Studies of the incorporation of [5-3H]uridine during activation and transformation of lymphocytes induced by phytohaemagglutinin. Dependence of the incorporation rate on uridine concentration at certain critical concentrations

1. Partially purified pig blood lymphocytes were stimulated to transform in culture with phytohaemagglutinin. Initial cell activation was assessed by measuring the increase of uridine incorporation into RNA induced by phytohaemagglutinin. The phytohaemagglutinin/serum ratio for this effect was similar to that required for transformation; however, no inhibition at high phytohaemagglutinin/serum ratios was found during cell activation. 2. Without replenishment of medium the pool of competitors with added uridine for incorporation fell to zero during 2 days of culture. At certain critical pool concentrations uridine itself could stimulate the rate of uridine incorporation. 3. Most of the tritium from 5-(3)H]uridine added at the initiation of culture had been incorporated into RNA by the end of the second day of culture; the subsequent loss of radioactivity preceded a fall in the total RNA content of cultures. 4. RNA was qualitatively examined on sucrose density gradients. In the first 30min. after the addition of phytohaemagglutinin, increased labelling occurred predominantly between the 28s and 4s regions of the gradients. On the second day of culture with phytohaemagglutinin mainly RNA sedimenting beyond the 28s region of gradients was labelled in 30min.