Effect of uridine diphosphoglucose on levels of 5-phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate and uridine triphosphate in murine tissues.

The purpose of the present investigation was to determine whether a single bolus intravenous injection (2000 mg/kg) of uridine diphosphoglucose (UDPG) could affect levels of PRPP in a transplanted mammary adenocarcinoma and in liver of CD8FI mice. Six hours following a single intravenous injection of UDPG, 2000 mg/kg, tumor PRPP was lowered to 80 pmol/mg protein, a 53% decrease compared to saline control tumors. Liver was more sensitive than tumor to the 5-phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate (PRPP)-depleting effects of a single bolus intravenous injection of UDPG, since significantly lower levels of PRPP were found in liver, but not in tumor, at doses of 500-1000 mg/kg of UDPG. Maximal depression (30% of saline control) or PRPP occurred in liver 6 hr after intravenous UDPG at 1000-2000 mg/kg. Enhanced levels of UDPG in plasma (half-life less than 10 min) and tumor was detected at 30 min after intravenous UDPG at 2000 mg/kg. There was no detectable increase in endogenous levels of UDPG in liver at this time, probably as a result of rapid metabolism of UDPG by liver. At this same time, a twofold increase in uridine triphosphate (UTP) was measured in liver after intravenously administered UDPG. In contrast, the level of UTP was not increased significantly above control values in tumor. These data suggest the potential use of UDPG to elevate UTP pools in normal tissues in the delayed rescue of cancer chemotherapeutic drugs such as 5-fluorouracil which function as a uridine analogue in these tissues.

Inhibition by methotrexate of the stable incorporation of 5-fluorouracil into murine bone marrow DNA.

As a consequence of the inhibition of de novo purine synthesis by methotrexate (MTX) there is an increase in 5-phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate (PRPP) concentration. In cells where 5-fluorouracil (FUra) is activated via orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (OPRtase), increased PRPP results in greater conversion of FUra to nucleotides. In the murine CD8F1 breast tumor system, MTX markedly enhances the antitumor activity of FUra, increasing both the activation of FUra to FUMP and the incorporation of FUTP into RNA. However, in contrast to reported tumor tissue culture studies, MTX pretreatment in vivo prevents the stable incorporation of FUra into CD8F1 bone marrow DNA. Pretreatment with MTX (300 mg/kg) 2.5 hr prior to [3H]FUra (100 mg/kg), with a 2-hr labeling, reduced the level of FUra in DNA from 921 pmol to 66 pmol/mg of DNA. Without MTX pretreatment, 59% of the total incorporation of FUra into nucleic acids was into DNA when FUra was administered. After MTX the percentage of incorporation into DNA was reduced to 9%. Additionally, the ratio of [3H]FUra to 32P in DNA when both were given simultaneously was reduced by greater than 90%, suggesting that MTX must be specifically blocking the incorporation of FUra rather than nonspecifically preventing its incorporation by inhibiting DNA synthesis. In contrast, MTX failed to reduce the formation of DNA containing fluorouracil residues from FdUrd. To test whether MTX prevents the initial incorporation of FUra into DNA, or acts to enhance removal by the DNA glycosylase repair system, DNA was prelabeled in vivo with [3H]FUra, and MTX or MTX plus dThd was then administered. The level of FUra in bone marrow DNA was not reduced by subsequent treatment with MTX, or MTX plus dThd, indicating that MTX does not enhance the removal of FUra from DNA. The level of total free fluorodeoxynucleotides formed from FUra was reduced by two-thirds following MTX pretreatment, suggesting that the action of MTX in preventing the stable incorporation of FUra into DNA was to reduce the availability of FdUTP.

Effects of uridine diphosphoglucose (UDPG) infusion on 5-phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate (PRPP) levels of mouse tissues.

Uridine diphosphoglucose (UDPG) has been shown to have tissue-specific effects that have proved to be of clinical value in the treatment of some liver ailments. In an effort to determine something about the mechanism of action, we investigated the effect of UDPG on the levels of 5-phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate (PRPP) and PRPP synthetase in mouse liver, spleen and transplanted tumors. Three strains of mice were studied with and without tumors under various experimental conditions. Balb/c mice were infused with UDPG intraperitoneally at levels of 0.16 g/kg/day (0.28 mmole) to 1.6 g/kg/day (2.8 mmoles) for 5 days. At the low dose rate the PRPP level in the liver was found to increase 3-fold. A slight increase was noted in the activity of PRPP synthetase. However, when the UDPG was infused at a level of 2.8 mmoles/kg/day, the increases in both the synthetase and PRPP were inhibited. Both CRF1 and CD8 mice were less sensitive to the effects of UDPG per se. However, the high level of PRPP in the tumors they carried was greatly affected by the UDPG infusion. The tumor-specific inhibition of PRPP suggests that this action might prove to be useful combination therapy with inhibitors of purine and pyrimidine nucleotide synthesis in various rescue regimens. UDPG was found to enter cells intact before it was cleaved into glucose phosphate and UMP. The fact that UDPG was also found in the membrane fraction suggests that either there is a specific transport mechanism or UDPG exerts its action via interaction with the cell membrane.

Role of murine tumor models in cancer treatment research.

Two major factors have contributed to a widely held disenchantment with murine tumor models for drug screening in cancer research: (a) the higher costs of these models in comparison to studies performed with tumor cells in vitro; and (b) the perception that these models have failed to demonstrate satisfactory correlation of chemosensitivity with analogous human tumor types; i.e., murine tumors generally have proved to be sensitive to many more agents than are found to be active in the clinic. The perceived failure of the murine models is discussed with particular reference to the difference in criteria used for evaluating drug sensitivity in murine tumor models versus clinical trials, and we conclude that the perception about murine models is not tenable in light of present information. The very important role of murine tumor models in optimizing dosage and administration schedules and, most importantly, in the development of a new drug to its most useful potential in combination chemotherapy is discussed. The value of this in vivo methodology is stressed.

Some aspects of clearance of mitoguazone in cancer patients and experimental cancer models.

Mitoguazone (methylglyoxal-bis(guanyl-hydrazone), MGBG) was studied by its first-pass mechanism in both cancer patients and experimental cancer models. It appears from the study that 90% of MGBG is cleared from the plasma within minutes. 24-h recovery in the urine, however, did not exceed 16% so that 84% of the drug seems to be bound to subcellular compartments. Tissue levels of MGBG in the normal prostate ranged higher than in experimental prostate cancer type 3327 M/G, i.e. enhanced clearance from cancer tissues: polyamine biosynthetic enzymes ornithine decarboxylase as well as S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase are contrarily affected by MGBG.

Altered tRNA methylation in rats and mice fed lipotrope-deficient diets.

A diet that is deficient in methionine, choline, folic acid and vitamin B12 has been found to induce alterations rapidly in liver tRNA methylation in male Fischer rats. In vitro assays indicated that activity of N2-guanine tRNA methyltransferase II (NMG2) was increased to 150% of controls levels in 1 week and 300% of control levels after 2 weeks or longer on this diet. Incompletely methylated tRNA was isolated from livers of these same animals, indicating that there was impairment of methylation in vivo. The effects on liver tRNA methylation of this methyl-deficient diet were thus seen to mimic those of the liver carcinogen, ethionine, which also causes production of hypomethylated tRNA and increased activity of NMG2. The effect of the same diet on liver tRNA methyltransferase activity of C57BL/6J and C3H/HeJ inbred mice were also studied. Intake of the lipotrope-deficient diet induced elevation in activity of liver N2-guanine tRNA methyltransferase II activity in C57BL/6J mice, similar to that seen in rats. In contrast, the methyl-deficient diet had very little effect on the same enzyme activity in C3H/HeJ animals.

Increased activity of rat liver N2-guanine tRNA methyltransferase II in response to liver damage.

Alterations in rat liver transfer RNA (tRNA) methyltransferase activities have been observed after liver damage by various chemicals or by partial hepatectomy. The qualitative and quantitative nature of these activity changes and the time course for their induction have been studied. Since homologous tRNAs are essentially fully modified in vivo, E. coli tRNAs were used as in vitro substrates for the rat liver enzymes in these studies. Each of the liver-damaging agents tested rapidly caused increases in activities of the enzyme(s) catalyzing methyl group transfer to tRNAs that have an unmodified guanine at position 26 from the 5' end of the molecule. This group of tRNAs includes E. coli tRNANfmet, tRNAAla1, tRNALeu1, or Leu2, and tRNASer3 (Group 1). In each case N2-methylguanine and N2,N2-dimethylguanine represented 90% or more of the products of these in vitro methylations. The product and substrate specificity observed are characteristic of N2-guanine methyltransferase II (S-adenosyl-L-methionine : tRNA (guanine-2)-methyltransferase, EC 2.1.1.32). In crude and partially purified preparations derived from livers of both control and treated animals this enzyme activity was not diminished significantly by exposure to 50 degrees C for min. The same liver-damaging agents induced little or no change in the activities of enzymes that catalyze methyl group transfer to various other E. coli tRNAs that do not have guanine at position 26 (Group 2). The results of mixing experiments appear to rule out the likelihood that the observed enzyme activity changes are due to stimulatory or inhibitory materials present in the enzyme preparations from control or treated animals. Thus, our experiments indicate that liver damage by each of several different methods, including surgery or administration of chemicals that are strong carcinogens, hepatotoxins, or cancer-promoting substances, all produce changes in liver tRNA methyltransferase activity that represent a selective increase in activity of N2-guanine tRNA methyltransferase II. It is proposed that the specificity of this change is not fortuitous, but is the manifestation of an as yet unidentified regulatory process.

Some effects of inhibitors of polyamine synthesis on experimental prostatic cancer.

Difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) and methylglyoxal-bis(guanyl-hydrazone) (MGBG), inhibitors of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) and S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (AMDC), respectively, were tested in two experimental prostatic cancer models. DFMO resulted in a reduction in tumor size in both the rapidly growing R-3327 rat prostatic adenocarcinoma (30.5 +/- 15 versus 61 +/- 9.5 in control animals) and the human DU-145 adenocarcinomas (1.7 ml versus 3.3 ml in control animals) in nude mice. MGBG was tested only in the rat tumor, where it induced a reduction of 22.9 +/- 9.5 ml versus 61 +/- 9.5 in control animals in tumor size but was highly toxic. Flutamide or 9-B-D-arabinofuranosyladenine (Ara-A) proved ineffective per se in reducing tumor growth of the human DU-145 or of the R-3327-G strain, respectively, but increased the efficacy of DFMO against the DU-145 tumor had a high level of ODC which was reduced by DFMO of by Ara-A; the R-3327 tumor had a low level of ODC which was too low to be decreased by DFMO.

Antigrowth effect of some inhibitors of polyamine synthesis on transplantable prostate cancer.

Inhibitors of polyamine synthesis were tested for therapeutic effectiveness on transplantable prostate cancer. Inhibition of either ornithine decarboxylase or S-adenosyl-L-methionine decarboxylase (AMDC) by alpha-difluormethylornithine (DFMO) or methylglyoxal-bis[guanylhydrazone] (MGBG), respectively, was associated with significant antitumor effect. The combination of DFMO with MGBG was not only more effective but no more toxic than MGBG alone. Combination of MGBG with 9-B-D-arabinofuranosyladenine, an indirect effector of SAMDC, failed to increase therapeutic effectiveness of MGBG.

Membrane-associated purine metabolizing enzyme activities of human peripheral blood cells.

Sealed and unsealed plasma membrane vesicles were prepared from human erythrocytes and lymphocytes. Phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase (PRibPP synthetase), hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRTase), and adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (APRTase) activities are detectable on both inside-out and right-side-out sealed vesicles. Ghost preparations were about 0.2%, 1%, and 1.2% of the total erythrocyte and 0.5%, 5.3%, and 9.7% of the lymphocyte APRTase, HPRTase, and PRibPP synthetase activities. The rapid decrease in these enzyme activities, upon further purification of the membranes, seemed to suggest that they might be loosely bound extrinsic proteins. Evidence confirming the localization of these enzymes on the cell surface was obtained by measuring production of [14C]AMP by intact cells in medium containing [14C]adenine, ribose 5-phosphate, and Mg2+ATP. The formation of AMP was linear with time and number of cells present. Magnesium and phosphate exerted different effects on the production of extracellular AMP than on intracellular, which involves transport as well as phosphoribosylation. Cytosoluble and membrane-bound APRTase and PRibPP synthetase exhibited different catalytic properties and sensitivities to effectors. Membranes of erythrocytes of HPRTase-deficient patients contain little or no HPRTase activity when assayed in the absence of Triton. Reisolation of these membranes from admixture with normal hemolysates did not result in any bound activity; thus, the membrane-bound activity is not an artifact of the isolation procedure. Lysis with Triton released activity equal to about half that of control membranes. This is further evidence that the enzyme is firmly bound to the membrane.

Specific immunosuppressive effects of constant infusion of 2'-deoxycoformycin.

The effect of continuous infusion into C57BL/6J mice of 2'-deoxycoformycin (DCF), a tight-binding inhibitor of adenosine deaminase, on the biological function of bone marrow stem cells and T- and B-lymphocytes was evaluated. Greater than 85% inhibition of adenosine deaminase in erythrocytes, thymus, and bone marrow was noted after DCF infusion at 0.4 mg per kg body weight per day, while lesser extents of inhibition were characteristic of spleen and lymph nodes. The reconstitution of lethally irradiated C57BL/6J mice with bone marrow cells from DCF- and 0.9% NaCl infused mice of the same strain was compared. The two groups of animals were virtually identical with respect to (a) the number of spleen colony-forming units, (b) the response of splenic lymphocytes to both B- and T-cell mitogens, (c) hematological analysis of peripheral blood elements, and (d) survival time, thus strongly supporting the lack of effect of DCF infusion on the capacity of stem cells to differentiate. In contradistinction, DCF infusion was highly lymphocytotoxic as noted by the severe necrosis in both B- and T-cell regions in lymph nodes and spleen and by the dramatic weight reduction in spleen and thymus. Histopathology of other tissues including bone marrow was normal except for the occurrence of hepatitis. A striking decrease in blastogenesis induced by the mitogens concanavalin A, phytohemagglutinin, and Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharides was also observed after DCF infusion. Consistent with these data, in vitro incubation of bone marrow cells with DCF did not impair the number of spleen colony-forming units produced in lethally irradiated mice. These data suggest a potential use for adenosine deaminase inhibitors in the prevention of graft-versus-host disease in hematopoietic transplantation.

Subcellular distribution of PRibPP synthetase activity of rat intestinal mucosa.

5-Phosphoribosyl 1-pyrophosphate synthetase (PRibPP synthetase EC 2.7.6.1) isolated from rat intestinal mucosa was found to be membrane associated. The subcellular distribution of PRibPP synthetase activity seems to parallel that of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, indicating it to be in the brush border. The tip cells of rat intestinal mucosa were richer in PRibPP synthetase than the crypt cells. Chromatography of a Triton-solubilized particulate fraction unmasked a peak of hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase activity that was not detectable before. The activity, too, was concentrated in the brush border. The coexistence of these two activities in the fraction of the bowl involved in absorption has led to the suggestin that the synthetase and phosphoribosyl-transferase are part of a coupled transport system.

Animal model for immune dysfunction associated with adenosine deaminase deficiency.

An in vivo murine model for immunodeficiency of both B and T cells is produced by continuous intraperitoneal infusion of 2'-deoxycoformycin (DCF), a specific tightly binding inhibitor of adenosine deaminase (ADase; adenosine aminohydrolase, EC 3.5.4.4). After DCF infusion, ADase of thymus, spleen, and lymph nodes was inhibited to varying degrees ranging from 57% to 100%. Immunodeficiency under these conditions was indicated by: (i) a striking decrease in lymphocyte response to the T-cell mitogens concanavalin A and phytohemagglutinin; (ii) an impairment of delayed hypersensitivity measured by the footpad reaction; (iii) a decrease in antibody production measured in both in vivo and in vitro plaque-forming cell assay; (iv) a significant prolongation of mouse skin allograft survival after transplantation into the C57BL/6J (H-2b) strain of skin from BALB/c (H-2d) mice; and (v) a marked lymphopenia. Histological examination indicated lymphoid degeneration in the thymus, lymph nodes, and spleen with no alterations in other tissues including bone marrow, kidney, lung, gastrointestinal tract, and liver except for the occurrence of hepatitis. A decrease in the number of Thy-1-positive cells in both spleen and lymph nodes further supported the fact of cytotoxicity of DCF to T cells. Anorexia and weight loss were observed within 5 days of continuous DCF infusion at 0.4 mg/kg body weight per day. These data indicate that this method provides an experimental model for future studies on the biochemical mechanisms responsible for the genetically determined severe combined immunodeficiency disease in man.

Comparisons of liver transfer RNA methyltransferase and adenosylmethionine decarboxylase activities of male and female rats.

The activities of liver transfer RNA (tRNA) methyltransferases from control or ovariectomized female rats were found to be higher than those of control or castrated males. Administration of testosterone to ovariectomized females caused activity to decrease to the level of the males. Conversely, administration of estrogen to castrated males resulted in liver enzyme levels similar to those of the females. When the substrates for in vitro methylation were either mixed heterologous tRNA's from Escherichia coli or mixed homologous methyl-deficient tRNA from livers of ethionine-treated rats, the difference in activity between males and females was about 35%. When amino acid-specific tRNA's from E. coli were used as substrates, the ratios of activity of enzymes from females to that of males were: tRNANfMet 1.5; tRNAMetMet 1.1; tRNASer3 1.85; tRNAPhe 1.1; and tRNATyr 1.25, indicating that there are qualitative as well as quantitative differences in the liver tRNA methyltransferases of the two sexes. The adenosylmethionine decarboxylase activity of female rat liver preparations was approximately double that found for males. Testosterone, given to ovariectomized females, lowered the activity of this enzyme to about the same level as that of males. It is not clear whether the observed sex-related differences in activity of several adenosylmethionine-utilizing liver enzymes represent isolated phenomena or are indicative of a sex-related difference in the rate of liver adenosylmethionine turnover.