Specific Loss of Newly Replicated Deoxyribonucleic Acid in Nalidixic Acid-Treated Bacillus subtilis 168

Bacillus subtilis 168 thyA, thyB cells degrade and lose from 20 to 30% of their deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in 3.5 hr of exposure to 20 mug of nalidixic acid per ml. Degradation appears to be initiated at the replication point and to proceed sequentially along the chromosome from the most recently synthesized DNA to "older" DNA. Both DNA strands appear to be degraded equally, and essentially all of the products of degradation are soluble in cold acid.