Abstract
Summary
A study was made of survival of Cr51-labeled erythrocytes from irradiated mice that had been given rat bone marrow. Survival of these erythrocytes (mouse-grown rat erythrocytes) in both mice and rats was compared with survival of normal rat and normal mouse erythrocytes in mice and rats. The 50% survival time, i.e. the time when 50% of the initial radioactivity remained, of mouse-grown rat erythrocytes in the rat was 15 ± 2.5 days, and the 5% survival time, i.e. the time when 5% of the initial radioactivity remained, was 51 ± 4.5 days. Respective values for survival of normal rat erythrocytes in the rat were 18 ± 2.5 and 52 ± 4.5 days and for normal mouse erythrocytes in the rat, 2 and 3 days. The 50% survival time of mouse-grown rat and of normal rat erythrocytes in the mouse was 2 days and the 5% survival time was 3-4 days. Respective values for the survival of normal mouse erythrocytes in the mouse were 20 ± 2.5 and 49 ± 5.0 days. The data show that, by one physiological criterion, erythrocytes of X-irradiated mice (950 r) given rat bone marrow are of rat origin since their survival time in the rat is essentially the same as the survival time of normal rat erythrocytes in the rat.
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