Absence of metabolic co-operation between certain types of mammalian cells in culture

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Abstract
A mutant line of BHK21 cells lacking inosinic pyrophosphorylase activity (IPP- cells) does not incorporate [3H]hypoxanthine as opposed to wild type BHK cells. When IPP+ and IPP- cells are grown together in the presence of [3H]hypoxanthine IPP- cells in contact with IPP+ cells incorporate the marker, as seen by autoradiography. This phenomenon is known as ‘metabolic co-operation’. In the present work no co-operation was detected between wild type BHK cells and BHK cells lacking thymidine kinase activity (TK- cells -- they do not incorporate [3H]thymidine; between wild type L cells and L-TK- cells, or between L cells and L-IPP- cells. And there is no interaction in mixed cultures of mast cells and mast-cells-IPP-.