Blood, 1966, Vol. 27, No. 4, pp. 470-481.
© 1966 American Society of Hematology, Inc.
DNA Polymerase and Carbohydrate Metabolizing
Enzyme Content of Normal and Leukemic
Glass Column Separated Leukocytes
YALE RABINOWITZ 1,
Ann L. Flynn 1,
Betty A. Wilhite 1, and
Walter Bazeluk 1
1 Research and Medical Services, Veterans Administration Hospital, and the Department of Medicine, Stritch School of Medicine of Loyola University, Hines, Ill.
1. Enzymes of normal and leukemic glass column separated leukocytes were
assayed with fluorometric (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, lactic dehydrogenase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate
dehydrogenase and isocitric dehydrogenase) and radioisotope (DNA polymerase) micromethods.
2. Most results were obtained by direct assay of the specific cell type. Some
required simple calculation. It was demonstrated that the enzyme activity
of mixed cell suspensions was the sum of the enzyme content of the component
cells, at least for the enzymes studied.
3. Assays of mixed cell suspensions may give an erroneous picture. Thus
changes in differential cell counts, as well as alterations in enzyme content of
individual cells, must be taken into account for correct interpretation.
4. Changes in enzyme content of mixed cell suspensions after therapy were
due chiefly to alterations in the differential cell count rather than to changes
in the enzyme content of individual cell types.
5. The patterns of assays of the carbohydrate metabolizing enzymes studied,
except isocitric dehydrogenase, paralleled each other. Highest values were
found in mature PMN leukocytes and lowest in blasts. With isocitric dehydrogenase absolute values were much lower, while the highest assays were
found in myelocytes.
6. DNA polymerase content correlated well with the ability of a cell to
divide. It was highest in blasts and lowest in mature PMN leukocytes.
Submitted on May 27, 1965
Accepted on August 6, 1965
