Biochemical and biological studies on 2-desamino-2-methylaminopterin, an antifolate the polyglutamates of which are more potent than the monoglutamate against three key enzymes of folate metabolism.

Biochemical and biological studies have been carried out with 2-desamino-2-methylaminopterin (dmAMT), which inhibits tumor cell growth in culture but is only a weak inhibitor of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). Since it was possible that the species responsible for growth inhibition are polyglutamylated metabolites, the di-, tri-, and tetraglutamates of dmAMT were synthesized and tested as inhibitors of purified recombinant human DHFR, murine L1210 leukemia thymidylate synthase (TS), chicken liver glycinamide ribonucleotide formyltransferase (GARFT), and murine L1210 leukemia aminoimidazolecarboxamide ribonucleotide formyltransferase (AICARFT). The compounds with three and four gamma-glutamyl residues were found to bind two orders of magnitude better than dmAMT itself to DHFR, TS, and AICARFT, with 50% inhibitory concentration values in the 200 to 300 nM range against all three enzymes. In contrast, at a concentration of 10 microM, dmAMT polyglutamates had no appreciable effect on GARFT activity. These findings support the hypothesis that dmAMT requires intracellular polyglutamylation for activity and indicate that replacement of the 2-amino group by 2-methyl is as acceptable a structural modification in antifolates targeted against DHFR as it is in antifolates targeted against TS. In growth assays against methotrexate (MTX)-sensitive H35 rat hepatoma cells and MTX-resistant H35 sublines with a transport defect, dmAMT was highly cross-resistant with MTX, but not with the TS inhibitors N10-propargyl-5,8-dideazafolic acid and N-(5-[N-(3,4-dihydro-2-methyl-4-ox-oquinazolin-6-yl)-N- methylamino]thenoyl)-L-glutamic acid, implicating DHFR rather than TS as the principal target for dmAMT polyglutamates in intact cells. On the other hand, an H35 subline resistant to 2'-deoxy-5-fluorouridine by virtue of increased TS activity was highly cross-resistant to N10-propargyl-5,8-dideazafolic acid and not cross-resistant to MTX, but showed partial cross-resistance to dmAMT. Both thymidine and hypoxanthine were required to protect H35 cells treated with concentrations of dmAMT and MTX that inhibited growth by greater than 90% relative to unprotected controls. In contrast, N10-propargyl-5,8-dideazafolic acid and N-(5-[N-(3,4-dihydro-2-methyl-4-oxoquinazolin-6-yl)-N-methylamino] thenoyl)- L-glutamic acid required only thymidine for protection. Like MTX, therefore, dmAMT appears to inhibit purine as well as pyrimidine de novo synthesis, and its effect on cell growth probably reflects the ability of dmAMT polyglutamates to not only block dihydrofolate reduction but also interfere with other steps of folate metabolism, either directly or indirectly via alteration of reduced folate pools.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Sequence-specific 1H and 15N resonance assignments for human dihydrofolate reductase in solution.

Dihydrofolate reductase is an intracellular target enzyme for folate antagonists, including the anticancer drug methotrexate. In order to design novel drugs with altered binding properties, a detailed description of protein-drug interactions in solution is desirable to understand the specificity of drug binding. As a first step in this process, heteronuclear three-dimensional NMR spectroscopy has been used to make sequential resonance assignments for more than 90% of the residues in human dihydrofolate reductase complexed with methotrexate. Uniform enrichment of the 21.5-kDa protein with 15N was required to obtain the resonance assignments via heteronuclear 3D NMR spectroscopy since homonuclear 2D spectra did not provide sufficient 1H resonance dispersion. Medium- and long-range NOE's have been used to characterize the secondary structure of the binary ligand-enzyme complex in solution.

Methotrexate binds in a non-productive orientation to human dihydrofolate reductase in solution, based on NMR spectroscopy.

Dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) is an intracellular target enzyme for folate antagonist drugs, including methotrexate. In order to compare the binding of methotrexate to human DHFR in solution with that observed in the crystalline state, NMR spectroscopy has been used to determine the conformation of the drug bound to human DHFR in solution. In agreement with what has been observed in the crystalline state, NOE's identified protein and methotrexate protons indicate that methotrexate binds in a non-productive orientation. In contrast to what has been reported for E. coli DHFR in solution, only one bound conformation of methotrexate is observed.