Uridine fluxes in healthy proliferating T-lymphocytes, MOLT-3 T-ALL cell-line cells and differentiated MOLT-3 cells.

Incorporation of 14C-uridine into UTP and CTP and fluxes of label through these nucleotide pools to RNA and DNA were greater in MOLT-3 cells compared to T-lymphocytes. In growth-arrested, differentiated MOLT-3 cells overall incorporation of radiolabel into nucleotides and nucleic acids was lowered compared to exponentially growing cells. Turnover of UTP and CTP however, retained the profile of exponentially growing MOLT-3 cells, implicating the characteristically higher conversion of UTP to CTP is independent of the MOLT-3 cells proliferative capacities. We conclude that drugs interfering with CTP-synthetase activity are good candidates to be used as selective substances in the battle against T-ALL.