[Existence of an anabolically acting principle in an extract of E. coli]

Colibiogen, extracted from E. coli (in the following called coli extract) was examined for factors with anabolic efficiency, especially for anabolically efficient bases of nucleic acids and for peptides. The results obtained are the following: Tests for nucleotides, nucleosides and bases of nucleic acids by thin-layer chromatography technique turned out negative. To test anabolically efficient substances the so-called glutathione state test in the rat liver was used. In this test intraportal dosages of 200 micrograms coli extract and also 200 micrograms of the enzymatically decomposed muscle proteins (Pepton resp. Lab Lemco) gave rise to positive effects within 2 min. Contrary to peptides from the culture medium the efficiency of coli extract was considerably increased by previous tryptic fission (efficient concentration 6 micrograms). The quantities applied were related on microgram peptide. A coli extract preparation the phase of growth of which had been shortened to 12 h was separated into 4 fractions. The fourth fraction (lowest molecular weight) showed anabolic efficiency with 6 micrograms peptide in the state test. Before the denaturative extraction took place, the coli extract was separated by centrifugation in a third test series into coli extract bacteria mass and coli extract supernatant. Nothing but the supernatant showed anabolic properties. Two fractions, obtained by the separation of the bacteria mass, did not show any activity in the glutathione state test. It is discussed that E. coli-specific peptides with anabolic efficiency are candidates for the coli extract effects.