Vanfleteren J R, Avau H
Experientia. 1977 Jul 15;33(7):902-4. doi: 10.1007/BF01951272.
Aminopterin was applied to the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis briggsae and subsequent growth was recorded. Nematode populations, containing all developmental stages and selected juvenile stages, were exposed to the drug in both growth-promoting and non-promoting media. It is suggested that aminopterin creates a specific requirement for thymine in thymine-free medium. In otherwise growth-promoting medium, aminopterin-induced thymine deficiency will lead to progressively unbalanced growth and maturation and hence to sterility even after removal of the drug. The omission of essential amino acids from the medium during thymine starvation prevents larval growth and results in better reproduction and faster proliferation in aminopterin-free medium. The 4 juvenile stages exhibit a different response to thymine starvation created by aminopterin.
将氨甲蝶呤应用于自由生活的线虫秀丽隐杆线虫，并记录其随后的生长情况。含有所有发育阶段和选定幼虫阶段的线虫群体，在促进生长和非促进生长的培养基中均暴露于该药物。有人提出，氨甲蝶呤在无胸腺嘧啶的培养基中产生了对胸腺嘧啶的特定需求。在其他方面促进生长的培养基中，氨甲蝶呤诱导的胸腺嘧啶缺乏将导致生长和成熟逐渐失衡，从而即使在去除药物后也会导致不育。在胸腺嘧啶饥饿期间从培养基中省略必需氨基酸可阻止幼虫生长，并在无氨甲蝶呤的培养基中导致更好的繁殖和更快的增殖。4个幼虫阶段对氨甲蝶呤造成的胸腺嘧啶饥饿表现出不同的反应。
