The incorporation and localization of aldehydes (Highly reactive cigarette smoke components) into cellular fractions of cultured human lung cens

Wi 38 human fetal lung fibreblasts were incubated with tracer amounts of¹⁴C-labeled formaldehyde and acetaldehyde which Zife highly reactive components of cigarette smeke. A pulse of 10 min with formaldehyde feilowed by a 60-min and 24-hr chase showed migration ef¹⁴C label into the nucleus. Fractionation of the nucleus revealed that the RNA fraction had the highest absolute and specific activity while the DNA and protein fractiens colntained considerably lower activities. All of the counts from fOlrmaldehyde were fOlund in the adenine and guanine components of RNA. The DNA counts were distributed among adenine, guanine, and thymine. Incubation with¹⁴C acetaldehyde showed a majority of the counts localized in the membrane plus nuclear lipid fraction. A small proportion of counts was found in the protein portion of the celis.