PURINE SYNTHESIS IN SUSPENSIONS OF MUCOSA FROM THE SMALL INTESTINE OF THE RAT

Suspensions of the epithelial lining of the small intestine of the rat have been shown to be suitable for in vitro studies of the de novo pathway of purine biosynthesis. The mucosal suspensions incorporate radioactive precursors such as formate and glycine into the purines of the soluble nucleotides and the nucleic acids. The relative renewal rates of purines from glycine and formate indicate that the latter is incorporated principally by synthesis as opposed to exchange reactions. The acid-soluble adenine compounds showed the highest renewal rates in this system.