Ho, Y.K., Guthrie, M.J., Clifford, A.J., Ho, C.C. (1992). Effect of adenine metabolites on survival of Drosophila melanogaster of low xanthine dehydrogenase activity.  Comp. Biochem. Physiol. B. Comp. Bioch. 103(): 413--417.

FBrf0055628

Research paper

1. Low xanthine dehydrogenase (LXD) mutant Drosophila melanogaster were fed 0.2% adenine for 7 generations, no adenine for the next 2 generations (relaxed) and 0.2% adenine again for the next 3 generations (rechallenged) to obtain adenine-resistant lines of Drosophila (LXD-adenine). Flies grown without adenine served as LXD-controls. 2. Purines ranked as follows; adenine > adenosine > AMP > inosine > IMP in decreasing order of toxicity to LXD-adenine flies. 3. Addition of ribose to 9N position, or phosphate or carboxy to 6C position of the purine ring alleviated the toxicity. 4. More LXD-adenine offspring survived than did LXD-control offspring rechallenged with adenine.