Bacteria, antibiotics and amino Acid incorporation into maize endosperm protein bodies.

The incorporation of C(14)-leucine into protein bodies isolated from developing maize endosperm was studied. Protein bodies which incorporated significant amounts of C(14)-leucine were found to be contaminated with bacteria, while protein bodies prepared with sterile techniques incorporated C(14)-leucine at very low rates.Streptomycin, penicillin, puromycin, and actinomycin did not completely inhibit the bacterial incorporation, while chloramphenicol was an effective inhibitor.