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L. V. Avdeeva, V. K. Koltover
Nuclear spin catalysis in living nature
Abstract
In chemistry, there is the so-called
magnetic isotope effect: the reactions show different rates and different
yields of products according to whether the reagents contain magnetic or
nonmagnetic isotopes. Our group has first performed the experiments with cells
enriched with different stable isotopes of magnesium, magnetic 25Mg
versus nonmagnetic 24Mg or 26Mg. It was revealed that
adaptation of bacteria E. coli to the growth media, enriched with
magnetic 25Mg, proceeds faster as compared to the growth media,
enriched with nonmagnetic 24Mg or 26Mg. Furthermore, with
another commonly accepted cell model, yeast S. cerevisiae, it was
revealed that the rate constant of post-radiation recovery of the cells after
UV irradiation is twice higher for the cells enriched with 25Mg than
for the cells enriched with the nonmagnetic isotope. In collaboration with
Ukrainian colleagues from Palladin Institute of Biochemistry in Kiev, the
effects of different isotopes of magnesium on ATP hydrolysis driven by myosin
isolated from myometrium were studied. The enzyme activity has turned out to be
2.0–2.5 times higher in the reaction media enriched with 25Mg as
compared to the activity of the same enzyme in the reaction media enriched with
the spinless 24Mg or 26Mg. Some possible mechanisms of
the magnetic isotope effects (nuclear spin catalysis) in the biological objects
are discussed.
Key words: biocatalysts, nuclear spin
catalysis, stable isotopes, magnetic-isotope effect, reliability.
Copyright (C) Chemistry Dept., Moscow State University, 2002
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