The arginase and rhodanese activities of certain cell strains after long cultivation in vitro.

The activities of the enzymes arginase and rhodanese were examined in homogenates of 13 mouse cell strains and 2 human cell strains after long cultivation of the cells in vitro. Three strains of mouse liver origin showed both high arginase and rhodanese activities in keeping with activities of the tissue of origin. Two strains of cells of human epithelial origin, HeLa and epidermis, were found to have high rhodanese activity but low arginase activity, the skin being almost devoid of it. Seven mouse fibroblast strains or substrains had moderate rhodanese activity and all except one of the strains had low arginase activity. Two of the fibroblast strains tested, NCTC 1745 and NCTC 2050, were derived from a single cell of a tumor appearing after injection of the high tumor producing strain NCTC 1742 into a mouse. The strain 1745 had 20 times and the strain 2050 had 400 times the arginase activity of the parent strain of cells. The findings imply a considerable biochemical variation in the three strains. Three mouse mammary carcinoma clones were devoid of arginase activity, but had considerable rhodanese activity.