Metabolism of Serum Glycoproteins in the X-irradiated Mouse with Implanted Rat Bone—marrow

Summary

The concentrations of protein and protein-bound carbohydrate and the incorporation of glucosamine 1–¹⁴C into serum fractions were measured in x-irradiated (950 r) mice implanted with rat bone-marrow, in irradiated mice implanted with syngeneic (isologous) marrow, and in normal mice. The observations were made 23 days after irradiation, when atrophy of the splenic white pulp and the loss of body-weight indicated that the mice treated with rat marrow were undergoing the foreign-bone-marrow reaction. At this time the splenic white pulp of the mice treated with syngeneic marrow was repopulated, and body-weight had returned approximately to the pre-irradiation level. The rates of incorporation of glucosamine into serum-protein fractions were highest in the mice which had been given the rat marrow, which suggests an increased synthesis of serum glycoprotein. This group had the lowest concentration of alpha_1a-globulin-bound carbohydrate and the highest concentration of beta-globulin-bound carbohydrate. These animals also had the lowest concentrations of albumin and gamma globulin. Both irradiated groups had more intestinal helminths than the normal controls.