QUANTIFICATION OF PROTEIN THIOLS IN MORPHOLOGICALLY INTACT-CELLS OF CERVICAL EPITHELIUM .2. EFFECTS OF CELL-DIFFERENTIATION

Abstract

Protein-SH-groups (PSH) were determined quantitatively in basal (B), parabasal (P), intermediary (I) and superficial (S) cells of normal portio epithelium in order to obtain information about the correlation between PSH and cell differentiation. Total PSH increased from B to S by 67%, the main step occurring from B to P. Nuclear PSH dropped continuously from B to S by 80%. Accordingly, cytoplasmic PSH rose (by 400%). The area of the cell increased strongly from B to S (by more than 1000%). Differentiation is apparently accompanied by a drastic dilution of total PSH and PSH per area unit (1 .mu.2); values of both nuclear and cytoplasm dropped considerably. The findings about nuclear PSH were interpreted in terms of the loss of proliferative activity during differentiation and cytoplasmic PSH as expression of decreasing activities of PSH depending metabolic processes.