From: Cancer Research, Vol. 6:495, 1946.

RHODANESE AND THF, PASTEUR EFFECT. B.
MENDEL, H. RUDNEY, and M. C. BOWMAN.
(Banting and Best Department of Medical Research,
University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.)

Rat tissues that display a high anaerobic glycolysis may
be divided into two groups: (a) tissues such as brain,
testes, spleen, and ileal mucosa, in which the glycolysis
is suppressed in O2, almost to the maximum anticipated
from the Meyerhof quotient; (b) tissues, such as malignant
tumors (S39, Jensen sarcoma), retina, kidney medulla
and jejunal mucosa, in which the glycolysis in O2 is not
reduced to the extent which could he expected from the
magnitude of the respiration. It has heen found that
tissues belonging to group (a) contain large amounts
of rhodanese whereas in those of group (b) this enzyme,
if present at all, is found in insignificant amounts. Rho-
danese catalyzes the formation of thiocyanate from HCN
and S-containing compounds and could thus detoxifs any
HCN produced in metaholism.

It is known that small amounts of thiocyanate are ex-
creted at a constant rate in the urine and, though the
mechanism of the formation of this compound is unknown,
it could conceivably originate in the interaction of HCN
and S-containing substances-the reaction catayzed by
rhodanese. Since concentrations of HCN smaller than
those that interfere with the oxygen uptake have been
shown to offset the effect of O2 on glycolysis, it is sug-
gested that, in tissues exhibiting aerobic glycolysis, the
accumulation of HCN that would occur in the absence
of rhodanese could account for the partial or total aboli-
tion of the Pasteur effect.