Stability of the nucleic acids of L cells after infection with the meningopneumonitis agent.

The stability of host nucleic acids in L cells infected with Chlamydia psittaci (strain meningopneumonitis) was studied. The L cells were prelabeled with either (32)P-orthophosphate, (3)H-uridine, or (3)H-thymidine. After infection, the redistribution of each label among the different fractions of host and parasite was quantitatively determined and compared. There were no signs of accelerated degradation of host nucleic acid as the consequence of meningopneumonitis infection. Comparison of the specific activities of the meningopneumonitis nucleic acids with that of the acid-soluble fraction of host cell cytoplasm suggested that the major source of precursors for parasite nucleic acid synthesis was the common cytoplasmic pool of the infected host cell.