E. F. Zimmerman, H. Mandel
1964
Citations
0
Influential Citations
10
Citations
Quality indicators
Journal
Experimental cell research
Abstract
Summary The actions of 4-aminopyrazolopyrimidine (APP), an analog of adenine, have been studied in two bacterial systems. At a concentration of 1.1 mM, APP inhibited the growth of exponentially multiplying E. coli B and B. cereus by about 30 per cent. The addition of adenine or hypoxanthine, but not vitamins, partially relieved the drug-induced inhibition. On the other hand, combination of APP with guanine resulted in potentiation of growth inhibition. No major specific effects of APP on protein, lipid, cell wall, or nucleic acid biosynthesis were uncovered. Incorporation of tritiated APP into nucleic acids of E. coli could not be detected. The formation of 4-amino-5-imidazolecarboxamide by an E. coli mutant, B-96, was decreased by APP. Since this microorganism normally accumulates this intermediate for the synthesis of purines under non-growing conditions, the drug had depressed de novo purine synthesis. APP stimulated the conversion of 14 C-8-guanine to adenosine and ribonucleic acid adenine in E. coli , while in B. cereus the conversion of 14 C-guanine to RNA adenine was depressed by the drug. The analog also affected the radioactive labeling of several as yet unidentified purine-containing compounds. The possible role of APP during nucleic acid synthesis has been discussed.