[Distribution of carbon isotopes ((13)C/(12)C) in cells and temporal organization of cellular processes].

Recent studies on fractionation of carbon isotopes in biological systems are reviewed. It follows that direct experimental proofs have been obtained that 1) basic fractionation of carbon isotopes in the cell is related to isotope effect in pyruvate decarboxylation; 2) fractionation of carbon isotopes in the above reaction in vivo proceeds with exhausting substrate pool. The latter provides natural relationship between metabolites isotope distribution and sequence of their synthesis in the cell cycle, or with the temporal organization of cellular metabolism. The non-steady and periodic pattern of pyruvate decarboxylation due to the exhausting substrate pool well agrees with the existing notions on reciprocal oscillations in the cell glycolytic chain. Experimental data are presented corroborating indirectly the existence of oscillations in bacterial cells. Earlier proposed model of the mechanism of carbon isotope fractionation based on the above principles can be used for analysing changes in isotopic characteristics of the organisms and interpreting their relations with metabolic processes.