[Effect of lack of exogenous methionine on protein synthesis in normal and leukemic leukocytes cultured in vitro].

Experiments were performed on lymphocytes and leucocytes isolated from peripheral blood of healthy donors and on leucocytes from patients with acute myeloblastic and acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. The influence on protein synthesis of methionine depletion in the medium or replacement of methionine by homocysteine was measured in labelling experiments with tritiated valine. The rate of protein synthesis in lymphocytes and leucocytes from healthy donors cultivated in homocysteine--containing medium and stimulated with PHA did not differ significantly in the course of 5 days from the rate of protein synthesis in the basic medium. In leukaemic leucocytes cultivated in vitro in the time period of 34 h in the rate of protein synthesis in homocysteine--containing medium was similar to the rate of protein synthesis in the medium devoid of methionine.