Premium
Infectious Mononucleosis An Autoradiographic Study of DNA‐and RNA‐Synthesis
Author(s) -
Schmid Jakob R.,
Oechslin Robert J.,
Moeschlin Sven
Publication year - 1965
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of haematology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1600-0609
pISSN - 0036-553X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0609.1965.tb01275.x
Subject(s) - mononucleosis , rna , dna synthesis , dna , in vitro , biology , peripheral blood mononuclear cell , thymidine , nucleic acid , intracellular , microbiology and biotechnology , immunology , biochemistry , virus , gene
The in vitro DNA and RNA synthesis of infectious mononucleosis (I.M.) cells have been studied in four patients. For evaluation, monocytoid, lymphocytoid and plasmocytoid I.M. cells were distinguished. Short‐term incubation with H 3 ‐thymidine revealed that the DNA synthesis index was highest in plasmocytoid forms with 21 per cent labelling, followed by monocytoid I.M. cells with 7.5 per cent and lymphocytoid I.M. cells with 1.3 per cent uptake. In vitro RNA synthesis was also characterized by most active rates of incorporation of H 3 ‐uridine and H 3 ‐cytidine in plasmocytoid cell types and a similar drop in the intensity of uptake for the other two forms. The still enigmatic origin and function of these irritation cells of the peripheral blood are emphasized. The rather striking autoradiographic findings of cellular proliferation and active RNA synthesis in these cells reveals properties of immature cells. The previously suggested possibility of intracellular viral synthesis is considered to be rather unlikely from our findings. On the other hand, a relationship to multipotent mononuclear stem cells which today have to be assumed to occur in the peripheral blood of even healthy individuals, is discussed.