[Studies on the thymidine-triphosphate synthesis in malignant tumors. I. Effects of thymidine on deoxyribonucleoside triphosphate pools and deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis (author's transl)].

Measurements of the deoxyribonucleoside triphosphate (dNTP) contents, the [14C] thymidine and deoxyuridine incorporation and the "key enzymes" of the thymidine triphosphate (dTTP) synthesis, thymidine kinase and ribonucleotide reductase, in diploid Ehrlich-ascites carcinoma, in Yoshida sarcoma-ascites cells and to a smaller extent in surgically removed malignant human tumours show 1. A distinctly increased dTTP content compared with the remaining dNTP is not a characteristic of tumour cells generally but a peculiarity of sarcoma and a sign of differentiation of a malignant tumour. 2. With simultaneous linear deoxyribonucleoside incorporation the dTTP content and the mix-proportion of [14C] dTTP to total dTTP in ascites tumour cells in short-term in-vitro incubation (120 min) remain constant. 3. Thymidine addition to the medium leads to a distinct rise of dTTP concentration even at a dosage of 3 X 10(-5) M. 4. The dNTP contents of ascites tumour cells are within the range of the endproduct-inhibiting concentrations of thymidine kinase and ribonucleotide reductase.