Biogenesis of mammalian mitochondria in the renoprival kidney. II. Aspects of mitochondrial DNA synthesis

Mitochondrial DNA (m-DNA) content and factors which might control its concentration were investigated in the renoprival kidney at various times after unilateral nephrectomy. On the basis of mitochondrial protein, m-DNA increased 30% in the renoprival kidney at 24 hr and returned to normal by 48 hr. The total tissue content of m-DNA was also increased at 24 hr. The specific activity of [³H]thymidine incorporated into m-DNA in vivo was decreased markedly at 24 hr after mononephrectomy; at the same time there was a threefold increase of [³H]thymidine incorporation into total cellular DNA. The incorporation into m-DNA was above normal at 48 hr. The mitochondrial specific DNase was decreased 60% at 24 and 36 hr post-mononephrectomy. There was no significant difference in the total radioactivity or total optical density at 260 nm of the acid soluble extract from mitochondria isolated at various times after mononephrectomy. The incorporation of [³H]thymidine into TMP and TDP in the renoprival kidney was not different from normal but there was a decrease in the incorporation into TTP. It is suggested that the increase in mitochondrial DNA could be due to a decrease in the rate of degradation rather than an increase in synthesis.     

Effects of inhibition of protein synthesis on DNA replication in cultured mammalian cells

We have investigated the effects of inhibiting protein synthesis on the overall rate of DNA synthesis and on the rate of replication fork movement in mammalian cells. In order to test the validity of using [³H]thymidine incorporation as a measure of the overall rate of DNA synthesis during inhibition of protein synthesis, we have directly measured the size and specific radioactivity of the cells' [³H]dTTP pool. In three different mammalian cell lines (mouse L, Chinese hamster ovary, and HeLa) nearly complete inhibition of protein synthesis has little effect on pool size (±26%) and even less effect on its specific radioactivity (±11%). Thus [³H]thymidine incorporation can be used to measure accurately changes in rate of DNA synthesis resulting from inhibition of protein synthesis.Using the assay of [³H]thymidine incorporation to measure rate of DNA synthesis, and the assay of [¹⁴C]leucine or [¹⁴C]valine incorporation to measure rate of protein synthesis, we have found that eight different methods of inhibiting protein synthesis (cycloheximide, puromycin, emetine, pactamycin, 2,4-dinitrophenol, the amino acid analogs canavanine and 5-methyl tryptophan, and a temperature-sensitive leucyl-transfer tRNA synthetase) all cause reduction in rate of DNA synthesis in mouse L, Chinese hamster ovary, or HeLa cells within two hours to a fairly constant plateau level which is approximately the same as the inhibited rate of protein synthesis.We have used DNA fiber autoradiography to measure accurately the rate of replication fork movement. The rate of movement is reduced at every replication fork within 15 minutes after inhibiting protein synthesis. For the first 30 to 60 minutes after inhibiting protein synthesis, the decline in rate of fork movement (measured by fiber autoradiography) satisfactorily accounts for the decline in rate of DNA synthesis (measured by [³H]thymidine incorporation). At longer times after inhibiting protein synthesis, inhibition of fork movement rate does not entirely account for inhibition of overall DNA synthesis. Indirect measurements by us and direct measurements suggest that the additional inhibition is the result of decline in the frequency of initiation of new replicons.     

Molecular specificity of 2-aminopurine in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The rates of DNA, RNA and protein synthesis were investigated by incorporation of radioactive precursors into the excised root tips of V. faba. 2-h exposure to 0.1% caffeine resulted in inhibition of protein synthesis to about 60% of the control rate. RNA synthesis was reduced in the range of 20–30%. The same concentration of caffeine did not affect the rate of DNA synthesis even during 12-h incubation, but concentrations higher than 1% caused a significant decrease in [³H]thymidine incorporation.     

Underestimation of DNA Synthesis by [3H]Thymidine Incorporation in Marine Bacteria

A direct comparison of [³H]thymidine incorporation with DNA synthesis was made by using an exponentially growing estuarine bacterial isolate and the naturally occurring bacterial populations in a eutrophic subtropical estuary and in oligotrophic offshore waters. Simultaneous measurements of [³H]thymidine incorporation into DNA, fluorometrically determined DNA content, and direct counts were made over time. DNA synthesis estimated from thymidine incorporation values was compared with fluorometrically determined changes in DNA content. Even after isotope dilution, nonspecific macromolecular labeling, and efficiency of DNA recovery were accounted for, [³H]thymidine incorporation consistently underestimated DNA synthesized by six- to eightfold. These results indicate that although the relationship of [³H]thymidine incorporation to DNA synthesis appears consistent, there are significant sources of thymine bases incorporated into DNA which cannot be accounted for by standard [³H]thymidine incorporation and isotope dilution assays.     

Activity of an Attached and Free-Living Vibrio sp. as Measured by Thymidine Incorporation, p-Iodonitrotetrazolium Reduction, and ATP/DNA Ratios

Three independent techniques, [³H]thymidine incorporation, the reduction rate of p-iodonitrotetrazolium violet (INT) to INT formazan normalized to DNA, and the ratio of ATP to DNA, were adapted to measure the activity of attached and unattached estuarine bacteria. In experiments employing the estuarine isolate Vibrio proteolytica, nutrient concentrations were manipulated by varying the concentration of peptone-yeast extract. In the presence of exogenous nutrients, the activity of free-living cells was greater than that of attached cells as measured by [³H]thymidine incorporation and ATP/DNA ratios. In the absence of peptone-yeast extract, however, the activity of attached cells surpassed that of free-living cells as determined by [³H]thymidine incorporation and INT formazan normalized to DNA. Of the three techniques, [³H]thymidine incorporation was deemed most sensitive for detecting changes in activity resulting from slight differences in nutrient concentration. By this technique, attached cells were much less sensitive to changing nutrient concentrations than were free-living cells. Below a threshold concentration, attached cell activity remained constant, while the activity of unattached cells decreased as a function of decreasing nutrient concentration. The results suggest that loss of cell surface area available for substrate uptake due to attachment may be an important factor in determining the relative activities of attached and free-living cells.     

Protein and nucleic acid synthesis during imbibition of dormant and after-ripened Vaccaria pyramidata seeds.

The regulation of nucleic acid and protein synthesis in dormant, thermodormant, and after-ripened embryos of Vaccaria pyramidata (Caryophyllaceae) has been studied. Germination of after-ripened V. pyramidata seeds is prevented by inhibitors of protein, RNA, and DNA synthesis. The synthesis of both protein and RNA is activated at the beginning of imbibition, whereas [³H]thymidine incorporation does not start until the second period of the imbibition phase. [³H]Thymidine incorporation is greatly reduced in embryos treated with cycloheximide or 6-methylpurine. There is no correlation between the level of [³H]uracil and l-[¹⁴C]leucine incorporation into macromolecules and the physiological state of the seeds: tRNA, ribosomal RNA, and poly(A)-containing RNA (probably mRNA) as well as proteins are synthesized at the same rate in both dormant and thermodormant embryos as in after-ripened embryos. The protein patterns of dormant and after-ripened embryos are similar, as shown by electrophoresis and electrofocusing of double-labeled proteins. The level of DNA synthesis, measured as [³H]thymidine incorporation, may, on the other hand, indicate the physiological activity of the seeds: [³H]Thymidine is incorporated at a high rate in after-ripened embryos only and remains at a low level in dormant or thermodormant embryos. This correlation is, however, observed only in the axes. DNA synthesis in the cotyledons does not show any relation to the developmental stage of the seeds. These results are discussed in relation to the regulation of dormancy and after-ripening of seeds.     

Stimulation of DNA synthesis,cell multiplication,and ornithine decarboxylase in 3T3 cells by multiplication stimulating activity (MSA)

Multiplication stimulating activity (MSA) has been purified from the conditioned media of rat liver cells in culture by a modification of the procedure of Dulak and Temin. Purified MSA stimulates [³H] thymidine incorporation into DNA in subconfluent, serum starved 3T3 cells. Cell cycle analysis by the flow microfluorometer shows that the [³H] thymidine incorporation data reflects DNA synthesis. MSA also stimulates the multiplication of serum starved subconfluent 3T3 cells. MSA is approximately 10-fold less active in 3T3 cells than in chick embryo fibroblasts in stimulating [³H] thymidine incorporation into DNA. MSA causes a 2–10-fold increase in ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity in 3T3 cells and the dose response curve parallels the dose response curve for [³H] thymidine incorporation into DNA. The Km of ODC for ornithine is 0.12 mM. There is a 30% decrease in the activity of ornithine transaminase (OTA) during the time period in which MSA causes an increase in ODC activity. Insulin also stimulates [³H] thymidine incorporation into DNA, cell multiplication and ODC activity over the same concentration range as shown for MSA, however, the extent of stimulation by insulin is less than that observed following MSA addition.     

Effect of insulin at dilution endpoint concentrations on macromolecular synthesis in normal mouse mammary and human breast cancer epithelial cells

Employing defined media conditions, the insulin sensitivities of mouse mammary gland epithelial cells in primary culture and MCF-7 human mammary epithelial cells were determined. Insulin stimulated the rates of [³H]uridine incorporation into RNA and [³H]leucine incorporation into protein in both primary mouse mammary gland epithelial cell cultures and MCF-7 cell cultures at concentrations approximating the dilution endpoint of the hormone (10⁻²¹ M). Insulin stimulated the rate of [³H]thymidine incorporation into DNA in primary mouse mammary gland epithelial cells at the dilution endpoint concentrations. However, MCF-7 cells required insulin concentrations 100–1000-times that necessary in mouse mammary epithelial cultures to elicit an increased rate of [³H]thymidine incorporation into DNA. Evidence is presented which suggests that the increased rates of uptake of [³H]uridine, [³H]thymidine and [³H]leucine into their respective precursor pools is not responsible for the apparent stimulatation of RNA, DNA and protein synthesis.     

[3H]thymidine incorporation in bovine lymphocytes treated with the tumor promoter, 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorobol-13-acetate

Treatment of bovine lymph node lymphocytes with the tumor promoter, 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) leads to depressed [³H]thymidine incorporation in response to phytohemagglutinin (PHA). Radioautographic and morphological analyses showed that depression was at the level of blast-cell formation. Isotope-dilution experiments, and the use of [³H]deoxycytidine to label DNA indicated that the inhibition was not due to a block in thymidine transport in the treated cells. These experiments, as well as a bioassay designed to measure thymidine in the culture medium, showed that the apparent inhibition of [³H]thymidine incorporation and DNA synthesis was not the result of production of cold thymidine in the cultures. The results taken together support the idea that most TPA-treated cells are inhibited from responding to the mitogenic lectins. Those cells which do respond appear to form blast cells and synthesize DNA at the same rate as do untreated cells.     

Comparative induction of unscheduled DNA synthesis by physical and chemical agents in non-proliferating primary cultures of rat hepatocytes

The incorporation of [³H]thymidine into DNA due to unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS) induced by N-OH-2-acetylaminofluorene (N-OH-AAF), aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁), ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) and ultra-violet light was quantitated by autoradiography and by scintillation spectrometry on acid precipitable macromolecules or DNA insolated by isopycnic banding in cesium chloride (CsCl). Dose-dependent increases in UDS due to N-OH-AAF and AFB₁ treatment were found. Only 2-fold increases at the highest dose levels were found, however, when incorporated [³H]thymidine was quantitated by scintillation spectrometry. Seven, 11, and 25-fold increases in UDS induced by AFB₁, N-OH-AAF and ultra-violet light, respectively, were found when incorporated [³H]thymidine was quantitated by autoradiography, indicating a high sensitivity for detecting ‘long patch’ repair by this technique. Scintillation spectrometry was completely ineffective in detecting EMS-induced UDS, whereas autoradiography demonstrated a small, but significant induction in [³H]thymidine incorporation at high dose levels. The non-proliferative nature of the primary hepatocyte prohibits the uniform radioactive prelabeling of DNA, necessary in other techniques, for the detection of ‘short patch’ repair induced by compounds such as EMS. Therefore, the sensitivity of the primary cultured rat hepatocyte in conjunction with UDS for detecting DNA damage caused by mutagens and carcinogens which induce ‘short patch’ repair may be limited to the autoradiographic analysis of the unscheduled incorporation of [³H]thymidine.     

Measurements of Diel Rates of Bacterial Secondary Production in Aquatic Environments

Measurements of bacterial secondary production were carried out during 13 diel studies at one coastal marine station and in five lakes differing with respect to nutrient concentration and primary production. Bacterial secondary production was measured in situ every 3 to 5 h by [³H]thymidine incorporation into DNA. In some of the diel studies, these results were compared with results obtained from dark ¹⁴CO₂ uptake and frequency of dividing cells. Only minor diel changes were observed. The rate of [³H]thymidine incorporation into DNA and the frequency of dividing cells varied from 23 to 194% of the diel mean. The dark CO₂ uptake rate varied from 12 to 259% of the diel mean. An analysis of variance demonstrated that no specific time periods during 24 h showed significantly different production rates, supporting the idea that bacterial activities in natural assemblages are controlled by a variety of events. The best correction (r² = 0.74) was obtained between the [³H]thymidine incorporation and frequency of dividing cells procedures from the lake water samples. The actual production rates calculated by [³H]thymidine incorporation into DNA were appreciably lower than those obtained by the frequency of dividing cells and the dark CO₂ uptake techniques. Diel rates of bacterial production are discussed in relation to sampling frequency, statistical errors, and choice of method.     

Effect of 5-Fluoro-2′-Deoxyuridine on [3H]Thymidine Incorporation by Bacterioplankton in the Waters of Southwest Florida

The effect of 5-fluoro-2′-deoxyuridine (FdUrd) on [methyl-³H] thymidine incorporation by bacterioplankton populations in subtropical freshwater, estuarine, and oceanic environments was examined. In estuarine waters, intracellular isotope dilution was inhibited by FdUrd, which enabled us to estimate both intracellular and extracellular isotope dilution. In 2 of 10 cases, extracellular isotope dilution was significant. At low concentrations of [methyl-³H]thymidine or [6-³H]thymidine, FdUrd completely inhibited incorporation of radioactivity into protein and RNA. At high concentrations of [³H]thymidine, however, FdUrd had little effect on labeling patterns. The dihydrofolate reductase inhibitors amethopterin and trimethoprim had no effect on macromolecular labeling patterns. These results suggest that thymidylate synthase is not involved in nonspecific labeling and that FdUrd inhibits nonspecific labeling by blocking some other enzyme involved in thymidine catabolism. In oligotrophic oceanic and freshwater samples, FdUrd did not inhibit intracellular isotope dilution or [³H]thymidine labeling of protein and RNA, but caused some inhibition of [³H]thymidine incorporation into DNA. The ability of FdUrd to inhibit nonspecific macromolecular labeling during [³H]thymidine incorporation was significantly correlated (r = 0.84) with total thymidine incorporation (in picomoles per liter per hour). The results are discussed in terms of applications of FdUrd to routine bacterial production measurements and the general assumptions of [³H]thymidine incorporation.     

DNA synthesis in cultured human fibroblasts: Regulation by 3′ : 5′-cyclic amp

The addition of serum to density-inhibited human fibroblast cultures induced a wave of DNA synthesis, measured as [³H] thymidine incorporation into acid-precipitable material, beginning after 8–12 hr and reaching maximum levels at 16–24 hr. Addition of dibutyryl-3′ : 5′-cyclic AMP (DBcAMP) together with serum inhibited [³H] thymidine incorporation by 75–95%. When DBcAMP was added for the first 4 hr of serum stimulation and then removed, the wave of DNA synthesis was not delayed. This suggested that serum could induce DNA synthesis even though cyclic AMP concentrations were maintained at high levels by DBcAMP during this initial period. These results are inconsistent with the hypothesis that it is the immediate transient reduction in 3′ : 5′-cyclic AMP concentration following the addition of serum that triggers DNA synthesis. By contrast, DBcAMP added 8 hr after serum inhibited [³H] thymidine incorporation to the same extent as DBcAMP added at the same time as serum. This indicated that a step essential for DNA synthesis and occurring late in G₁ was inhibited by high concentrations of 3′ : 5′-cyclic AMP.     

Steroidal and growth factor regulation of [3H]thymidine incorporation by cultured endosalpingeal cells of the bovine oviduct

Summary Cultured cells from the bovine endosalpinx were used to evaluate effects of estradiol-17β, progesterone, epidermal growth factor, and insulinlike growth factors I and II on [³H]thymidine incorporation. Cells were treated with hormones and growth factors when approximately 50% confluent. After 24 h, DNA synthesis was quantified by pulsing cells with [³H]thymidine for 12 h and determining uptake into DNA. Cells prepared by mechanical dispersal incorporated more [³H]thymidine than cells dispersed with collagenase. However, hormonal responses were the same for both types of cells. As compared to plastic, cells on a Matrigel substratum exhibited lower incorporation of [³H]thymidine and were unresponsive to hormones. Estradiol-17β increased [³H]thymidine incorporation slightly at 10⁻¹⁰ mol/liter and higher. Epidermal growth factor, insulinlike growth factor-I, and insulinlike growth factor-II also stimulated [³H]thymidine incorporation. Effects of insulinlike growth factor-I were greater for cells treated with estradiol-17β. In the absence of estradiol, progesterone inhibited [³H]thymidine incorporation at 1, 10, and 100 ng/ml. When estradiol-17β was present, progesterone stimulated [³H]thymidine incorporation at 1 ng/ml and reduced incorporation at 100 ng/ml. In conclusion, [³H]thymidine incorporation by cultured oviductal endosalpingeal cells can be regulated by ovarian steroids and growth factors. These molecules may represent signals through which the ovary, embryo, and oviduct regulate oviductal growth. Work conducted while on a sabbatical leave supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.     

LIMITATIONS IN THE USE OF [3H]THYMIDINE INCORPORATION INTO DNA AS AN INDICATOR OF EPIDERMAL KERATINOCYTE PROLIFERATION IN VITRO

The validity of using the incorporation of [³H]thymidine into DNA as an indicator of epidermal keratinocyte proliferation in vitro has been investigated. Other parameters of cell proliferation, direct count of cell number and measurement of DNA content, consistently fail to correlate with changes in [³H]thymidine incorporation into DNA in primary and first passage cultures of rabbit and human epidermal keratinocytes. Maximum incorporation of [³H]thymidine precedes the active growth period by three days. Incorporation declines markedly during the proliferative period. Thymidine kinase activity decreases during the proliferative growth phase. Incorporation of another pyrimidine nucleotide precursor, [¹⁴C]aspartic acid, suggests that in epidermal keratinocytes in vitro the extent of utilization of the salvage and the de novo pathways may be inversely related. In such cases [³H]thymidine incorporation into TCA precipitable material fails to reflect accurately cell proliferation.     

Interferon inhibition of thymidine incorporation into DNA through effects on thymidine transport and uptake

Replenishment of medium after 72 hr of growth of HeLa-S3 cells in dense suspension cultures increased [³H]-thymidine uptake into cells and incorporation into DNA, with the levels reaching a peak ～ 12 hr following medium change; β interferon inhibits the enhanced uptake of [³H]-thymidine and labeling of DNA in a dose-dependent manner. Some reduction in these processes is observed at a concentration as low as 1 u/ml, and ～ 75% inhibition at 640 u/ml. Kinetic analysis has revealed that the rate of labeling of the acid-soluble pool with [³H]-thymidine, measured either at 22°C, or 37°C, is reduced in interferon-treated (640 u/ml, 24 hr) HeLa-S3 cells. At 22°C, the initial rate of thymidine transport at a high (500 μM) thymidine concentration, determined within the first 30 sec of [³H]-thymidine addition was depressed by 44% in interferon-treated HeLa cells. At 37°C, labeled precursors accumulate in acid-soluble material for ～ 8 min after the addition of [³H]-thymidine, after which an apparent equilibrium level is attained. At this temperature, the rate of thymidine uptake and the apparent equilibrium level attained were depressed by 70% in interferon-treated HeLa cells. The reduced incorporation of [³H]-thymidine into DNA in interferon-treated HeLa-S3 cells can be largely explained by interferon inhibition of thymidine transport and phosphorylation.     

DETERMINATION OF RATES OF DNA SYNTHESIS IN CULTURED MAMMALIAN CELL POPULATIONS

In cultures of a murine mastocytoma, endogenous synthesis of thymidine phosphates, as determined by the incorporation of [³H]deoxyuridine into DNA, was reduced within 15 min to less than 3% of control values by the addition of amethopterin (10 µM) in combination with hypoxanthine and glycine. If [³H]thymidine and unlabeled thymidine were added simultaneously with amethopterin, the increase with time of radioactivity in cellular DNA was linear at least between 30 and 90 min, while radioactivity in the acid-soluble nucleotide fraction remained constant during this time interval, indicating that intracellular thymidine nucleotides had the same specific activity as exogenously supplied [³H]thymidine. This permitted calculation of the amount of thymidine incorporated per hour into DNA of 10⁶ cells. In conjunction with the base composition of mouse DNA, these results were used to calculate rates of DNA synthesis. Cell proliferation rate, cell cycle time, and the duration of the S period were not affected to any appreciable extent by the addition of amethopterin and thymidine. Rates of DNA synthesis, as derived from thymidine incorporation rates, were in good agreement with those derived from the measured mean DNA content of exponentially multiplying cells and rates of cell proliferation.     

Frequency of N-benzyladenine incorporation into major RNA fractions of tobacco cell suspensions grown at stimulatory or cytostatic cytokinin concentration

The frequency of incorporation of the cytokinin N⁶-[p-³H]benzyladenine into major RNA species of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum cv W 38) cells steadily increased as a function of its concentration in the culture medium, up to a 10 micromolar cytostatic overdose. During a 55-hour incubation of cells with 0.4 micromolar benzyladenine (BA), which is the optimal concentration for cell division, the incorporation frequency increased to one BA per 1.5 to 2.0 × 10⁴ conventional bases in total RNA. Frequencies of BA incorporation into 18S and 25S rRNA and into RNA precursors were very similar, 2- to 3-fold higher than the frequency of BA incorporation into the 4S + 5S RNA fraction. In cells incubated with 10 micromolar BA, the rate of RNA synthesis between 24 and 55 hours was lower than at optimal growth conditions; 18S and 25S rRNA synthesis was depressed more than the synthesis of 4S + 5S RNA. At 55 hours, BA was incorporated into total RNA at the steady state frequency of one per 1,300 conventional bases. All major RNA species were BA-labeled to approximately the same level, except that the labeling of the RNA precursors was 2-fold higher than the labeling of mature RNA species. These results may reflect an alteration in the processing of the RNA precursors at supra-optimal cytokinin concentration.     

Incorporation of tritiated thymidine by marine bacterial isolates when undergoing a starvation survival response

Bacterial DNA synthesis, as measured by the incorporation of [methyl-³H] thymidine, was examined during conditions of decreasing biomass and non-growth of three heterotrophic marine bacteria. High rates of [³H] thymidine incorporation were recorded during the initial phase of starvation and two strains exhibited a net increase in DNA during the first few hours of starvation. The decreased rate of [³H] thymidine incorporation with the time of starvation, was in agreement with the decrease in the percentage of the total population that showed uptake of labelled thymidine, as seen by a combined autoradiography-epifluorescence technique. It is suggested that new rounds of replications were initiated after cells had been starved for times that well exceeded the time for replication of genomes during growing The initial increase in cell numbers upon transfer of growing cells to a starvation regime was inhibited by nalidixic acid, suggesting that DNA synthesis, rather than an excess of nuclear bodies, allow for the fragmentation process in these strains.     

Inhibition of mammalian DNA replication by dichlorobenzimidazole riboside

We have investigated the effect of the nucleoside analogue 5,6-dichloro-1-β- -ribofuranosyl-benzimidazole (DRB) on DNA synthesis in the L-929 line of mouse fibroblasts. Earlier studies have shown that this compound selectively inhibits the synthesis of a major fraction of nuclear heterogeneous RNA (hnRNA). At 60–75 μM, DRB decreases the rate of nuclear hnRNA synthesis by two-thirds and prevents the appearance in the cytoplasm of almost all poly(A)-containing messenger RNA (mRNA). At similar dose levels, DRB inhibits the overall rate of DNA synthesis as measured by thymidine incorporation by only 20% (after correction for decreased thymidine uptake into total cellular material). Analyses of density gradients of BUdR and [³H]thymidine-substituted DNA and of autoradiograms of extended fibers of [³H]thymidine-labeled DNA confirm this inhibition and suggest that DRB acts on DNA solely by reducing the rate of replication fork movement. The apparent size of replication units is unchanged by drug treatment. DRB also inhibits the transport of thymidine into cells. As determined by kinetic studies of thymidine uptake, transport is inhibited competitively by drug treatment. Several other aspects of thymidine metabolism are not affected by DRB. It does not alter the size of the total dTTP pool, and there is no breakdown of template DNA in DRB-treated cells.