MITOCHONDRIAL AND CYTOPLASMIC TRANSFER RIBONUCLEIC ACIDS OF NEUROSPORA CRASSA

The transfer ribonucleic acids of the fungus Neurospora crassa have been isolated and characterized. Countercurrent distribution and reversed-phase column chromatography were used to separate the individual species of acceptor transfer ribonucleic acids. In transfer ribonucleic acid prepared from whole-cell extracts, multiple forms of glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine, leucine, lysine, methionine, serine, and phenylalanine transfer ribonucleic acids were easily separated by countercurrent distribution. However, the mitochondria of Neurospora contain transfer ribonucleic acids and aminoacyl transfer ribonucleic acid synthetases that are included in whole-cell extracts along with the cytoplasmic components. In a few cases, countercurrent distribution of isolated mitrochondrial transfer ribonucleic acids indicated which of the multiple forms observed in whole-cell extracts were due to mitochondrial transfer ribonucleic acid. For further resolution, reversed-phase chromatography was used to show distinct and separable species of mitochondrial and cytoplasmic transfer ribonucleic acids of 15 amino acids. © 1969, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.