Enzymatic synthesis of nucleic acids.

Abstract

personal int erest and also avoids overlap with the review Metabolism oj Nucleic Acids in this volume (1). Additional discussion of nucleic acid biosynthesis can be found in several recent reviews (2, 3) (see also reviews in vol. III of The Nucleic Acids, Academic Press Inc., New York, 1960), The last few years have produced not able advances in our understanding of the pathways of nucleic acid biosynthesis. Although an enzyme for ribo­ polynucleotide syn thesis was discovered first, knowle dge of the mechanism of RNA biosynthes is is much less complete than it is for DNA. DNA con­ tained within the chromosomes can be regarded as a single bioche mical and molecular unit, whereas cellular RNA is physically and metabo lically heterogeneous. It may well be, therefore, that in contrast to DNA synthe sis. which app ears to proceed by a unique mechanism, several different enzyme systems are involved in RNA synthe sis.