Pathways of glucose metabolism in irradiated and non-irradiated tissue culture ascites cells

Abstract

The microfluorimetric-microelectrophoretic technique which allows the fluorescence assay of reduced pyridine nucleotides in localized cellular portions during microelectrophoretic treatment with metabolites, has been used for comparative experiments between irradiated giant tissue culture cells (EL2G) and their non-irradiated counterparts (EL2SG). There are preliminary indications that the extramitochondrial fluorescence responses to glucose or microelectrophoretic mixtures containing glucose-6-phosphate, fructose-1,6-diphosphate and 6-phosphogluconate are more intense in the irradiated cell, while there is a higher response to uridine-diphosphoglucose in the non-irradiated cell. The responses to a multipotential component such as fructose-6-phosphate are similar in both cell types. The non-irradiated cells are more sensitive to Rotenone (an inhibitor of DPNH-cytochrome b reductase) which enhances the extramitochondrial fluorescence response to substrates of glucose catabolism. The higher glycolytic activity and lower sensitivity to Rotenone seen in the irradiated cell may be due to radiation damage of their respiratory membrane structures, e.g. the mitochondrial lipoprotein membranes.