The mechanism of the growth-promoting action of 2-mercaptoethanol on mouse lymphoma L1210 cells in vitro has been studied. The normal line of L1210 is deficient in its capacity to take up cystine, and this limits the growth of the cells in normal culture media containing cystine. In the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol, the cells obtain a high capacity to utilize cystine in the medium. The reactio...

1. The reduction of NAD(+), by an enzyme preparation from rat liver, in the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol is reported. 2. It is suggested that the NAD(+)-linked alcohol dehydrogenase in the extract transfers hydrogen from 2-mercaptoethanol to NAD(+). 3. Both yeast and horse-liver alcohol dehydrogenases were observed to reduce NAD(+) in the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol. 4. Some interactions of ...

Nonadherent mouse spleen cells exhibited poor viability and little or no capacity to form antibodies to sheep red cells in the Mishell-Dutton culture system. Viability and antibody-forming capacity could be restored by addition to these cultures of low concentrations of mercaptoethanol (10(-4)-10(-5)M), or by addition of appropriate numbers of mouse peritoneal macrophages. Macrophage concentrat...

Serum agglutinins of chick and pigeon cells are predominantly immunoglobulin M and can be inactivated by 2 mercaptoethanol. 2 Mercaptoethanol is more effective than strong suspensions of red cells in removing the agglutinins of indicator cells from sera being prepared for HAI tests. In rubella HAI tests from a dilution of 1 to 10 dilute 2 mercaptoethanol offer a convenient method of removing ag...

The routine brucella agglutination test measures both immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG brucella antibody titers; however, only an elevated IgG titer is significant for differentiating active from inactive disease in patients with symptoms lasting 3 or more weeks. The IgG antibody titer can be determined by treating the serum wih 2-mercaptoethanol to inactivate the IgM brucella antibodies while le...

The effects of the sulfhydryl reducing agents 2-mercaptoethanol and dithiothreitol on wortmannin-induced inhibition of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) were studied in order to examine whether the sulfhydryl reducing agents directly affect the wortmannin inhibition of PI3K. These reducing agents are commonly used to stabilize enzyme structures by maintaining protein sulfhydryl groups in the red...

2-Mercaptoethanol inhibits growth of Aspergillus parasiticus NRRL 3240 and aflatoxin formation by the fungus. When added to the resuspended medium, 2-mercaptoethanol inhibited [1-14C]acetate incorporation into both aflatoxins and neutral lipids, thereby showing that it acts at an early stage of aflatoxin biosynthesis. The inhibition is probably due to its chelating action on zinc, which is esse...