Differences between human lymphocyte subpopulations with respect to the uptake and incorporation of [3H]uridine and ribonucleoside triphosphate pools

Nucleoside transport and metabolism in lymphocytes, polymorphonuclear cells and cerebral synaptosomes

The salvage of nucleosides dominates over de novo biosynthesis in lymphocytes, polymorphonuclear cells (PMN) and in central neutral nervous system (CNS) in higher organisms. Earlier works in our laboratory have shown that the salvage of deoxycytidine (dCyd) did not correlate with DNA synthesis. The uptake and metabolism of dCyd was higher in undifferentiated germinal center lymphocytes and in follicles comparing to more differentiated cells. Recently we have compared the transport of thymidine (dThd), dCyd, uridine (Urd) and adenosine (Ado) in the three cell systems in which the salvage of nucleosides is dominating. It was found that dCyd was transported 30 times more effectively into lymphocytes than into PMN and synaptosomes, while Urd was transported about the same rate into the two cells and into synaptosomes. All transport processes could be inhibited by dipyridamole, NBRPR, papaverine and dilazep. The dCyd and dThd was phosphorylated even at 0 degrees C up to TTP and dCTP without incorporation into DNA and into liponucleotides. Our results show that the processes of transport-phosphorylation, as well as the processes of DNA-CDP-phospholipid synthesis are tightly coupled to each other in intact cells and organelles.

Discrepancies between flow cytometric analysis and [3H]thymidine incorporation in stimulated lymphocytes

The DNA synthesis system of freshly isolated tonsillar lymphocytes and those stimulated by phytohaemagglutinin were compared by different methods. Both cell populations had high DNA polymerase alpha and thymidine kinase activities, as well as a high rate of incorporation of [3H]thymidine into DNA. However, the two cell populations differed when their DNA distributions were compared by flow cytometry. Freshly isolated cells contained many less (6%) cells in S phase than were found in phytohaemagglutinin-stimulated lymphocytes (18%) as detected by flow cytometry. The labelling of different subpopulations of lymphocytes was studied by sorting them electrically with a fluorescence-activated cell sorter. Analysis of the radioactivity of [3H]thymidine pulse-labelled cells, sorted according to their DNA content, showed that cells in the G1 peak of DNA distribution had a significant amount of incorporated [3H]thymidine. Sorting of cells according to their size (i.e., by light scattering) revealed that only large cells were labelled with [3H]thymidine.

Differences between lymphoid organs with respect to the phosphorylation of deoxycytidine and thymidine

The specific activity of thymidine kinase (TK) was higher in spleen than in thymus or unseparated tonsillar lymphocytes, while deoxycytidine kinase (dCK) specific activity was lowest in spleen and was much higher in thymus and in unseparated tonsillar lymphocytes. The ratio of dCK to TK was always high in thymus, in unseparated and in B-cell-enriched tonsillar lymphocytes (between 2 and 5), but it was always low in spleen (0.3-0.4). The difference in the pyrimidine nucleoside phosphorylating enzyme activities of the thymus and spleen does not seem to be a mere consequence of different DNA synthesis rates, because the activities of DNA polymerase-alpha were practically the same in these organs. Unseparated and B-cell-enriched tonsillar lymphocytes resemble the thymus with respect to the ratio of dCK to TK activities, while the T-cell-enriched fraction contained 3-5 times lower activities of both enzymes. These results suggest that the metabolic pathways of CdR and TdR utilization for DNA synthesis differ in the lymphocyte populations independently from their rate of DNA polymerization and they may be in connection with their maturation processes.

Excretion of newly synthesized DNA by tonsil lymphocytes

The main part of newly synthesized DNA is preferentially released in vitro both by non-stimulated or phytohemagglutinin-stimulated tonsil lymphocytes. Freshly isolated cells excrete DNA faster than phytohemagglutinin-stimulated ones. The acid-precipitable 3H-thymidine lost can be accounted for in the culture medium as labeled, double stranded DNA isolated on hydroxyapatite column.