Ribonucleic acid, deoxyribonucleic acid, and protein content of cells of different ages of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the ralationship to immunogenicity.

The amount of ribonucleic acid (RNA), protein, and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was determined in pellicle cultures of different ages of the H37Ra strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, grown on a synthetic medium. We found that the highest content of RNA and protein was present in 2-week-old cultures, indicating that these cells were in the logarithmic phase of growth. DNA content was highest at 1 and 2 weeks. The amount of all three compounds then decreased about 50% during the following 6 weeks. Two-week-old cells should therefore be used for preparation of the immunogenic ribosomal fraction. The optimal concentration of zinc chloride increased RNA and protein synthesis, and also improved the appearance of the pellicle growth. Two-week-old cells, which contained the largest amount of RNA and protein, immunized mice significantly better than older cells. Since protein and DNA are not involved in the production of immunity, a correlation could be made between amount of RNA and the capacity of viable H37Ra cells to immunize mice. The immunizing capacity of these cells was not affected by ribonuclease, probably because the ribonuclease did not penetrate into the whole cells.