The effect of a low dose of ionizing radiation and of gangliosides on the adenylate cyclase activity of the chicken thymus and thyroid in ontogeny

Adenylate cyclase (AC) activity was studied in thymus and thyroid gland of intact chick embryos and those irradiated with a dose of 0.029 Gy prior to incubation, and newly hatched chicks in the presence of total ganglioside fractions extracted from the same organs. Gangliosides were shown to increase the enzyme activity of thymocytes and thyrocytes during the postnatal development. It is suggested that small radiation doses potentiate the stimulatory effect of ganglioside fractions on AC.