The Effect of Whole-Body Gamma Irradiation on the Deoxycytidylate, Deoxyadenosine, and Deoxyguanosine Deaminase Activity of Rat Spleen and Thymus

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Abstract
A micromethod for the determination of deaminase activity has been developed and may be applied to a few milligrams of tissue. In rat thymus, deoxycytidylate deaminase activity disappears 16 to 18 hours after 1000 r of whole-body -irradiation. Deoxyguanosine deaminase is increased 10%, and deoxyadenosine deaminase decreases by about 27%. In view of thymus involution, this represents a decrease in total enzyme of 10% and 47%, respectively. Deoxyguanosine and deoxyadenosine deaminase in rat spleen increased by 69% and 60%, respectively, 18 hours after irradiation. As the involution in spleen in this period amounted to 60%, these changes suggest that (1) 1000 r of [gamma]-irradiation has no effect on these enzymes under the conditions described, and (2) no deoxyadenosine or deoxyguanosine deaminase activity is lost on spleen involution.