[Degradation of ribonucleic acids in yeast cells during desiccation]

From 26 to 43% of RNA undergoes degradation in yeast cells when they pass into the state of anabiosis. Most of the degradation was found to occur at the first stage of cell dehydration when free water was removed from the cells. The mechanism of RNA degradation is supposed to involve enzyme-catalysed processes which are realised in the cell at the early stages of its dehydration.