Abstract
Summary
Adenosine deaminase and guanase activities were studied in homogenates and supernatant fluid fractions, respectively, prepared from spleens of control rats and animals given 600 r of whole-body X-irradiation. Specific activities of both enzymes were increased slightly in irradiated animals but total organ activities of both enzymes were decreased as compared to levels obtained in control rats. Interpretation of these and similar findings is discussed, and it is concluded that they do not represent direct or indirect enzyme activation or enzyme synthesis but rather reflect loss of nitrogen content and weight which are concomitants of splenic involution.
The author is grateful to Josef Bukovsky for expert technical assistance with some experiments.
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