Blood, 1964, Vol. 24, No. 5, pp. 567-576.
© 1964 American Society of Hematology, Inc.
Studies on the Pseudouridinuria of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
MARVIN LEWIS 1,
SHERMAN M. WEISSMAN 1, and
MYRON KARON 1
1 Department of Health, Education and Welfare, U. S. Public Health Service,
Metabolism Sercice and Medicine Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Inrtitutes of
Health, Bethesda 14, Md.
This paper reports a group of investigations attempting to explain the
elevated pseudouridine excretion in the presence of normal uric acid excretion
which occurs in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Studies with isotopically labeled uric acid and adenine indicated that diversion of body purines
from uric acid does not occur. Similarly the chemical analysis of the white
cells in CLL did not reveal any excess content of pyrimidines, nor did the
turnover of the ribonucleotides show any selective retention of purines as
compared with pyrimidines. Studies with isotopically labeled orotic acid,
however, indicated on overproduction of other pyrimidines as well as pseudouridine. Though no explanation has yet been found for the selective pyrimidine overproduction seen in CLL, a major portion of these pyrimidines appear to be derived from rapidly renewing sources.
Submitted on October 14, 1963
Accepted on April 5, 1964
