Metabolism of the nucleic acids of rumen bacteria by preruminant and ruminant lambs.

Abstract

1. A rumen bacterial culture containing specifically labelled nucleic acids was prepared using [8-14C]adenine. 2. The labelled preparation was given in a liquid diet to two preruminant lambs and via a rumen tube to two ruminant lambs. The radioactivity excreted in exhaled gases, faeces and urine and that incorporated into tissues was determined. 3. The preruminant lambs absorbed 58.3% of the total radioactivity measured after 24 h and the ruminant lambs 66.6% of the total activity measured after 48 h. 4. Of the total radioactivity absorbed the preruminant lambs exhaled 38%, excreted 34% in urine and retained 29% in tissues. The corresponding values for the ruminant lambs were 12, 41 and 47% respectively. 5. There was a close relationship between total nucleic acid content and radioactivity per g of tissues of both preruminant and ruminant lambs. 6. Of the radioactivity in the urine, the ruminant and one preruminant lamb excreted most in the fraction containing allantoin, while the other lamb excreted most activity in the uric acid fraction. 7. The salvaging of the breakdown products of bacterial nucleic acids to make tissue nucleic acids appears to be an important synthesis in preruminant and ruminant lambs and of the likely precursors the purine base may be more important than the nucleoside.