Effect of Purine and Pyrimidine Bases on Yeast Growth

Abstract

The growth inhibitors of S. cerevisiae IFO 0203 and the suppressors of the growth inhibition, that were contained in the Distillers Solubles, were investigated.
Growth inhibiting activity in early phase of yeast growth was detected in the basic fraction in the Distillers Solubles, whereas suppressing activity of the inhibition was detected in the acidic fraction. Those fractions were purified with active carbon chromatography, silicagel chromatography, ionexchange chromatography, gel filtration, XAD-2 chromatography, formation of precipitation from hot ethanol and TLC. The inhibitors were identified as hypoxanthine, guanine and adenine, while the suppessors of the inhibition were identified as uracil and uridine.
Inosine, guanosine and adenosine did not inhibit yeast growth. Cytosine had a lower activity of suppession than that of uracil, whereas thymine, cytidine, thymidine and thyamine did not suppress the inhibition.
Growth response to purines depended on yeast strains.