The Oscillopolarographic Behaviour of Deoxyribonucleic Acids Isolated from Bacillus Subtilis and Bacillus brevis

Summary The behaviour of DNA from several strains ofB. subtilis andB. brevis on the dropping mercury electrode in a medium of ammonium formate was studied. Native DNA yields in this medium on the oscillogram dE/dt againstE an anodic indentation for which the residues of deoxyguanylic acid are responsible.B. subtilis DNA produces a substantially smaller indentation thanB. brevis DNA does. It was found that the difference is not conditioned by impurities in the DNA samples, nor by the presence of denatured DNA. The difference in the depth of the indentation produced byB. subtilis andB. brevis DNAs almost disappears after denaturation of these DNAs or in an ammonium formate medium of higher concentration. The assumption was advanced that the different oscillopolarographic behaviour of DNAs obtained fromB. subtilis andB. brevis is connected with the different primary structure of these DNAs.