DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID BASE COMPOSITION OF SOME MEMBERS OF THE SUBGENERA BETABACTERIUM AND STREPTOBACTERIUM.

The base composition of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) prepared from four Betabacterium strains and four Streptobacterium strains was determined. Per cent GC values (guanine + cytosine/total bases) of the DNA were evaluated from the "melting-temperatures" (Tm) of the nucleic acids. For the Betabacterium strains, these values ranged from 44 to 51.5% GC, and those for the Streptobacterium strains ranged from 43 to 47.5% GC. The taxonomic division into these two subgenera is not, therefore, supported by these findings.