Abstract
THE potent water-soluble carcinogen 4-nitroquinoline N-oxide (NQO) is remarkably versatile and thus represents a good means of discerning pre-requisites for carcinogenesis. NQO condenses readily with sulphydryl groups; is mutagenic to bacteria, tobacco mosaic virus, and Aspergillus niger1; inhibits incorporation of phosphorus-32 into nucleic acids of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells2; induces nucleolar ‘caps’ in Chang liver cells3; and inhibits growth of the flagellates Ochromonas danica, Euglena gracilis, of Corynebacterium bovis, and of the photosynthetic purple bacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris. These growth inhibitions are competitively annulled by L-tryptophan; D-tryptophan is also effective. The competitive annulment ratio is 0.2 mg/ml. tryptophan: NQO 2 µ/ml.
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ZAHALSKY, A., MARCUS, S. Interference by the Carcinogenic 4-Nitro-quinoline N-Oxide of Triptophan and Indole Uptake in Escherichia coli. Nature 208, 296 (1965). https://doi.org/10.1038/208296a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/208296a0
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