Application of a spectrophotometric method to the determination of the composition of oligonucleotides obtained from cysteine transfer ribonucleic acid.

1. The applications of methods for determining the composition of oligonucleotides from u.v.-absorption spectra is described. 2. In the first method absorbances at selected wave-lengths were read from the spectra of oligonucleotides in solution in 7 M-urea which had been recorded at acid and alkaline pH values. 3. In the second method absorbances were sampled automatically at regular time-intervals during scans at acid and alkaline pH of each spectrum, converted into digital signals and recorded on paper take for computer processing. The holmium spectrum in the region of the holmium peak at 333.7 nm was superimposed on each nucleotide spectrum. The position of this peak maximum was used as a standard reference point in the computer-based analysis. 4. By using either method the composition was calculated by a least-squares procedure by using a library of values for five standard nucelotides obtained in a similar manner. 5. The methods gave satisfactory compositions for mixtures of mononucleotides as well as for five dinucleoside monophosphates. 6. Methods of minimizing the effects on the nucleotide composition of spectural changes due to base stacking are discussed. 7. The compositions of some oligonucleotides obtained during an investigation of the nucleotide sequence of tRNA (Cys) were determined and agreed with the sequences found by other methods.