isolated from the stationary heterotrophic cells. The inhibitor is a very small, dialyzable compound which inhibits not only the R. rubrum but also the E. coli protein-synthesizing activity in vitro, whereas the activator is a non-dialyzable, small RNA molecule capable of stimulating only the R. rubrum activity. Differences exist between the photosynthetic and the heterotrophic systems in their response to various chemical compounds and to light as well as in their structure.

Bacterial Proteins