1887

Abstract

SUMMARY: A bacterial species which degrades the pyrimidines, uracil, thymine and cytosine by induced enzymes has been characterized as (strain S). All other strains of investigated oxidized thymine, but varied in their abilities to oxidize uracil and cystosine.

Organisms adapted to pyrimidines converted uracil to barbituric acid and thymine to 5-methylbarbituric acid. Oxidation of uracil by thymine-grown organisms was almost entirely by a pathway in which barbituric acid was an intermediate. Oxidation of thymine by uracil-grown organisms was similarly almost entirely via 5-methylbarbituric acid.

Oxidation of uracil by uracil-grown organisms and of thymine by thymine-grown organisms occurred, at least in part, through the respective barbituric acids. Discrepancies between the theoretical and observed values for O uptake suggested however that other pathways may also occur in these cases.

Pyrimidine-grown organisms oxidized 2-thiouracil to 2-thiobarbituric acid and 2-thiothymine to a compound which was probably 5-methyl-2-thiobarbituric acid. These products were not further degraded by the organism.

Barbituric acid was oxidized by uracil-grown organisms to CO , NH and urea with concurrent oxidative assimilation. The oxidation of barbituric acid was inhibited by isobarbituric acid and sodium azide although barbiturase activity in cell-free extracts was not affected by these substances. Barbiturase preparations converted barbituric acid anaerobically to malonic acid, CO and NH, but barbituric acid was not degraded by whole organisms under anaerobic conditions. Whole organisms, grown on uracil, degraded urea but did not oxidize malonic acid. Acetic and propionic but not malonic or barbituric acids were activated by cell-free extracts as judged by hydroxamate formation. From the evidence presented, it is unlikely that free malonic acid is an intermediate in the breakdown of barbituric acid.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-24-2-207
1961-02-01
2024-05-13
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/micro/24/2/mic-24-2-207.html?itemId=/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-24-2-207&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

References

  1. Batt R. D., Martin J. K., Ploeser J. M. 1953; The alkaline decomposition of the dihydropyiimidines. Proc. Univ. Otago med. Sch 31:40
    [Google Scholar]
  2. Batt R. D., Woods D. D. 1951; The oxidation of thymine by an unidentified bacterium. Biochem. J 49:lxx
    [Google Scholar]
  3. Baudisch O., Davidson D. 1925; The mechanism of oxidation of thymine. 4,5-Di-hydroxyhydrothymine (thymine glycol). J. biol. Chem 64:233
    [Google Scholar]
  4. Campbell L. L. 1957a; Reductive degradation of pyrimidines. I. The isolation and characterization of a uracil fermenting bacterium, Clostridium uradlicum nov. spec. J. Bact 73:220
    [Google Scholar]
  5. Campbell L. L. 1957b; Reductive degradation of pyrimidines. II. Mechanism of uracil degradation by Clostridium uradlicum . J. Bact 73:225
    [Google Scholar]
  6. Campbell L. L. 1957c; Reductive degradation of pyrimidines. III. Purification and properties of dihydrouracil dehydrogenase. J. biol. Chem 227:693
    [Google Scholar]
  7. Canellakis E. S. 1956; Pyrimidine metabolism. I. Enzymatic pathways of uracil and thymine degradation. J. biol. Chem 221:315
    [Google Scholar]
  8. Cerecedo L. R. 1927; Studies on the physiology of pyrimidines. J. biol. Chem 75:661
    [Google Scholar]
  9. Cerecedo L. R. 1931; Studies on the physiology of pyrimidines. IV. Further experiments on the intermediary metabolism of uracil. J. biol. Chem 93:269
    [Google Scholar]
  10. Di Carlo F. J., Schultz A. S., Kent A. M. 1952; On the mechanism of pyrimidine metabolism by yeasts. J. biol. Chem 199:333
    [Google Scholar]
  11. Fink K., Cline R. E., Henderson R. B., Fink R. M. 1956; Metabolism of thymine (methyl-C14 or -2-C14) by rat liver in vitro. J. biol. Chem 221:425
    [Google Scholar]
  12. Fink R. M., Cline R. E., Koch H. M. G. 1954; Chromatographic determination of pyrimidine reduction products: Microbiological application. Fed. Proc 13:207
    [Google Scholar]
  13. Fink R. M., Fink K., Henderson R. B. 1953; β-Amino acid formation by tissue slices incubated with pyrimidines. J. biol. Chem 201:349
    [Google Scholar]
  14. Fritzson P. 1057; The catabolism of C14-labelled uracil, dihydrouracil and β-ureido-propionic acid in rat liver slices. J. biol. Chem 226:223
    [Google Scholar]
  15. Fritzson P., Pihl A. 1957; The catabolism of C14-labelled uracil, dihydrouracil and β-ureidopropionic acid in the intact rat. J. biol. Chem 226:229
    [Google Scholar]
  16. Hayaishi O. 1952; Enzymatic conversion of barbituric acid to urea and malonic acid. Fed. Proc 11:227
    [Google Scholar]
  17. Hayaishi O. 1955; Enzymatic decarboxylation of malonic acid. J. biol. Chem 215:125
    [Google Scholar]
  18. Hayaishi O., Kornberg A. 1952; Metabolism of cytosine, thymine, uracil and barbituric acid by bacterial enzymes. J. biol. Chem 197:717
    [Google Scholar]
  19. Holmberg G. A. 1945; Experiments with triphenylmethyl chloride and different barbituric acids. Svensk kem. Tidskr 57:193
    [Google Scholar]
  20. Hotchkiss R. D. 1948; The quantitative separation of purines, pyrimidines and nucleosides by paper chromatography. J. biol. Chem 175:315
    [Google Scholar]
  21. Lara F. J. S. 1952a; On the decomposition of pyrimidines by bacteria. I. Studies by means of the technique of simultaneous adaptation. J. Bact 64:271
    [Google Scholar]
  22. Lara F. J. S. 1952b; On the decomposition of pyrimidines by bacteria. II. Studies with cell-free enzyme preparations. J. Bact 64:279
    [Google Scholar]
  23. Lieberman I., Kornberg A. 1953; Enzymatic synthesis and breakdown of a pyrimidine, orotic acid. I. Dihydro-orotic dehydrogenase. Biochim. biophys. acta 12:223
    [Google Scholar]
  24. Lieberman I., Kornberg A. 1954; Enzymatic synthesis and breakdown of a pyrimidine, orotic acid. II. Dihydro-orotic acid, ureidosuccinic acid and 5-carboxymethyl-hydantoin. J. biol. Chem 207:911
    [Google Scholar]
  25. Lieberman I., Kornberg A. 1955; Enzymatic synthesis and breakdown of a pyrimidine, orotic acid. III. Ureidosuccinase. J. biol. Chem 212:909
    [Google Scholar]
  26. Markham R. 1942; A steam distillation apparatus suitable for micro-Kjeldahl analysis. Biochem. J 36:790
    [Google Scholar]
  27. Markham R., Smith J. D. 1949; Chromatographic studies of nucleic acids. I. A technique for the identification and estimation of purine and pyrimidine bases, nucleosides and related substances. Biochem. J 45:294
    [Google Scholar]
  28. Martin J. K., Batt R. D. 1957; Studies on the nutrition of Nocardia corallina . J. Bact 74:225
    [Google Scholar]
  29. Mickle H. 1948; Tissue disintegrator. J. R. micr. Soc 68:10
    [Google Scholar]
  30. Nimmo-Smith R. H., Appleyard G. 1956; Studies with a Pseudomonad able to grow with creatine as main source of carbon and nitrogen. J. gen. Microbiol 14:336
    [Google Scholar]
  31. Nishikawa T. 1931; Über die Stereoisomerie der C-methylbarbitursäure. I. Mitteilung. Mem. Ryoj. Coll. Engng 3:277
    [Google Scholar]
  32. Reynolds E. S., Lieberman I., Kornberg A. 1955; The metabolism of orotic acid in aerobic bacteria. J. Bact 69:250
    [Google Scholar]
  33. Rose I. A. 1955; Acetate kinase of bacteria (acetokinase). In Methods in Enzymology 1591 Colowick S. P., Kaplan N. O. Ed New York: Academic Press Inc.;
    [Google Scholar]
  34. Stuckey R. E. 1942; The ultraviolet absorption spectra of barbituric acid derivatives. III. Ionisation and 5-monosubstituted barbituric acid derivatives. Quart. J. Pharm 15370
    [Google Scholar]
  35. Umbreit W. W., Burris R. H., Stauffer J. F. 1949 Manometric Techniques and Tissue Metabolism, 2nd ed. Minneapolis: Burgess Publishing Co;
    [Google Scholar]
  36. Wang T. P., Lampen J. O. 1952a; Metabolism of pyrimidines by a soil bacterium. J. biol. Chem 194:775
    [Google Scholar]
  37. Wang T. P., Lampen J. O. 1952b; Uracil oxidase and the isolation of barbituric acid from uracil oxidation. J. biol. Chem 194:785
    [Google Scholar]
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-24-2-207
Loading
/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-24-2-207
Loading

Data & Media loading...

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error