Fraction of pelagic bacteria dry weight that is DNA

Range volume 0.026µm^3 13%: volume 0.4µm^3 5%: in E. coli 3 %
Organism bacteria
Reference Meinhard Simon, Farooq Azam, Protein content and protein synthesis rates of planktonic marine bacteria. Marine ecology progress series. Oldendorf, 1989 Vol 51 pp.201-213 p.207 right column bottom paragraph
Primary Source Ingraham, J. L., Maloe, O., Neidhardt, F. C. (1983). Growth of the bacterial cell. Sinauer Association, Sunderland, Mass
Method Abstract: "[Investigators] measured bacterial protein content and protein production of pelagic bacteria. Bacterial protein content was measured as amino acids by high performance liquid chromatography of cell hydrolysates of bacterial assemblages of mean diameters [note: this should probably read 'mean volumes'] from 0.026 to 0.4µm [should probably be 'from 0.026 to 0.4µm^3']."
Comments P.207 right column bottom paragraph: "Protein and DNA were based on measurements of bacterial assemblages, other components were extrapolated from cultures but [investigators] took into account the effect of cell size on the proportion of cell wall and cell membrane. Taken at face value [their] calculation suggests that as bacteria become very small their dry weight becomes rich in DNA (13 % of dry weight in 0.026 µm^3 bacteria compared with 5 % in 0.4 µm^3 cells and 3 % in E. coli [primary source]) and protein and poor in RNA."
Entered by Uri M
ID 115329