Association of Rapidly Metabolized DNA and RNA

An association of rapidly metabolized DNA and RNA labeled with P(32) has been found in peanut cotyledons by incorporation of either uridine-C(14) or thymidine-C(14) by peanut cotyledon slices. Chromatography of the extracted nucleic acids on methylated- albumin columns shows that the rapidly metabolized DNA and RNA are contained only in the first half of the DNA peak where RNA and DNA occur in equal amount. One-fourth of the radioactivity is recovered in ribonuc'eotides. Density-gradient centrifugation in cesium chloride indicates that the material containing the P(32) has a higher density than most of the DNA.