In vivo measurement of dihydrofolate reductase and its inhibition by antifolates.

The ability of the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase to catalyze the formation of tetrahydrobiopterin from dihydrobiopterin was used to develop a method for measuring the activity of this enzyme in vivo. This method can be used to determine the activity of the enzyme in tissues as well as the extent and duration of inhibition of the enzyme by antifolates. Sepiapterin, which is converted to dihydrobiopterin by the enzyme sepiapterin reductase, was as effective a precursor as dihydrobiopterin and has been used in these studies because of its greater stability relative to dihydrobiopterin. Assay conditions must be established for each tissue and enzyme activity can be determined either by measuring the rate of disappearance of dihydrobiopterin or the rate of formation of tetrahydrobiopterin.

Endocrine-dependent regulation of tetrahydrobiopterin levels and guanosine triphosphate cyclohydrolase activity.

The role of endocrine organs in the regulation of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) levels and guanosine triphosphate cyclohydrolase (GTP-CH) activity was studied in the spleen, bone marrow and brain of rats and mice. Following hypophysectomy, BH4 levels and GTP-CH activity were significantly decreased in both spleen and bone marrow. Fourteen days after hypophysectomy GTP-CH activity and BH4 levels were approximately 25% of control levels in both tissues. In contrast, BH4 levels and GTP-CH activity in brain were not significantly different from control values. The decrease in GTP-CH activity and BH4 levels in spleen and marrow could not be reversed by high doses of ACTH or by a pituitary extract. Removal of the thyroid gland resulted in significant decreases in BH4 levels and GTP-CH activity in spleen; marrow and brain levels were not affected. BH4 levels in spleens of thyroidectomized rats returned to control values following treatment with either triiodothyronine or thyroxine. Adrenalectomy and castration had no effect on biopterin metabolism in bone marrow, spleen or brain. Tissue levels of BH4 and GTP-CH were also studied in mutant mouse strains having mutations in either pituitary or thyroid functions in order to examine further the role of these tissues in the regulation of the biosynthesis of this cofactor. The results of this study indicate that factors secreted from the pituitary are important in the regulation of BH4 levels and GTP-CH activity in spleen and bone marrow and that the thyroid gland also plays a role in regulation in the spleen. Levels of BH4 and GTP-CH in the brain, if regulated, appear to be independent of the endocrine tissues studied.

Differences in the metabolism of the aromatic amino acid hydroxylase cofactor, tetrahydrobiopterin, in mutant mice with neurological and immunological defects.

Tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) levels and GTP cyclohydrolase activity (GTP-CH) were measured in tissues from mutants and controls of 24 different mouse strains to identify mutants that might be suitable models for diseases which are characterized by a deficiency of the biopterin cofactor, such as parkinsonism and atypical phenylketonuria. BH4 levels and GTP-CH activity were determined in brain, liver, and spleen obtained from 24 mutants with neurological or immunological defects. BH4 levels in brain were slightly but significantly decreased in only two mutants, spastic (spa) and jittery (ji), while GTP-CH activity in brain was not significantly lower than controls in any of the strains examined. GTP-CH levels in liver were significantly decreased in four mutant strains (jittery, ji; leaner, tgla; reeler, rl; and anorexia, anx); however, BH4 levels were significantly lower only in the mutant anorexia (anx). The most significant and widespread changes in both BH4 levels and GTP-CH activity were observed in spleen. In those mutants which were most affected, BH4 levels and GTP-CH activity were decreased 85-90%.

Biopterin cofactor biosynthesis: GTP cyclohydrolase, neopterin and biopterin in tissues and body fluids of mammalian species.

Levels of GTP cyclohydrolase, neopterin and biopterin were determined in tissues and body fluids of humans, monkey, dog and mouse. Highest levels of GTP cyclohydrolase and biopterin were found in pineal, liver, spleen, bone marrow, whole adrenal gland and small intestine. High levels of biopterin were found in the urine of all species examined. High levels of neopterin were found only in the urine of humans and monkeys, very low levels could be detected in dog, while none could be detected in mouse, rat, guinea pig or hamster urine.

Analysis of folate cofactor levels in tissues using high-performance liquid chromatography.

A method for the isolation and concentration of the monoglutamate forms of folate cofactors from tissues and for their subsequent separation and quantitation using HPLC coupled with uv detection at 284 nm is described. A chromatographic procedure utilizing Dowex 50 has been developed for the separation of the folate monoglutamates from a large portion of the nonfolate-related material following digestion of the polyglutamated forms with a highly purified preparation of rat liver conjugase. This chromatographic procedure combined with concentration of the Dowex eluate by lyophilization eliminates uv-absorbing material, which interferes with the detection and quantitation of the folate cofactors and makes possible uv measurement of the individual folates. Reverse-phase paired-ion chromatography on mu Bondapak C18 coupled with uv detection allows direct quantitation of the folates in the nanogram range.

Biochemical and chemotherapeutic studies on 2,4-diamino-6-(2,5-dimethoxybenzyl)-5-methylpyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine (BW 301U), a novel lipid-soluble inhibitor of dihydrofolate reductase.

The lipophilic diaminopyridopyrimidine BW 301U (2,4-diamino-6-(2,5-dimethoxybenzyl)-5-methylpyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine) is as active as methotrexate as an inhibitor of dihydrofolate reductase and mammalian cell growth. This compound was selected from among related pyridopyrimidines and other lipid-soluble diaminoheterocyclic compounds as having the most favorable combination of properties as a potent inhibitor of dihydrofolate reductase with minimal effects on histamine metabolism. In contrast to methotrexate, entry of BW 301U into cells is rapid and is not temperature dependent, indicating passage across cell membranes by diffusion. There is no competition between BW 301U and leucovorin (folinic acid) for uptake into Sarcoma 180 cells in culture. When BW 301U is added to culture medium, deoxyuridine incorporation ceases within the first few min, and this inhibition persists when cells are transferred to drug-free medium. Both leucovorin and thymidine are required to protect cells in culture from the cytotoxicity of BW 301U. The effect on thymidine biosynthesis appears to be indirect since BW 301U is inactive as an inhibitor of thymidylate synthetase. Hypoxanthine and thymidine restore growth by only 50% in cultures containing BW 301U, and complete restoration of growth requires the further addition of adenosine and either uridine or cytidine to the medium. In vivo, BW 301U is active against Walker 256, L1210, P388, Sarcoma 180, and Ehrlich ascites tumors.

Dihydrofolate reductase in primary brain tumors, cell cultures of central nervous system origin, and normal brain during fetal and neonatal growth.

Dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) was measured during the development in rats of brain tumors induced following inoculation with avian sarcoma virus. Increasing activity of this enzyme in brain was correlated with the course of primary brain tumor growth. The specific activities of DHFR in primary human brain tumor tissues were comparable to those found in avian sarcoma virus-induced brain tumors in rats. Specific activities of DHFR in cell cultures derived from human and rat primary intracranial gliomas and sarcomas were up to 6 times those found in adult rat liver. The presence of DHFR in neoplasms of central nervous system origin is relevant to the development of folate antagonists which, unlike methotrexate, can readily cross the blood-brain barrier. In normal developing rat brain, DHFR specific activity was high in embryos at 19 days of gestation and declined thereafter, until at 20 days after birth the activity was very low. The methotrexate titration assay was used to measure enzyme levels in the brains of fetal and newborn rats, and good correlation with the spectrophotometric assay was observed. The pattern was different in liver, showing maximum activity 11 days after birth and retaining high activity in adult liver. Both the cofactor requirement and the sensitivity to methotrexate indicate that the enzyme in the brain is DHFR.