This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Smith, K. C. Articles by Kaplan, H. S. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Smith, K. C. Articles by Kaplan, H. S.

A Chromatographic Comparison of the Nucleic Acids from Isologous Newborn, Adult, and Neoplastic Thymus^*

( Department of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California)

The total tissue nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) have been isolated from normal and neoplastic mouse thymus glands and chromatographically fractionated. Significant differences in the chromatographic distribution of the nucleic acids from normal adult thymus and x-radiation-induced thymic lymphosarcoma were found. Chromatographic patterns intermediate between normal and tumor were found in the thymuses of irradiated animals prior to gross tumor formation. Since changes in the RNA fraction accounted for the major differences between the samples studied, RNA was then isolated from newborn, adult, and neoplastic thymus glands and chromatographically compared. The RNA distribution patterns for normal adult and tumor-containing thymus were significantly different, but the patterns for the RNA from the thymuses of newborn animals were very similar to those for the tumors. Since mitotic proliferation and immature cell forms are plentiful in rapidly growing newborn thymus, but not in adult thymus, this result suggests that the altered chromatographic pattern of RNA from tumor-containing thymus glands may be a manifestation of rapid growth and/or cell immaturity, rather than an intrinsic property of the neoplastic state.

^* This investigation was supported by grant C-2896 from the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Public Health Service.

The following abbreviations are employed: DNA for deoxyribonucleic acid; RNA for ribonucleic acid.

Received 4/ 4/61.