Purine Salvage in Mitochondria of Cultured Catharanthus roseus Cells

Summary Activity of adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (EC 2.4.2.7), guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (EC 2.4.2.8), hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (EC 2.4.2.8) adenosine kinase (EC 2.7.1.20) was demonstrated in mitochondria isolated from cultured cells of Catharanthus roseus .Percoll purified mitochondria have the ability to synthesize nucleotides and nucleic acids from adenine, guanine, hypoxanthine and adenosine.These results indicate that a part of the purine salvage system is present in the mitochondria, although a large portion of the system seems to be located in the cytosol. No activity of pyrophosphate dependent nucleoside kinase which was discovered in Acholeplasma laidlawii by Tryon and Pollack [J.Bacteriol.159, 265-270 (1984)] was detected in cultured Catharanthus roseus cells.