Abstract
EARLY studies on the reactivity of mustard gas (ββ' -dichlorodiethylsulphide) with amines and amino-acids1,2,3 provided the first indication that its vesicant action might depend on a combination with protein constituents of the living cell. Additional indirect support for such a view was the observation that respiratory and glycolytic processes of bacteria4 and of minced tumour tissue5 were inhibited by mustard gas in vitro, and that with the sulphone analogue there was inhibition of metabolism of brain tissue in vitro, representing a selective effect on the pyruvate oxidase system6. Actual evidence that mustard gas could combine with proteins became available when serum proteins were shown to acquire new antigenic properties after treatment in the cold with mustard gas7.
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BERENBLUM, I., SCHOENTAL, R. ACTION OF MUSTARD GAS (ββ'-DICHLORODIETHYLSULPHIDE) ON NUCLEOPROTEINS. Nature 159, 727–729 (1947). https://doi.org/10.1038/159727a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/159727a0
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