CHAPTER 16 



The Nucleic Acid Content of Tissues and Cells 

 I. LESLIE 



Page 



I. Introduction 1 



II. Methods 2 



1. Procedure of Schmidt and Thannhauser 3 



2. Procedure of Schneider 6 



3. Procedure of Ogur and Rosen 7 



III. Normal Adult Tissues 7 



IV. Embryonic Development and Postnatal Growth 15 



V. Regenerating Tissues and Tissue Explants 19 



VI. Dietary Factors Influencing Nucleic Acid Content 24 



VII. Neoplastic Tissues and Chemical Carcinogenesis 27 



VIII. Hormonal Influences 32 



IX. Various Pathological Conditions 39 



1. Pernicious or Megaloblastic Anemias 39 



2. Nerve Section, Ischemia, and Atrophy 39 



3. Radiation Effects 39 



4. Drug Action. . . . ' 40 



X. Plant Tissues 40 



XI. Bacteria and Viruses 41 



XII. Conclusion 43 



XIII. Addendum 44 



I. Introduction 



Convenient and reliable methods for determining the PNA and DNA 

 contents of tissues were not available until Schmidt and Thannhauser' and 

 Schneider^ published their procedures in 1945, and it is necessary to con- 

 centrate mainly on the large body of information accumulated since then. 

 The situation up to 1947 has, in any case, been thoroughly reviewed and 

 tables of data provided by Davidson and Waymouth^ and Davidson.''-^ 



1 G. Schmidt and S. J. Thannhauser, /. Biol. Chem., 161, 83 (1945). 



2 W. C. Schneider, /. Biol. Chem. 161, 293 (1945). 



^ J. N. Davidson and C. Waymouth, Nutrition Abstr. & Revs. 14, 1 (1944-1945). 

 *J. N. Davidson, Symposia Soc. Exptl. Biol. 1, 77 (1947). 

 * J. N. Davidson, Cold Spring Harbor Symposia Quant. Biol. 12, 50 (1947). 

 8 J. N. Davidson, "The Biochemistry of the Nucleic Acids," 2nd ed. Methuen, 

 London, 1953. 



1 



