Alteration of carbon metabolism by a base analog.

The study of carbon metabolism by cultures of the yeast C. utilis exposed to 5-fluorouracil revealed that the growth rate and synthesis of macromolecules was altered. The amino acid composition of the metabolic pool of amino acids was vastly altered, but the protein composition was unchanged. It is suggested that the analog may exert a selective action on certain amino acids, and that this action may be related to a template-like mechanism.