Incorporation of Adenine-8-C-14 and Orotic-6-C-14 Acid into Nucleic Acids of the Feline Neuraxis. ∗

Abstract

Summary

1. Adenine-8-C-14 and orotic-6-C-14 acid when injected intrathecally were rapidly incorporated into pentose nucleic acid of the central nervous system of mature cats. Once incorporated, these labeled precursors were retained for a relatively long time (51 days). 2. The pentose nucleic acid of spinal white matter and spinal nerve roots exhibited high specific activity, generally exceeding that of spinal gray matter and hindbrain. Spinal ganglia showed the lowest specific activity of pentose nucleic acid. 3. The deoxypentose nucleic acid showed insignificant activity in most experiments. When animals received repeated injections of labeled compounds and when they survived for longer periods of time (51 days), the deoxypentose nucleic acid fraction exhibited high activity; however, biochemical proof of incorporation is not yet available.