Abstract
NORMAL human serum has been reported to contain thymus hormone activity as detectable by a rosette inhibition assay1. It has been suggested that this circulating hormone may act through stimulation of cyclic AMP synthesis2. In addition, other thymic hormones isolated from the thymus, such as thymosin3 and THF4, have been found to activate membrane adenylate cyclase and to increase cellular levels of cyclic AMP in thymocytes5,6. Thymopoietin, a thymic hormone the amino acid sequence of which has been established7, has also been claimed to induce T-cell differentiation by way of cyclic AMP8. Here we report on a human serum factor (SF) capable of increasing the level of cellular cyclic AMP in thymocytes; we also present evidence for the possible thymic nature of this factor.
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ASTALDI, A., ASTALDI, G., SCHELLEKENS, P. et al. Thymic factor in human sera demonstrable by a cyclic AMP assay. Nature 260, 713–715 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1038/260713a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/260713a0
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