The pleiotypic response to serine in erythroblastic leukemic cells

Erythroblastic leukemic (EBL) cells incubated in media containing essential amino acids, glutamine and serine incorporate more [3H]-leucine into protein than those incubated without serine. Cells incubated with serine contain higher intracellular serine concentrations and display increased rates of peptide chain initiation on polyribosomal profile analysis. Deficiency of serine inhibited protein synthesis more than deficiencies of most other single essential amino acids, but no further inhibition was seen when single essential amino acids were removed from serine deficient media. Serine also enhanced the uptake of [3H]-uridine and its transfer to RNA while several essential amino acids had no effect. We conclude that in EBL cells, serine is an essential amino acid and that exogenous repletion of intracellular concentrations induces a positive pleiotypic response. We have previously shown that after incubation with serine for 15 min. EBL cells have greater numbers of plasmalemma insulin receptors. Regulation of cell surface receptors may therefore comprise another limb of the pleiotypic response.