Effects of growth conditions on thymidine nucleotide pools in Escherichia coli.

The cellular levels of thymidine nucleotide derived from [3H]thymine or [3H]thymidine were followed under various environmental conditions with a thymine-requiring mutant of Escherichia coli. It was shown that the pool sizes varied greatly with the growth conditions; that is, with growth temperature, inhibition of DNA synthesis of replacement of thymine with thymidine. In the strain used here, the level of compound X, presumably dTDP-sugar, was very much higher than those of other thymidine nucleotides. It is suggested that the conversion of thymine to thymidine is rate-limiting, while the conversions of thymidine to dTMP, and of dTMP to dTDP are more rapid than other steps in the salvage pathway of thymidine nucleotide.