Human lymphocytes resistant to 6-thioguanine increase with age.
Using an autoradiographic technique we determined the number of circulating lymphocytes that were resistant to 6-thioguanine and which were presumably mutants at the hypoxanthine--guanine phosphoribosyl transferase locus. The number in normal individuals was found to increase exponentially with age. The data suggest a relationship between mutagenesis and ageing, perhaps by way of a decline with age in the fidelity of DNA replication or repair.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009154:Mutation; D010641:Phenotype; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013866:Thioguanine / Q000633:toxicity*
D013866:Thioguanine