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M J Bessman

Publications and source records attributed to M J Bessman.

71 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1970

Studies on the pathway of incorporation of 2-aminopurine into the deoxyribonucleic acid of Escherichia coli.

A pathway for the incorporation of 2-aminopurine into deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was studied in cell-free extracts of Escherichia coli. It was demonstrated that the free base can be converted to the deoxynucleoside, and that the deoxynucleotide can be phosphorylated to the di- and triphosphates and then incorporated into the DNA. From a consideration of the individual reactions in crude extracts, it is likely that the rate-limiting step in this pathway is the formation of the deoxynucleotide. Of especial interest is the observation that 2-aminopurine may be viewed as an analogue of either guanine or adenine, depending on which enzymatic step is being considered. On the one hand, it resembles guanine in that it is specifically converted from the mono- to the diphosphate by guanylate kinase and not by adenylate kinase. On the other hand, it replaces adenine rather than guanine in the DNA synthesized with purified DNA polymerases. E. coli DNA polymerase utilizes aminopurine deoxynucleoside triphosphate as a substrate for DNA synthesis much better than does purified phage T5-induced DNA polymerase and is also much less inhibited by this analogue than the T5 enzyme. These experiments in vitro correlate with known differential effects of 2-aminopurine on E. coli and phage in vivo.

Cell-Free System↗
PubMed1965

Assay for the Killing Properties of T2 Bacteriophage and Their "Ghosts".

Duckworth, Donna H. (Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md.), and Maurice J. Bessman. Assay for the killing properties of T2 bacteriophage and their "ghosts." J. Bacteriol. 90:724-728. 1965.-A procedure for the assay of bacteriophage and their "ghosts" which is based on their ability to kill cells is described. The method is derived from the well-known ability of phage and ghosts to prevent the induction of beta-galactosidase. Conditions are described whereby a direct relationship is found between the decrease in beta-galactosidase and the number of phage or ghosts present during the induction period. The number of phage measured by this method was found to be identical with the number of plaque-forming units found in a fresh lysate. The method has been used to follow the fate of ghosts under several conditions and to measure killer (but nonviable) particles in various preparations of phage.

Journal Article↗