This paper analyzes the long-term (6 and 12 months) function of mouse granulocytes after total body irradiation with a single dose (5 Gy) of X-rays. Superoxide anion production has been investigated in granulocytes from peripheral blood, and also in those harvested from long term bone marrow cultures, with the aim of correlating the environmental damage induced by radiation with the functional properties of granulocytes. An in vivo and in vitro enhancement of superoxide anion production and protein levels in granulocytes from irradiated mice is described. The presence of some colony stimulating factor in the supernatant of cultures from irradiated mice could play an important role in the priming of granulocytes.

Summary.Our experiments focused on the metabolic implications of the residual haemopoietic damage in adult mice given 5 Gy X-rays. Bone marrow cells from irradiated mice exhibited an increase in protein synthesis and a decrease in ATP levels, which could be related to the enhancement of the proliferative activity of haemopoietic precursor cells. However, the kinetic parameters (V max and K m ) of glucose uptake, the glycolytic flux and the hexose monophospate (HMP) shunt activity were similar to those found in the control group. On the other hand, a reduction of glucose uptake (V max ) was found in both resting and stimulated granulocytes from irradiated mice. This reduction was accompanied by a decrease in the glycolytic rate and ATP levels. However, HMP shunt activity was similar in resting granulocytes in both the control and the irradiated mice. The stimulation by PMA produced a significantly higher increase in the activity of the pathway in granulocytes from the irradiated mice and was in accordance with the enhancement of superoxide anion production that has been previously described in these cells.

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Pyruvate kinase studies in the granulocyte-macrophage lineage during in vitro differentiation have been performed using culture techniques on GM-CFC cells and a study has also been done in bone marrow cells. The enzyme exhibits biphasic behaviour with respect to both of its substrates in cells derived from in vitro cultures at 5 and 7 days of incubation period. However in bone marrow cells these kinetics are only observed for ADP. The different kinetic behaviour of pyruvate kinase toward Fru-1,6-P2, Ala, Phe and ATP in the three cellular populations allows us to conclude that the expression of pyruvate kinase is associated with the differentiation of these cells.

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