Radioautographic Studies of the Incorporation of [35s]Cystine into Wool

Abstract

A study has been made of the distribution of radioactivity in skin samples and in plucked wool fibres taken at intervals after giving intravenous injections 0f DL· and L.[35S]cystine respectively to two adult Corriedale sheep. The results indicated that radioactivity extends throughout the whole of the unkeratinized wool root 1 hr after the injection, appearing first in the suprabulbar region of the follicle and spreading distally to the keratinized region. Less than 3% of the spread of radioactivity during the first hour could be explained on the basis of fibre growth.