THE LEVEL OF RNA-SYNTHESIS IN PERIPHERAL- BLOOD LYMPHOCYTES OF COWS WITH PERSISTENT LYMPHOCYTOSIS

The level of RNA synthesis in peripheral blood lymphocytes of cows wit h persistent lymphocytosis (initial stage of enzootic lymphocytic leuc emia) measured as intensity of H-3-uridine incorporation into the acid -insoluble fraction, was shown to be lower than that in the lymphocyte s of healthy animals. The level of RNA synthesis and the number of lym phocytes in peripheral blood were found to be back-correspondent. This was not true for the cows with inflammation process (e.g. mastitis, e ndometritis and pyo-inflammatory processes after surgical operations). It was also shown that the isolation procedure itself led to the acti vation of 3H-uridine incorporation into RNA and acid soluble pool of n ucleotides both in ''leukemic'' and normal lymphocytes. Such activatio n was more expressed in the lymphocytes from the cows with leukemia. T he degradation of the pulse-labeled RNA (20 min) in ''leukemic'' lymph ocytes was slower than that in the lymphocytes from healthy animals. I t is supposed that reduced level of RNA synthesis in the ''leukemic'' lymphocytes could be associated with the lower permeability of ''leuke mic'' lymphocyte membrane for exogenous uridine and not with the proce ss of degradation of RNA and nucleotides in the lymphocytes in such pa thology.