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Effect of tryptophan on isolated hepatocytes of rats

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Virchows Archiv B

Summary

The addition of tryptophan to adult rat hepatocyte cultures stimulated DNA synthesis. The increase in DNA synthesis as measured by3H-thymidine incorporation into DNA was observed on treatment of the cultures with tryptophan for 48 h but also as short as for 6 h in comparison with control cultures. An increase was also apparent at 30 h which was maintained for up to 48 h post treatment with tryptophan. The increase in DNA synthesis by tryptophan cannot be attributed to cell injury or to increased DNA degradation. Of the degradative enzymes added after harvesting the hepatocytes, only DNase decreased incorporation of3H-thymidine. The observed effect was specific for tryptophan since treatment with kynurenine, isoleucine, methionine or serine failed to show a significant effect. Pretreatment of cultured hepatocytes with hydroxyurea prevented the tryptophan stimulated increase in DNA synthesis suggesting that the latter was due to replicative and not to repairative DNA synthesis. Experiments performed with the addition of diethylnitrosamine also alluded to tryptophan’s role in replicative DNA synthesis. The mechanism of tryptophan-induced DNA synthesis is discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, The George Washington University Medical Center, 2300 Eye Street N.W., 20037, Washington, DC, USA

    Ethel Verney, Rabinder N. Kurl & Herschel Sidransky

  2. Department of Pathology, Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Inner Mongolia, China

    Ding Wang

Authors
  1. Ding Wang
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  2. Ethel Verney
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  3. Rabinder N. Kurl
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  4. Herschel Sidransky
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Additional information

This work was supported by United States Public Health Service Research Grants AM-27339 from the National Institute of Arthritis Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and CA-41832 from the National Cancer Institute

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Wang, D., Verney, E., Kurl, R.N. et al. Effect of tryptophan on isolated hepatocytes of rats. Virchows Archiv B Cell Pathol 53, 125–132 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02890234

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02890234

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