THE ROLE OF THIOL GROUPS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF RADIATION DAMAGE IN THYMOCYTES AND EHRLICH ASCITES CARCINOMA CELLS

1964 ◽  
Vol 42 (12) ◽  
pp. 1717-1727 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. F. Scaife

The effect of 800–1000 rads of X-irradiation on the thiol content of thymocytes and Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells has been compared. Four hours after irradiation there was a decrease in the non-protein thiol (NP.SH) content of thymus and thymocytes but no change in ascites cells. In both cells the main NP.SH compound was glutathione. There was no significant effect of irradiation on the protein thiol (P.SH) content of thymus or ascites cells, but there was a slight decrease in P.SH in thymocytes after 4 hours incubation. Isolated thymus nuclei showed an immediate small decrease in P.SH content following 800 rads in vitro. Nuclei isolated from rat thymus 1 hour after 1000 rads in vivo showed an increase in the SH content of the globulin fraction and a decrease in the SH content of the nucleohistones. The total SH content of thymocytes and ascites cells was reduced by slow diffusion of H2O2into the cell suspension, but no effect of prior irradiation on this decrease of SH was found. Inhibition of catalase in vivo and in vitro did not produce any of the morphological signs of irradiation damage in thymocytes. There was no effect of irradiation on the copper content of thymus, thymocytes, or ascites cells. The ratio of NP.SH/P.SH is higher in thymocytes than in ascites cells, but, allowing for the difference in cell size, the overall total thiol concentration was the same. Anoxia produced only a small increase in NP.SH content in both cells and a small and doubtful increase in P.SH. It is concluded that, if thiol groups are involved in cell sensitivity to radiation, only a small fraction of the total SH groups are involved at critical sites.

1966 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian C. Caldwell ◽  
J. Frank Henderson ◽  
A. R. P. Paterson

6-(Methylmercapto)purine ribonucleoside (Me6MPR) is efficiently phosphorylated in mouse tissues and in Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells in vivo; tumor cells in vitro and cell-free extracts of the tumor also phosphorylate this analogue ribonucleoside. The product of this reaction has been identified by chemical and enzymatic methods and by its chromatographic behaviour as Me6MPR 5′-phosphate. The evidence presented in this report indicates that no other major metabolites of Me6MPR are formed.The phosphorylation of Me6MPR by cell-free tumor extracts requires ATP and Mn2+ (or Mg2+), and evidence is presented that the reaction is probably mediated by adenosine kinase.Me-14C-6MPR is rapidly taken up by most mouse tissues following its intraperitoneal injection. Forty minutes after injection of the labeled drug, the highest levels of radioactivity were found in intestine, liver, blood cells, lung, and spleen, in descending order; virtually no radioactivity was found in brain tissue or in blood plasma.


1965 ◽  
Vol 43 (7) ◽  
pp. 859-864 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shan-Ching Sung

The rate of DNA synthesis in Ehrlich ascites cells measured immediately after X-irradiation of 500 r for 6 minutes in vitro showed about 15% reduction. However, if X-irradiation was followed by preincubation of the cells, the subsequent synthesis of DNA in the X-irradiated cells was markedly inhibited. Under the same condition, the uptake of thymidine-2-C14, uridine-2-C14, adenine-8-C14, and glycine-1-C14, and protein synthesis in the X-irradiated cells were found to be almost the same as those in the non-irradiated control. RNA synthesis measured as total RNA was only slightly inhibited.


Author(s):  
Shaikh Shohidul Islam ◽  
Md. Rezaul Karim ◽  
A. K. M. Asaduzzaman ◽  
A. H. M. Khurshid Alam ◽  
Zahid Hayat Mahmud ◽  
...  

1965 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. I. Uppin ◽  
P. G. Scholefield

Studies have been made of the effects of metabolic inhibitors on the oxidation and incorporation of radioactivity into nucleotides of glucose labelled in the 1, 2, and 6 positions. The results indicate that in Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells the predominant oxidative pathway is the hexosemonophosphate shunt. Investigation of the time courses of oxidation of the labelled glucose molecules confirms this conclusion. The pattern of incorporation of radioactivity initially suggests that nucleotide ribose is not formed via this pathway. However, it is shown that the coupling of an active transketolase system with the other enzymes of the hexosemonophosphate shunt provides a sufficient explanation of all the experimental observations. The conclusion is reached that pentose is formed by oxidation of glucose through the shunt but that the labelling pattern is largely established as the result of the exchange reaction catalyzed by transketolase.


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