Chapter 37 



The Relationship of Nucleic Acid and Protein Synthesis as 

 Revealed by Studies in Cell-Free Systems* f 



Mahlon B. Hoagland 



John Collins Warren Laboratories of the Huntington Memorial 



Hospital of Harvard University at the Massachusetts 



General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 



I. Introduction 349 



II. Participation of Cellular Nucleic Acid-Containing Fractions in Protein Syn- 

 thesis 352 



1 . The Ribosomes 353 



2. The Soluble Enzyme-Transfer Ribonucleic Acid System 371 



3. Note on the Occurrence of Certain Nucleotide-Peptide Compounds 394 



4. The Mitochondria and Chloroplasts 395 



5. The Nuclei 396 



6. Bacterial Cell Membranes 396 



III. Theoretical Considerations 398 



1. The Role of Ribonucleic Acid 398 



2. The Role of Deoxyribonucleic Acid 407 



I. Introduction 



The unprecedented growth of interest in protein synthesis among bio- 

 chemists is both a result of, and has contributed to, our rapidly advancing 

 knowledge of the chemistry and metabolism of the nucleic acids. Thus 

 these two lines of biochemical activity have become closely intertwined 

 and it is appropriate that a discussion of protein synthesis should appear 

 in a volume on the nucleic acids. Much has been written on the subject 

 of the relationship of nucleic acids and protein synthesis in the past few 

 years; over and above a vast number of original papers there have been, 

 to the author's knowledge, sixteen published reviews and symposia on the 

 subject in the past four years. 1-16 (General and comprehensive coverage of 



* The preparation of this chapter has been aided by grants from the U. S. Public 

 Health Service, the U. S. Atomic ISnergy Commission, and the American Cancer 

 Society. 



t This is publication No. 987 of the Cancer Commission of Harvard University. 



1 J. Brachet, in "The Nucleic Acids" (E. Chargaff and J. N. Davidson, eds.), Vol. 

 II, p. 476. Academic Press, New York, 1955. 



2 H. Borsook, Proc. 3rd Intern. Congr. Biochem., Brussels, 1955 p. 92 (1956). 



3 G. D. Novelli and J. A. DeMoss, J. Cellular Com?. Physiol. 50, Suppl. 1 (1957). 



349 



