Purine metabolism in human T lymphocytes: role of the purine nucleoside cycle.

Human intrathymic T lymphocytes were separated by a bovine serum albumin density gradient into a population of G1-phase small thymocytes and a population of S-phase-enriched large thymocytes. Purine metabolism was studied in these thymocyte populations, representing immature T lymphocytes, and compared with the metabolism of mature T lymphocytes isolated from the peripheral blood. De novo purine biosynthesis was highly cell cycle dependent; i.e., de novo purine biosynthetic activity was found only in large S-phase thymocytes, whereas both G1 T-cell populations lacked any significant activity. Thus G1-phase small thymocytes and G1-phase peripheral blood T lymphocytes have only salvage pathways to maintain their purine nucleotide pools. Despite the similarity of purine salvage activities in G1 thymocytes and in peripheral blood T lymphocytes, small thymocytes have fourfold lower levels of purine nucleoside triphosphates. The decreased levels of purine nucleotides in G1 thymocytes may be the result of increased purine efflux. It was found that an unusually large proportion (24-48%) of hypoxanthine incorporated by G1 thymocytes is excreted into the medium in the form of inosine.