Nucleic acid changes during lymphocyte transformation in vitro
type: CreativeWork
description: Circulating blood lymphocytes (a) do not usually divide in vitro (Trowell,1965), and (b), are of importance in immunity (Gowans + McGregor,1965). Nowell in 1960 discovered that when a bean extract, PHA, was added to these cells in culture they were suddenly activated to transform and divide. Similar cytological changes are seen within lymphoid organs in the course of immune responses (Fagraeus, 1948; Scothorne,1957; Gowans,1962; Oort + Turk,1965). I have studied the nucleic acid changes occurring during in vitro transformation in order to gain some understanding of the cellular control mechanisms involved and of the immune significance of the phenomenon. The results of this study are presented from chapter IV onwards after initial chapters on the literature of lymphocyte transformation in vitro (chapter II), and on the methods which have been employed (chapter III). In chapter IV the quantitative nucleic acid changes occuring during transformation are described. Such measurements were designed to produce results which could be simply interpreted. The main questions which are asked are:- (a) How long will cells grow in culture without medium replenishment? (b) How much PHA must be added in order to obtain a given transformation response? (c) Is this amount of PHA proportional to the number of cells present, or the amount of serum in the culture? (d) How long must cultures be exposed to PHA in order that a subsequent transformation response will occur? However quantitative nucleic acid assay was not sufficiently sensitive to answer the further questions which arose, In chapter V measurements of the incorporation of [5-$^{3}$H] uridine during transformation are described. Such measurements produced results which were difficult to interpret. Most of the chapter is devoted to finding to what extent the incorporation of [5-$^{3}$H] uridine can be treated in simple terms. A description is given of a new phenomenon by which uridine itself, at certain critical concentrations…
abstract: Circulating blood lymphocytes (a) do not usually divide in vitro (Trowell,1965), and (b), are of importance in immunity (Gowans + McGregor,1965). Nowell in 1960 discovered that when a bean extract, PHA, was added to these cells in culture they were suddenly activated to transform and divide. Similar cytological changes are seen within lymphoid organs in the course of immune responses (Fagraeus, 1948; Scothorne,1957; Gowans,1962; Oort + Turk,1965). I have studied the nucleic acid changes occurring during in vitro transformation in order to gain some understanding of the cellular control mechanisms involved and of the immune significance of the phenomenon. The results of this study are presented from chapter IV onwards after initial chapters on the literature of lymphocyte transformation in vitro (chapter II), and on the methods which have been employed (chapter III). In chapter IV the quantitative nucleic acid changes occuring during transformation are described. Such measurements were designed to produce results which could be simply interpreted. The main questions which are asked are:- (a) How long will cells grow in culture without medium replenishment? (b) How much PHA must be added in order to obtain a given transformation response? (c) Is this amount of PHA proportional to the number of cells present, or the amount of serum in the culture? (d) How long must cultures be exposed to PHA in order that a subsequent transformation response will occur? However quantitative nucleic acid assay was not sufficiently sensitive to answer the further questions which arose, In chapter V measurements of the incorporation of [5-$^{3}$H] uridine during transformation are described. Such measurements produced results which were difficult to interpret. Most of the chapter is devoted to finding to what extent the incorporation of [5-$^{3}$H] uridine can be treated in simple terms. A description is given of a new phenomenon by which uridine itself, at certain critical concentrations…
author: Forsdyke, Donald Roy
language: eng
license: https://apollo8-f-pro.lib.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/e482e1bc-524e-43a3-b553-79ce41331b8b/download
license: https://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved/
license: https://apollo8-f-pro.lib.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/3645a5d6-2858-409f-b1dd-053e1164a493/download
date published: 1968-01-30
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:24:31Z
provider: Cambridge University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Cambridge

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.17863/CAM.17280