A novel, highly modified, bacteriophage DNA in which thymine is partly replaced by a phosphoglucuronate moiety covalently bound to 5-(4',5'-dihydroxypentyl)uracil.

Bacteriophage SP-15, which infects Bacillus subtilis, contains a highly modified DNA in which 62% of its thymine residues are replaced by 5-(4',5'-dihydroxypentyl)uracil to which is attached a phosphoglucuronate via a phosphodiester linkage to one of the hydroxyl groups of the pentyl side chain. Glucose is also bound to this residue probably by glycosidic linkage to the other hydroxyl group of the pentyl side chain. In 0.3 M KOH at 37 degrees C, glucuronic acid 1-phosphate is slowly released from this DNA. After enzymatic or acid-induced dephosphorylation, this sugar was identified by chromatography in two thin layer chromatography systems, conversion to glucuronolactone under conditions known to lactonize glucuronic acid, and reaction in four colorimetric assays for hexuronic acids. Phage SP-15 DNA is the first DNA found to have a uronic acid moiety or a phosphate which is not part of the phosphodiester backbone. The glucuronic acid phosphate might be derived from uridine pyrophosphoglucuronic acid, whose glucuronic acid moiety is normally destined for synthesis of teichuronic acid in the host cell wall.