Studies of Phosphorous Metabolism of leproma in Murine Leprosy

Abstract

The studies were carried out in regard to the phosphorous metabolism of leproma.
After intravenous injection of ³²P-orthophosphate, rats were killed at serial intervals and the subcutaneous leproma were resected. The rate of incorporation of ³²P into leproma was considerably rapid and increased consistently for the first 60 minutes, and relatively high levels of ³²P were maintained following 24 hours. The murine leprosy bacilli were collected. The ³²P was taken up by the bacilli somewhat delayed compared with leproma, but a parallel relationship was found between them.
The phosphrous fractions of leproma resected at serial intervals one hour after injection of ³²P were obtained by the Schneider's method. The ³²P was rapidly taken up by the acid-soluble fraction and the specific activity increased consistently for one hour. The incorporation of ³²P into the acid-insoluble fraction was significantly high in the phospholipid fraction in contrast to the low levels in the nucleic acid and phosphoprotein ones. The turn over rate of the phosphorous, however, was more active in the nucleic acid fraction than in others.