Aspects of Nucleic Acid Composition in Gossypium

Abstract
Analytically demonstrable specificity in over-all DNA composition was limited to about 1/3 of the spp. On the other hand, statistical analysis of the base ratios revealed a marked degree of specificity for the cytosine or guanine/5-methylcytosine ratios. These ratios were correlated with the cyto-taxonomic grouping of the spp. The sugar component in the DNA from each of the sp. was identified as 2-deoxyribose. Whole-cell RNA composition varied insignificantly from sp. to sp. That of 2 isolated fractions, differing mainly in adenylic and cytidylic acid contents, exhibited interspecific variations in the 4 spp. studied.