NUCLEIC ACIDS AND RELATED COMPOUNDS 247 



first synthesized and then converted to deoxyribonucleotides before incorporation into 

 DNA (43). Little additional evidence is available on this point, and none specifically for 

 the higher plants. An alternative formation of deoxyribose by aldol condensation has been 

 suggested and is incorporated into the metabolic maps of Chapter 2. Where CO2, NH3, 

 and formate are shown in the diagram as reactants, it is probable that they actually par- 

 ticipate as derivatives. These may be, respectively, carboxylated biotin, glutamine, 

 and N^^-formyltetrahydrofolic acid. 



The nucleic acids are formed by condensation of nucleotides. DNA is synthesized 

 from nucleotide triphosphates by an enzyme obtained from Escherichia coli. The other 

 product is inorganic pyrophosphate, and a small amount of DNA "primer" must be present 

 to initiate the reaction. The formation of RNA by an enzyme present in both fungi and 

 higher plants apparently follows a course similar to that of DNA synthesis except that nu- 

 cleoside -5' diphosphates are used rather than triphosphates. This enzyme is named 

 polynucleotide phosphorylase and catalyzes the reversible reaction: 



nucleoside-5' diphosphate ^ ribonucleic acid + orthophosphate 



GENERAL REFERENCES 



Bottger, I. "Stoffwechsel der Purine und Pyrimidine" in Ruhland 8^ 763. 



Bottger, I. "Stoffwechsel der Nucleinsauren" in Ruhland 8 814. 



Chargaff, E. and Davidson, J. N. eds. , The Nucleic Acids 3 vols. , Academic Press, 



N. Y. 1955, 1960. 

 Davidson, J. N., The Biochemistry of the Nucleic Acids 4th ed. John Wiley and Sons, 



N. Y. , 1960. 

 Jordan, D. O. , The Chemistry of Nucleic Acids, Butterworth's, London, 1960. 

 Markham, R. "Nucleic Acids, Their Components, and Related Compounds" in Paech 



and Tracey 4 246. 



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