Effect of Asparagine and Glutamine Deficiency on Normal and Leukemic Cells 2

Abstract

Normal and leukemic human blood cells and cells from mouse lymphoma 6C3HED were incubated in media that lacked L-asparagine or L-glutamine or both. Viable cell counts and the incorporation of radioactive L-leucine into cell proteins were measured before and after incubation. The absence of either L-asparagine or L-glutamine from the media produced a delayed cytocidal effect on 6C3HED cells and caused a decreased uptake of L-leuclne, Cells from patients with acute leukemia also required L-asparagine and Lglutamine for survival at 37° C for 2–5 days, but seemed less sensitive than the 6C3HED cells. L-Glutamine but not L-asparagine deficiency killed lymphocytes from 5 of 6 patients with chronic leukemia and inhibited the uptake of LL-leucine. L-Asparagine deficiency had no effect, and L-glutamine deficiency only minimal effect, on normal lymphocytes as measured by percent survival or L-leucine uptake. Transformation of normal lymphocytes by pokeweed mitogen was, however, completely inhibited by a deficiency of L-glutamine but not by a deficiency of L-asparagine.