RNA:DNA Ratio and Other Nucleic Acid Derived Indices in Marine Ecology

RNA:DNA Ratio and Other Nucleic Acid Derived Indices in Marine Ecology

Some of most used indicators in marine ecology are nucleic acid-derived indices. They can be divided by target levels in three groups: 1) at the organism level as ecophysiologic indicators, indicators such as RNA:DNA ratios, DNA:dry weight and RNA:protein, 2) at the population level, indicators such as growth rate, starvation incidence or fisheries impact indicators, and 3) at the community lev...

Applications of Nucleic Acid Hybridization in Microbial Ecology Author(s):

Nucleic acid hybridization techniques offer a new approach to answer old, intractable questions in microbial ecology as well as new questions. These include characterization of the predominant, yet unculturable populations in nature, the role of the environment in gene expression, and the extent of gene exchange among communities in nature. The essence of this methodology is the denaturing and ...

Nucleic acid binding and other biomedical properties of artificial oligolysines

In the present study, we report the interaction of an artificial oligolysine (referred to as AOL) realized in our laboratory with targets of biomedical importance. These included polyinosinic acid (poly rI) and its complex with polycytidylic acid (poly I:C), RNAs with well-known interferon-inducing ability, and double-stranded (ds) DNA. The ability of the peptide to bind both single-stranded po...

Nucleic Acid Catalysis: Metals, Nucleobases, and Other Cofactors

In vitro and in vivo inhibition of catalase by uric acid and other nucleic acid catabolites.

Early in this century it was observed that aqueous extracts of animal tissues were capable of inhibiting the activity of catalase in vitro (~). More recently it has been found that either normal adult or growing tissues are very rich in catalase-inhibitory substances (1, 7). I n vivo experiments showed tha t the catalase activity of the liver of rats and mice bearing tumors was 50 per cent of t...