INHIBITION OF A MAMMALIAN DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID NUCLEOTIDYLTRANSFERASE BY ACTINOMYCIN D

THIOL GROUPS IN DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID NUCLEOTIDYLTRANSFERASE

1. The inhibitory effects of iodoacetate, iodoacetamide, p-hydroxymercuribenzoate and sarkomycin were studied in a partially purified preparation of deoxyribonucleic acid nucleotidyltransferase from Landschutz ascites-tumour cells. All of these agents inhibited the activity of the enzyme, and it was shown that the inhibition exerted by the last three compounds obeyed non-competitive kinetics. 2. Inclusion of glutathione or 2-mercaptoethanol in the enzyme assays did not prevent the inhibition by iodoacetate or iodoacetamide, but did prevent inhibition by p-hydroxymercuribenzoate. Inhibition by sarkomycin could be partially prevented by glutathione or 2-mercaptoethanol. 3. The enzyme fraction also catalysed incorporation in the presence of only one triphosphate (thymidine 5'-triphosphate), and the limited incorporation observed in these circumstances was more resistant to the inhibitory action of iodoacetamide and p-hydroxy-mercuribenzoate than was the standard nucleotidyltransferase reaction (four triphosphates present). Levels of inhibition imposed on the standard reaction were achieved in the limited incorporation reaction with 2.5-fold higher concentrations of the two inhibitors. 4. The addition of certain bivalent cations to the standard system resulted in severe inhibition of the reaction: Zn(2+) ions (10mum) gave 50% inhibition; ethylenediaminetetra-acetate (0.4mm) in the reaction mixture gave essentially complete protection against this inhibitory effect of Zn(2+) ions. 5. Deoxyribonucleic acid-nucleotidyltransferase fractions prepared in the presence of a thiol and ethylenediaminetetra-acetate could be stored without loss of activity for 2 months at 0 degrees or for 1 year at -70 degrees .

The inhibition of deoxyribonucleic acid nucleotidyltransferase by stilboestrol derivatives

The inhibition by diethylstilboestrol of DNA nucleotidyltransferase isolated from calf thymus was studied. The inhibition exercised by diethylstilboestrol appears to obey competitive kinetics with respect to DNA primer. The activities of both replicative and terminal enzymes were affected to the same extent. There was no evidence of binding between DNA and diethylstilboestrol. A comparative study of the inhibitory effects of some stilboestrol derivatives is presented. The alkyl substitution in the alphaalpha'-positions seem to alter the inhibitory effect of these compounds: dimethylstilboestrol was more inhibitory than stilbene, and diethylstilboestrol was more inhibitory than dimethylstilboestrol. Hexoestrol, in which the alphaalpha'-ethylenic linkage is saturated, was the most effective inhibitor.

Deoxyribonucleic acid degradation in Bacillus subtilis during exposure to actinomycin D

At high concentrations (10 mug/ml), actinomycin D inhibited deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis in Bacillus subtilis. Inhibition occurred quickly (in less than 1 min) and was complete. In strain 23 thy his, inhibition of DNA synthesis by actinomycin D was followed by partial degradation of one of the two daughter strands to acid-soluble products. Degradation began at the replication point and proceeded over a distance equal to about 12% of a chromosome in length. Actinomycin D played some essential part in degradation, since exposure of the cells to other treatments or agents which inhibit growth did not lead to the above result.

Deoxyribonucleic acid nucleotidyltransferase from Landschütz ascites-tumour cells

1. A purification procedure for DNA nucleotidyltransferase from Landschütz ascites-tumour cells is described. The enzyme can be separated from endogenous nucleic acid and from triphosphatase and deoxyribonuclease activities measurable at pH7.5. 2. The basic properties of the nucleotidyltransferase reaction are as follows. The enzyme has optimum activity at pH7.2-7.4. It displays an absolute requirement for DNA-primer, thermally-denatured DNA serving three to ten times as efficiently in this respect as native DNA. Maximum synthesis of polydeoxyribonucleotide occurs in the presence of all four deoxyribonucleoside 5'-triphosphates, but a limited incorporation of mononucleotide into polynucleotide is observed when the system is provided with only one triphosphate, or with various combinations of mono-, di- and tri-phosphates. The reaction requires the presence of a bivalent cation, and of those tested, Mg(2+) ions were by far the most effective. Manganous ions promoted synthesis but to a much smaller extent. Calcium ions did not support synthesis at all. At the appropriate concentrations, the univalent cations (sodium and potassium) stimulated the reaction by 25% and 125% respectively. The presence of EDTA in the reaction mixture stimulates the system five- to ten-fold. 3. The storage characteristics of the enzyme (as well as the activities of the various fractions) improve markedly if EDTA and 2-mercaptoethanol are included in the enzyme solution and in all preparative buffer solutions. 4. The enzyme loses more than 95% of its activity after heating for 1min. at 45 degrees . If the heating is conducted in the presence of DNA, the enzyme becomes relatively heat-resistant (presumably as a consequence of complex-formation with the DNA) and may actually display an activation effect. This is discussed in relation to a possible molecular conformation of the enzyme. 5. The product of the nucleotidyltransferase reaction is precipitable by acid or ethanol, and is susceptible to the actions of deoxyribonucleases I and II, snake-venom and spleen phosphodiesterases, and micrococcal nuclease. It forms a band in a density gradient of caesium chloride at a density similar to that of the DNA-primer. 6. By the criteria of nearest-neighbour frequency analyses, the product of the nucleotidyltransferase reaction has the characteristics to be expected of a polynucleotide synthesized in accordance with the template directions of the primer.