Journal of Cell Science, Vol 8, 399-406, Copyright © 1971 by Company of Biologists

Revised on August 24, 1970

The Effects of Sucrose and Various Salts on the Growth and Lysosomal Enzyme Activity of L5178Y Cells

¹ Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Rochester, School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, N. Y. 14620, U.S.A.

L5178 Y murine leukemic cells do not seem to be affected by sucrose in the same manner as other mammalian cells. Although there is active uptake of sucrose with no concomitant metabolism, there is no increase in vacuolation or cell size and there is only a slight increase in acid phosphatase, acid protease and -glucuronidase activities. However, the glycosidases are significantly elevated in the presence of 0.08 M sucrose. This may be due to a specific induction of these enzymes by the sucrose not related to a general increase in lysosomes.

As the sucrose concentration is raised, a depression of the growth rate and an elevation of glycosidase activities occurs, reaching a maximum at 0.08 M sucrose. This depression of growth with a concomitant increase in generation time is primarily a result of the increased osmolarity of the medium; the same effect is observed with increased concentrations of NaCl. Although the growth effects are similar with either sucrose or NaCl, the elevation of glycosidase activity occurs only with increased concentrations of sucrose.

Sucrose-induced vacuolation with an increase in cell size is not evident in L5178 Y cells; therefore this effect does not seem to be common to all mammalian cells, even though it has been reported for LS cells, Chinese hamster fibroblasts, and chick bone rudiments and in vivo for liver cells.