Utilizing the method of injecting tissue homogenate for a rough estimation of relative toxohormone content, we first found that toxohormone content of tumor tissue can be markedly increased by injecting protein hydrolysates into animals bearing the tumor. It was then determined, by testing the effect of various amino acid mixtures, that eight specific amino acids were essential to this effect. These amino acids were: Alanine, proline, aspartic acid, arginine, phenylalanine, lysine, leucine, and glutamic acid.
The findings were interpreted as indicating that these amino acids may be the major components of toxohormone, and that the increase in the toxohormone content may be due to the supply of extra quantity of the material for the synthesis of this unique toxic product of tumor cells.
The "normally" low toxohormone content of the strain of tumor and the protein sub-deficient nature of the diet used in these experiments were pointed out as possibly important factors in revealing the role of the specific amino acids in toxohormone synthesis.
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