Purine metabolism in Neisseria meningitidis

Whole cells of Neisseria meningitidis are found to utilize exogenous radioactive adenine with labelling of the adenosine 5′‐monophosphate, adenosine 5′‐diphosphate and adenosine 5′‐triphosphate pools. Radioactive hypoxanthine or adenosine were not found in ethanolic extracts from whole cells. Crude extracts from N. meningitidis were found to have activities corresponding to adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (EC 2.4.2.7). The adenosine 5′‐monophosphate formed was phosphorylated to adenosine 5′‐triphosphate. No activity corresponding to purine‐nucleoside phosphorylase (EC 2.4.2.1) or to adenine deaminase (EC 3.5.4.2) could be demonstrated in crude extracts from N. meningitidis.