Soluble and chromatin-bound DNA polymerases in developing soybean

Molecular weights of the major DNA polymerases in a higher plant, Pisum sativum L. (PEA)

The molecular weights of the soluble (alpha-like) and chromatin-bound (beta-like) DNA polymerases of pea have been determined. The bulk of the soluble activity consists of molecular species of ca 101,500 and ca 140,000 molecular weights. Smaller (49,000) and larger (182,000 and 234,000) species are also observed in some preparations. The chromatin-bound DNA polymerase exhibits a molecular weight of ca 50,000, although a larger (ca 88,000) species is also detected under conditions which favour aggregate formation.

DNA polymerase of a basidiomycete fungus, Coprinus cinereus

DNA polymerase activity was studied in Coprinus cinereus, a basidiomycete fungus. Only one from of the enzyme could be demonstrated, whether by affinity or ion-exchange chromatography; this enzyme had a molecular weight of 185000 on Sephadex G-200, and was inhibited by mercaptoethanol. Coprinus, a representative of the most advanced type of the filamentous fungi, resembles other eukaryotic micro-organisms in its lack of a mammalian beta-type DNA polymerase. The properties of the polymerase are compared with those of two other fungi, and found to resemble most closely the yeast polymerase A in Mg2+ requirements and template preference.