Nucleic acid enzymology of extremely halophilic bacteria. Gel-filtration and density-gradient-centrifugation studies of the molecular weights of Halobacterium cutirubrum polynucleotide phosphorylase and deoxyribonucleic acid- and ribonucleic acid-dependent ribonucleic acid polymerases.

1. Conditions have been established for the estimation of molecular weights of proteins by analytical gel filtration and sucrose-density-gradient centrifugation in 2.5m-potassium chloride-1m-sodium chloride; Halobacterium cutirubrum polynucleotide phosphorylase, DNA-dependent RNA polymerase and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase have been studied by these methods. 2. The RNA-dependent polymerase has also been studied by density-gradient centrifugation in the absence of salt. 3. All three proteins are of unusually low molecular weight compared with similar enzymes from non-halophilic bacteria.