Iron and deferoxamine in lymphocyte blastogenesis.

Murine lymphocytes in tissue culture accumulate 59Fe during the blastogenic process. The accumulation of iron is related to the time of maximal activity of DNA synthesis. A chelator of iron, deferoxamine, inhibits blastogenesis with 50% inhibitory concentration of 5 microM. These results suggest that iron is necessary for the blastogenic response and may partially explain the immune deficiency associated with iron deficiency anemia.