In situ polymerase chain reaction-based localization studies support role of human herpesvirus-8 as the cause of two AIDS-related neoplasms: Kaposi's sarcoma and body cavity lymphoma.

Several lines of investigation point to a new herpesvirus, human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8), as the cause of two different neoplasms seen in AIDS patients-Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and body cavity B cell lymphoma. If this virus is the etiological agent, rather than another opportunistic infectious agent, it should be present in the earliest detectable clinical lesions on a temporal basis, and localize to specific target cells in a spatial pattern consistent with tumorigenic pathways. In this study, we take advantage of the clinical accessibility to biopsy early (patch stage) skin lesions of KS to address the temporal issue, combined with in situ PCR and dual immunostaining using a marker identifying malignant cells, to address the spatial localization issue. 21 different tissue samples were subjected to PCR analysis and in situ PCR with and without simultaneous immunostaining. In normal skin from healthy individuals, no HHV-8 DNA was detected by PCR or in situ PCR. However, in all PCR-positive tissues, distinct and specific in situ PCR staining was observed. In four different patch stage KS lesions, in situ PCR staining localized to nuclei of endothelial cells and perivascular spindle-shaped tumor cells. Later stage KS lesions (plaques and nodules) revealed additional positive cells, including epidermal keratinocytes (four of five), and eccrine epithelia (two of four). These patterns were nonrestricted to skin, as pulmonary KS also revealed HHV-8-specific infection of endothelial cells and KS tumor cells, as well as epithelioid pneumocytes (two of two). In body cavity B cell lymphoma by dual staining, HHV-8 was present in malignant tumor cells (EMA immunostained positive) and not in reactive lymphocytes. These results reveal an early temporal onset and nonrandom tissue and cellular distribution pattern for HHV-8 infection that is consistent with a causal link between this DNA virus and two AIDS-related neoplasms.

Nucleoside 5'-diphosphates as effectors of mammalian ribonucleotide reductase.

It was found that nucleoside 5'-diphosphates could serve as effectors of ribonucleotide reductase. ADP was an activator of CDP reduction; ADP reduction was activated by dGDP; GDP reduction was activated by dTDP. Conversely, dADP inhibited the reduction of CDP, UDP, GDP, and ADP; dGDP inhibited UDP and GDP reductions; and dTDP inhibited UDP reduction. The inhibition of UDP reduction by dADP, dTDP, and dGDP was at least equal to that observed for dATP, dTTP, and dGTP, respectively. In these experiments with the nucleoside diphosphates as effectors, high-pressure liquid chromatography analysis of the reaction mixtures showed that no nucleoside 5'-triphosphates were found during the reaction period which could account for the effects seen with the nucleoside diphosphates as effectors. Further experiments were carried out in which adenyl-5'-yl imidodiphosphate was used as the positive effector of CDP and UDP reductions in place of ATP. Under these conditions, CDP and UDP reductions were inhibited by dADP, dTDP, and dGDP to the same extent observed in the presence of ATP. ADP served not only as a substrate for ribonucleotide reductase but also as an activator of CDP and UDP reductions. The direct products (dNDPs) also served as positive and negative effectors. Dixon plots indicated that the dNDPs were acting as noncompetitive inhibitors with respect to the substrate. ADP increased the sedimentation velocity of the ribonucleotide reductase in a manner similar to ATP. These data are consistent with the allosteric effects seen with the nucleoside 5'-triphosphates. Additionally, from the thorough study of the role of effectors on UDP reduction, it is clear that UDP reduction was most sensitive to the negative effectors dATP, dADP, dTTP, dTDP, dGTP, and dGDP.

Inhibition of ribonucleotide reductase and L1210 cell growth by N-hydroxy-N'-aminoguanidine derivatives.

A series of N-hydroxy-N'-aminoguanidine derivatives was studied for their effects on L1210 cell growth and ribonucleotide reductase activity. With the twelve compounds studied, there was a good correlation between the inhibition of L1210 cell growth and the inhibition of ribonucleotide reductase activity. The most potent compound required concentrations of only 1.4 and 2 microM for 50% inhibition of L1210 cell growth and ribonucleotide reductase activity respectively. These guanidine analogs specifically inhibited the conversion of [14C]cytidine and deoxycytidine nucleotides in the nucleotide pool and the incorporation of [14C]cytidine into DNA without altering the incorporation of [14C]cytidine into RNA. Ribonucleotide reductase activity in drug-treated cells was reduced markedly. Iron-chelating agents did not either increase or decrease the inhibition caused by the N-hydroxy-N'-aminoguanidine derivatives. No evidence was obtained that these derivatives selectively inactivated one of the subunits of ribonucleotide reductase. These compounds appear to inhibit ribonucleotide reductase by a mechanism different from hydroxyurea or the thiosemicarbazone derivatives.

Nucleoside 5'-triphosphate analogs as positive and negative effectors of mammalian ribonucleotide reductase.

Ribonucleotide reductase activity is strongly regulated by nucleoside 5'-triphosphates acting as positive and negative effectors. With the use of dGTP analogs, araGTP and dITP, it was found that the structural requirements of dGTP to serve as a positive effector of ADP reductase were not the same as the requirements for dGTP to serve as a negative effector of CDP and ADP reductase activities. The dTTP analogs methylenedTTP and dideoxyTTP also gave different responses in terms of activating GDP reductase activity and inhibiting CDP and ADP reductase activities. Etheno-ATP and etheno-dATP were inactive as positive and negative effectors, respectively, of CDP reductase activity. DideoxyATP was less active than dATP as a negative effector. Formycin ATP was a very poor substitute for ATP as a positive effector of CDP reductase. These studies indicate that the effector sites are very specific in terms of binding nucleoside triphosphates as positive or negative modulators of ribonucleotide reductase activity.

The utility of combinations of drugs directed at specific sites of the same target enzyme--ribonucleotide reductase as the model.

Ribonucleotide reductase is a key enzyme in DNA replication and, as such, has been a target for antitumor agents. This enzyme is composed of two nonidentical protein subunits which can be specifically and independently inhibited. Combinations of drugs directed at the effector-binding and non-heme iron subunits of ribonucleotide reductase resulted in the synergistic inhibition of L1210 cell growth and synergistic L1210 cell kill. These combinations included dAdo/EHNA/IMPY/Desferal; dAdo/EHNA/hydroxyurea/Desferal (the EHNA was required to protect dAdo from deamination while Desferal modulated the effects of IMPY or hydroxyurea); 2-F-araA/IMPY/Desferal and 2-F-2'-dAdo/IMPY/Desferal (EHNA was not required to protect 2-F-araA or 2-F-2'-dAdo from deamination); and dGuo/8-AGuo/IMPY/Desferal (8-AGuo was required to protect dGuo from phosphorolysis). Although thymidine alone inhibited L1210 cell growth, it was not possible to potentiate the effects of thymidine with the pyrimidine nucleoside phosphorylase inhibitors, acyclothymidine, 5-chlorouracil and 2,6-dihydroxypyridine. Combinations of drugs directed at the ribonucleotide reductase and DNA polymerase sites were studied for their effects on L1210 cell growth. With these combinations, no synergistic inhibition of L1210 cell growth was observed. The combinations of aphidicolin and IMPY/Desferal and aphidicolin and dAdo/EHNA inhibited L1210 cell growth in an additive manner; the combinations of IMPY/Desferal and BuAU or IMPY/Desferal and BuPdG resulted in antagonistic inhibition of L1210 cell growth. From these results it is clear that combination chemotherapy directed at independent sites of the same key target enzyme can result in strong synergistic inhibition of cell growth and cytotoxicity offering a clear therapeutic advantage. In contrast, the combinations directed at sequential key enzymes (e.g. ribonucleotide reductase and DNA polymerase) did not result in synergistic inhibition of cell growth. The utility of combinations of drugs directed at specific but independent sites of the target enzyme (e.g. ribonucleotide reductase) has been demonstrated in tumor cell systems in culture and now must be demonstrated in vivo.

Studies directed toward testing the "channeling" hypothesis--ribonucleotides----DNA in leukemia L1210 cells.

Experiments were carried out to test for the presence of "channeling" in L1210 cells. L1210 cells were incubated in culture in the presence of labeled cytidine and "cold" deoxycytidine and conversely, in the presence of labeled deoxycytidine and "cold" cytidine. Cytidine did not inhibit the incorporation of [14C]deoxycytidine into DNA while deoxycytidine decreased the incorporation of [14C]cytidine into DNA. Further, in L1210 cells there was not a coordinate inhibition of thymidylate synthetase when either DNA polymerase was inhibited (aphidicolin) or ribonucleotide reductase was inhibited (hydroxyurea). These data indicate that leukemia L1210 cells do not selectively channel ribonucleotides to DNA through a tightly coupled enzyme complex.

Preparation of [14C]uridine 5'-diphosphate and [14C]guanosine 5'-diphosphate.

Procedures have been developed for the routine enzymatic synthesis of [14C]UDP and [14C]GDP from commercially available enzymes and [14C]UMP and [14C]GMP. Using high pressure liquid chromatography, the products are recovered in high yield (60-80%) and with high purity. The [14C]UDP and [14C]GDP are utilized as substrates for ribonucleotide reductase.

Studies on the differential mechanisms of inhibition of ribonucleotide reductase by specific inhibitors of the non-heme iron subunit.

The data presented here show that while the non-heme iron subunit of ribonucleotide reductase is inhibited by IMPY, hydroxyurea and MAIQ, the mechanism of inhibition by hydroxyurea and IMPY is distinct from that for MAIQ. This difference in mechanisms is expressed not only in effects of iron-chelating agents on enzyme activity and of L1210 cell growth in culture, but also in differences in responses to catalase and peroxidase. Further, these data suggest that the inhibition of reductase activity by IMPY and IMPY/iron-chelator occurs through different pathways. The same conclusion can be drawn for the inhibition of reductase by hydroxyurea and hydroxyurea/iron-chelator. It is clear that additional studies will be required to understand the exact mechanism by which hydroxyurea or IMPY and the thiosemicarbazones inhibit the non-heme iron component of ribonucleotide reductase. It will also be necessary to better define the pathways of inhibition of reductase activity by IMPY and the IMPY/iron-chelator combination (or hydroxyurea and hydroxyurea/iron-chelator combination). From these studies may come information which will allow these antitumor agents to have greater utilization in the clinical management of neoplastic diseases.

Effects of biochemical modulation of drug combinations directed at the ribonucleotide reductase site on leukemia L1210 cell growth in culture.

Ribonucleotide reductase from tumor cells consists of two non-identical components which can be specifically and independently inhibited. Combinations of agents directed at the individual components gave synergistic inhibition of L1210 cell growth in culture. Utilizing hydroxyurea and deoxyadenosine or IMPY and deoxyadenosine as the parent combinations, modulators were used to potentiate the effects of each of these drugs. EHNA was used to prevent the deamination of deoxyadenosine while Desferal was utilized to increase the effects of hydroxyurea and IMPY. Combinations consisting of deoxyadenosine/EHNA plus IMPY/Desferal and deoxyadenosine/EHNA plus hydroxyurea/Desferal gave synergistic inhibition of L1210 cell growth. Utilizing these combination chemotherapies, the concentrations of each of the agents could be kept to minimal, essentially non-inhibitory levels and yet still achieve complete inhibition of L1210 cell growth with the specifically generated four-drug combinations.

Effects of combinations of drugs having different modes of action at the ribonucleotide reductase site on growth of L1210 cells in culture.

Combinations of inhibitors directed at the individual components of ribonucleotide reductase were studied for their effects on L1210 cell growth in culture. The combinations included pyrozoloimidazole (IMPY) plus deoxyadenosine and hydroxyurea plus deoxyadenosine. Modulators were utilized to potentiate the effects of hydroxyurea, IMPY, or deoxyadenosine. Desferal was used to modulate the activity of hydroxyurea and IMPY while erythoro-9-(2-hydroxy-3-nonyl)adenine (EHNA) was used as the modulator of deoxyadenosine metabolism. While the combinations of deoxyadenosine-EHNA, hydroxyurea-Desferal, or IMPY-Desferal caused increased growth inhibition of L1210 cells at high drug concentrations, combinations which consisted of deoxyadenosine-EHNA-IMPY-Desferal or deoxyadenosine-EHNA-hydroxyurea-Desferal gave strong synergistic inhibition of L1210 cell growth in culture at concentrations of each of the drugs which alone had minimal inhibitory effects on tumor cell growth. The four-drug combination was clearly more effective than any three-drug combination in terms of inhibition of tumor cell growth. It was also observed that the concentrations of the modulators (Desferal or EHNA) were as critical as the concentrations of hydroxyurea, IMPY, or deoxyadenosine in establishing an effective drug combination.