Effect of putative deoxyribonucleic acid inhibitors on macromolecular synthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The effects of inhibitors of bacterial deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis upon logarithmically growing cultures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae were investigated. Cell division, ribonucleic acid (RNA) synthesis, and DNA synthesis were measured after addition of nalidixic acid, fluorodeoxyuridine, or phenethyl alcohol to cultures of yeast growing in defined and complex media. Both nalidixic acid and fluorodeoxyuridine had only temporary effects on nucleic acid synthesis in cultures growing in defined medium, and little or no observable effect on cultures growing in complex medium. Neither compound inhibited colony formation on complex solid medium, although growth was slow on defined solid medium. Phenethyl alcohol caused complete inhibition of DNA synthesis, RNA synthesis, and cell division in cultures growing in defined medium. In cultures growing in complex medium, RNA synthesis and cell division were inhibited to a lesser extent. A slight increase in DNA was observed in the presence of the inhibitor.