Ultraviolet microscopy of purine compounds in the yeast vacuole

Abstract

Svihla, G. (Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Ill.), J. L. Dainko, and F. Schlenk. Ultraviolet microscopy of purine compounds in the yeast vacuole. J. Bacteriol. 85:399-409. 1962.-Yeast cells (Candida utilis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae) suspended in nitrogen-free medium were exposed to various ultraviolet-absorbing biological compounds, particularly nucleic acid constituents. Ultraviolet photomicrography was used to locate these substances in the cells. Purines were taken up readily and concentrated in the vacuoles of C. utilis but not of S. cerevisiae. Crystallization occurred, as observed earlier by other techniques. Neither organism assimilated pyrimidine bases, or purine or pyrimidine nucleosides, at a detectable rate. From the selective uptake and release of some purine derivatives, it can be concluded that the properties of the vacuolar membrane and the cytoplasmic membrane differ in several respects.