Studies on the Protein Synthesis in Silkglands

Investigations of the incorporation of glycine-2-C14 into silkgland cell debris under controlled situations have been pursued.This includes the transferring substances (components of cell debris), representing pre cursors of protein and which are transferred enzymatically to particulate fraction. 1. The addition of 19 amino acids mixture less glycine to the incorporation in vitro of glycine-2-C14 into minced silkglands, increased the uptake of radioactivity by 44 per cent in whole cell debris. From the radioassay of fractionated cell debris, it was shown that this increment was essentially due to the enhanced uptake of radioactivity into protein moiety. Also a similar tendency was recogniz ed in the large particles. 2. Silkgand cell debris alone demonstrated the ability to incorporate C14-glycine into protein fraction. When enzymes were added to the incubations, C14-glycine uptake into cell debris protein was doubled. 3. No radioactivity was released when prelabelled cell debris was incubated with only enzyme fractions less particle. 4. From the gel filtration of cell-debris-extracts and autoradioraphy of chromatographed prelabelled cell debris hydrolysates, it was presumed that some components of cell debris, representing intermediates of protein and transferred enzymatically to particulate protein, are peptide-like substances with an inherent relevance to nucleic acids.