URINARY EXCRETION OF NUCLEIC ACID DERIVATIVES IN PERSONS WITH MYELOID LEUKEMIA 1

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Abstract
Anion exchange and paper chromatographic studies of human urine have demonstrated the urinary excretion of the pyrimidine, uracil, in 3 of 5 patients with myeloid leukemia. The uracil was identified spectroscopically, chromatographically and microbiologically. In the other 2 patients, a substance identified spectroscopically and chromatographically was found; this substance has not been further characterized. Neither uracil nor the uncharacterized substance was excreted in the urine of normal subjects under the conditions of the expt The urinary excretion of uracil in these leukemic subjects did not seem to be explained by increased destruction of immature cells, the ribonucleic acid content of which is high, nor to increased metabolic turnover of ribonucleic acid because (1), The pyrimidine thymine was not recovered and (2), The excretion of uric acid in these subjects did not reflect a proportional increase in breakdown of purine moieties of nucleic acid.