RAPIDLY LABELLED POLYPHOSPHATES AND METAPHOSPHATES IN BLUE-GREEN ALGA ANACYSTIS NIDULANS

After pulse-labelling with 32P-orthophosphate of cells of the blue-green alga Anacystis (Lauterbornia) nidulans which were previously grown in a P-free medium for 20 h most of the 32P-radioactivity is incorporated into condensed inorganic phosphates. The isolation of the latter was achieved by joint extraction with the nucleic acids and fractionation on methylated serum albumin and Kieselgur (MAK) followed by column chromatography on QAE-Sephadex A 50. Two-dimensional thin layer chromatography on cellulose carried out with an acid solvent and an alkaline one revealed that most of the 32P-polyphosphates consisted of compounds with more than 8 phosphate residues. Besides the latter labelled linear oligophosphates with 2 to 7 residues and circular metaphosphates-tri-, tetra-, penta- und hexametaphosphate-were detected, the origin and function of which are still unknown. Among the low-molecular condensed inorganic phosphates the trimetaphosphate contained significantly more radioactivity incorporated than the other compounds. © 1969 Springer-Verlag.