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One of the promising approaches in the development of nucleoside prodrugs is to use the nucleoside analogs containing lipophilic biodegradable residues, which are cleaved to biologically active forms after metabolic transformations in the cell. The introduction of such fragments makes it possible to reduce the general toxicity of the drug candidate and increase its stability in the cell. In order to study the influence of biodegradable lipophilic groups on antiviral activity and cytotoxicity, in this work we synthesized N 6 -benzyl-2',3',5'-tri-O-nicotinoyl adenosine and N 6 -(3-fluorobenzyl)-2',3',5'-tri-O-nicotinoyl adenosine, derivatives of N 6 -benzyladenosine (BAR) and N 6 -(3-fluorobenzyl)adenosine (FBAR), which had previously shown prominent antiviral activity against human enterovirus EV-A71 but appeared to be cytotoxic. The obtained fully-O-nicotinoylated BAR and FBAR inhibited reproduction of EV-A71 strains BrCr and 46973 and manifested significantly lower cytotoxicity compared to non-protected compounds. In addition, we performed enzymatic hydrolysis of the fully-O-nicotinoylated FBAR in the presence of esterases (CalB and PLE) to investigate metabolic degradation of O-nicotinoylated compounds in cells. Both enzymes hydrolyzed the tested substrate to form the corresponding O-deprotected nucleoside that may suggest the role of hydrolase-type enzymes as general participants of metabolic activation of O-nicotinoylated prodrugs in different cells., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The voltage-sensitive sodium channel Na V 1.1 plays a critical role in regulating excitability of GABAergic neurons and mutations in the corresponding gene are associated to Dravet syndrome and other forms of epilepsy. The activity of this channel is regulated by several protein kinases. To identify novel regulatory kinases we screened a library of activated kinases and we found that AKT1 was able to directly phosphorylate Na V 1.1. In vitro kinase assays revealed that the phosphorylation site was located in the C-terminal part of the large intracellular loop connecting domains I and II of Na V 1.1, a region that is known to be targeted by other kinases like PKA and PKC. Electrophysiological recordings revealed that activated AKT1 strongly reduced peak Na + currents and displaced the inactivation curve to more negative potentials in HEK-293 cell stably expressing Na V 1.1. These alterations in current amplitude and steady-state inactivation were mimicked by SC79, a specific activator of AKT1, and largely reverted by triciribine, a selective inhibitor. Neurons expressing endogenous Na V 1.1 in primary cultures were identified by expressing a fluorescent protein under the Na V 1.1 promoter. There, we also observed a strong decrease in the current amplitude after addition of SC79, but small effects on the inactivation parameters. Altogether, we propose a novel mechanism that might regulate the excitability of neural networks in response to AKT1, a kinase that plays a pivotal role under physiological and pathological conditions, including epileptogenesis., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Following the parenteral administration of tiazofurin, 2-beta D-ribofuranosylthiazole-4-carboxamide (thiazole nucleoside, TR), a potent but reversible inhibitor of IMP dehydrogenase is generated in subcutaneous nodules of the P388 leukemia. The compound responsible for this effect has been isolated from homogenates of the tumor by ion-exchange HPLC, and its presence monitored by enzyme-inhibition assay. The inhibitor has also been prepared by incubation of tiazofurin with P388 cells in culture. Chromatographically, the inhibitory principle exhibits a moderately strong set negative charge at pH 3, and elutes in the general vicinity of the nucleoside-5'-diphosphates; its absorption maximum in aqueous solution (pH 7) lies at 252 nm. Exposure of the molecule to snake-venom phosphodiesterase or to nucleotide pyrophosphatase destroys its inhibitory potency, whereas other phosphodiesterases are either less effective or inert. Since these results suggested that the anabolite might be a dinucleotide with a phosphodiester linkage of the kind found in NAD, attempts were made to synthesize such an analogue from the 5'-monophosphate of thiazole nucleoside and ATP-Mg2+, using a purified preparation of NAD pyrophosphorylase; modest yields were obtained of a compound with chromatographic, spectral and enzyme-inhibitory properties identical to those of the material isolated from P388 tumor nodules. This enzyme-synthesized material was radioactive when [3H]ATP was used as cosubstrate, and yielded both AMP and thiazole nucleoside-5'-monophosphate on treatment with phosphodiesterase. It resisted attack by NAD glycohydrolase. An apparently identical dinucleotide was also synthesized chemically by means of the Khorana condensation. Mass spectral analysis and nuclear magnetic resonance studies with homogeneous preparations of both the enzymically and chemically synthesized compound were compatible with its being a dinucleotide in which the nicotinamide of NAD has been replaced by thiazole-4-carboxamide. Versus IMP dehydrogenase, the dinucleotide exhibited a K1 of approximately 2 X 10(-7) M and was non-competitive with NAD as the variable substrate. Other NAD utilizing enzymes, including representative dehydrogenases and poly ADP ribose polymerase, were, by comparison to mammalian IMPD, resistant to inhibition by TAD. The properties of this novel dinucleotide are compared and contrasted with those of analogs of NAD containing modifications in the pyridine, adenine or ribofuranose rings, as well as in the pyrophosphate bridge.

Tiazofurin through its active metabolite thiazole-4-carboxamide adenine dinucleotide (TAD) inhibits IMP dehydrogenase, the rate-limiting enzyme of GTP biosynthesis. IMP dehydrogenase activity in human leukemic cell extracts (33.4 +/- 0.1 nmol/h/mg protein) was increased 11-fold compared to normal leukocytes (3.1 +/- 0.5). Km values for IMP and NAD+ of leukemic IMP dehydrogenase were 22.7 and 44.0 microM, respectively. XMP inhibited competitively with IMP and noncompetitively with NAD+. NADH exerted mixed type inhibition with respect to both IMP and NAD+. The inhibitory pattern of TAD was quite similar to that of NADH; however, the affinity of TAD to leukemic IMP dehydrogenase (Ki = 0.1 microM) was three orders of magnitude higher than the natural product NADH (Ki = 150 microM). These results contribute to an understanding of the mechanism of action of tiazofurin in the treatment of leukemia.

The monophosphates of the exocyclic amino ribonucleosides, 4-amino- and 4-methoxy-8-(D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine, are potent and specific inhibitors of human erythrocyte and B-lymphoblast PRPP synthetase. The inhibition by MRPP monophosphate is competitive (Ki = 35 microM with the PRPP synthetase cofactor, Pi (Km = 2 mM). The nucleosides are phosphorylated to the active metabolite by adenosine kinase and these nucleoside monophosphates accumulate in the cell. beta-ARPP is a substrate, albeit poor, for adenosine deaminase and solutions of the beta-anomer of this nucleoside and its monophosphate anomerize over time to give alpha- and beta-mixtures. beta-MRPP is more resistant to adenosine deaminase and anomerization of the nucleoside and its monophosphate is negligible. The effect of treatment of cells with the nucleosides is a time-dependent and nearly universal reduction in the nucleotide content which appears to result from a reduction in the availability of PRPP for dependent metabolic pathways. In studies with the WI-L2 lymphoblasts, some of these pathways, de novo and salvage (hypoxanthine and guanine) synthesis of purine nucleotides, are more sensitive to a restriction of PRPP availability than others, i.e. de novo pyrimidine synthesis. The nucleosides have shown promise as therapeutic agents in a mouse leukemia evaluation system but may also have future use in unravelling the complex regulation of PRPP synthetase and the dependent nucleotide synthesis pathways.

The effects of adenosine (12.5 nmol/rat, i.c.v.) and 2'-deoxycoformycin (2.0 mumol/kg, i.p.) on sleep and wakefulness were examined in rats. Adenosine significantly decreased wakefulness and increased both deep slow-wave sleep and total sleep. 2'-Deoxycoformycin, a potent inhibitor of adenosine deaminase, was administered at a dose which did not produce significant sedative and hypnotic effects, when given alone (although a 4-fold greater dose of this drug has been shown to be hypnogenic in rats) in order to examine the possible potentiation of exogenously administered adenosine. No such potentiation was observed, since treatment with both drugs produced effects qualitatively similar, although not statistically significant, to those of adenosine alone. These data clearly indicate that adenosine is a hypnogenic substance in rats and suggest that these effects may involve adenosinergic receptor-mediated modulation of the activity of central adenylate cyclase.

The nucleosides ribavirin, selenazofurin, tiazofurin and bredinin all exhibit the lowering of guanylate pools in vitro and in vivo by the inhibition of IMP dehydrogenase. However, each of these nucleosides has a separate profile of antiviral and antitumor activity. The IMP dehydrogenase inhibition in the case of ribavirin and bredinin appears to be due to the nucleoside 5'-monophosphate and in the case of selenazofurin and tiazofurin to the NAD analogs formed intracellularly. With regard to the antiviral activity of these nucleosides, although selenazofurin was the most potent antiviral agent in vitro, its antiviral activity was also most readily reversed by exogenous guanosine. The antiviral effects of ribavirin were only partially reversed under the conditions studied. These and related studies show that each of these nucleosides form nucleotide metabolites which act as enzyme inhibitors at additional sites other than IMP dehydrogenase. As in the case of ribavirin such inhibition of IMP dehydrogenase may result in an increased "self potentiation" by the lowering of guanylate pools in those instances where guanylate analogs are involved as inhibitors of viral specific or viral induced enzymes. Further studies should more clearly elucidate the importance of the simultaneous inhibition of various enzyme sites by different metabolic nucleotide forms of the same nucleoside analog.

The impact of tiazofurin on inhibition of IMP dehydrogenase was discussed at the clinical and molecular levels. 1. Evidence was provided for the role of IMP dehydrogenase and guanylates in the expression of the neoplastic program in cancer cells with particular relevance to human leukemic cells. 2. The argument for expecting an impact of tiazofurin in human myelocytic cells was provided. 3. Similarity of the kinetics of human leukemic cell IMP dehydrogenase to the rat hepatoma enzyme was documented. 4. New evidence was provided for the role of salvage in chemotherapy and the function of hypoxanthine in inhibiting guanine salvage. 5. The action of tiazofurin and retinoic acid was reported in HL-60 leukemic cells. 6. The effect of tiazofurin and retinoic acid on proliferation and cytotoxicity was outlined for hepatoma 3924A cells. 7. The effect of guanine on induced differentiation by tiazofurin and retinoic acid was examined. 8. Biochemical basis was provided for the lack of development of resistance in patients treated with tiazofurin. 9. Presumptive evidence was provided that tiazofurin treatment induced differentiation of leukemic cells in the patients. 10. The molecular biology of tiazofurin-induced differentiation in K-562 cells was reviewed with the possible relevance to clinical treatment that tiazofurin might also act through down-regulation of ras oncogene.

The effects of the nucleoside deoxyadenosine (AdR) towards 2'deoxycoformycin (dCF) treated peripheral blood T-lymphocyte and bone marrow myeloid progenitor cells has been studied. Mononuclear cell preparations were exposed to dCF and AdR in suspension culture prior to washing and culture in a medium free of exogenous nucleosides. The combination of dCF and AdR was found to be highly toxic to peripheral blood T lymphocyte colony forming cells (CFU-TL) following prolonged (18 h) incubation. CFU-GM were markedly less sensitive to the combination of dCF and AdR, concentrations of dCF (10(-5) M) and AdR (10(-5) M) which produced an almost total inhibition of CFU-TL only inhibited CFU-GM by a mean of 10%.

A detailed study of the inhibition of DR and TR in the SkLu-1 line of human lung adenocarcinoma has shown that TR significantly inhibits this tumor line, probably via inhibition of IMP dehydrogenase by the corresponding TAD analog of NAD. DR exhibited a similar degree of inhibition in this cell line. In a system devised to detect the inhibition of cloning efficiency of the SkLu cells, DR showed a 50% inhibition at 4 X 10(-3) M and TR at 1 X 10(-4) M. When DR and TR were used in combination, the ID50 was decreased to 3 X 10(-5) M. The study of DR in a number of human carcinoma cell lines revealed that de novo purine biosynthesis was significantly inhibited; however, in the SkLu-1 lung carcinoma cells this inhibition was not observed. The synergism observed in this cell line is presently viewed as potentially due to both agents acting on IMP dehydrogenase at different sites.

The toxicity of the purine nucleoside, deoxyadenosine in the presence of the adenosine deaminase inhibitor, deoxycoformycin and of deoxyguanosine in the presence of the purine nucleoside phosphorylase inhibitor, 8-aminoguanosine was measured against two Thy-leukemic cell lines. Toxicity was assessed by the survival of clonogenic cells in a colony assay. The kill of clonogenic Thy-leukemic cells was 99.99% with both nucleoside enzyme inhibitor combinations following 4-h incubations when 50 microM concentration of nucleoside were used. With these nucleoside concentrations some reduction in toxicity was apparent when drug treated cells were cultured in the presence of deoxycytidine (50 microM), however, this reduction in toxicity was not apparent when higher nucleoside concentrations were used (100 microM). Survival of bone marrow myeloid progenitor cells (CFU.GM) was only slightly reduced by these nucleoside concentrations following 4 hour incubations. The presence of a twenty-fold excess of normal bone marrow cells reduced the cytotoxic effect but clonogenic cell incubation still ranged from 99.98 to 99.99% for deoxyguanosine and deoxyadenosine respectively. These combinations of nucleosides and enzyme inhibitors may have a therapeutic role in the elimination of malignant Thy cells from human bone marrow.

The postulation that the activity of key enzymes that reveal marked increases should be potential targets for anticancer chemotherapy (47) was supported by new evidence on the alterations of CDP reductase, CTP synthetase and OMP decarboxylase in hepatoma 3924A cell cultures. Inhibitors of these enzymes (VF-122, acivicin, pyrazofurin) and that of IMP dehydrogenase (tiazofurin) efficiently killed hepatoma 3924A cells in culture, as demonstrated by the clonogenic assay. Acivicin, pyrazofurin, tiazofurin and VF-122 were lethal against tumor cells in the exponential phase of growth with IC50 of 1.5, 5, 10 and 4.5 microM, respectively. All these antimetabolites exhibited cytotoxicity preponderantly against exponential-phase cultures, indicating that all the four drugs belong to Class II (phase-specific agents) in the Kinetic Classification of Anticancer Agents (38). Dibromodulcitol, a bifunctional alkylating agent, revealed cycle-specific cytotoxicity (Class III agent) against hepatoma 3924A, yielding IC50 values of 2.3 and 5.5 microM for exponentially and stationary growing cells, respectively. Using isobologram analysis on the survival data of 3924A cells, synergistic interaction was observed when DBD in combination with acivicin, pyrazofurin and tiazofurin was examined. DBD in combination with VF-122 exhibited additive lethality against hepatoma cells in culture. The synergistic and additive cytotoxicity in combinations of DBD with these antimetabolites was accompanied by the concurrent depletion of ribonucleotide and/or deoxyribonucleotide pools. The synergistic biological results of drug combinations of acivicin with DBD can be accounted for by the action of acivicin in inhibiting CTP synthetase, resulting in a synergistic decrease in CTP content, and by inhibition of DNA synthesis caused by DBD. The synergistic and additive depletion of UTP, CTP, dTTP and dCTP pools in the combinations of DBD with pyrazofurin may be responsible for the synergistic lethality of these combinations. Synergism, in terms of pool depletion, was observed for GTP and dCTP; summation was detected for dGTP when DBD and tiazofurin were given concurrently. The synergistic cytotoxicity of this drug combination may be a consequence of these alterations. The additive lethality of DBD-VF-122 drug combinations was reflected in the additive elevations of the ribonucleoside diphosphate concentrations. These observations indicate that treatments based on the Kinetic Classification and on the biochemical targeting of the drug should have an impact on the design of in vivo chemotherapy.

The molecular correlation concept proposed that IMP dehydrogenase activity should be a sensitive target of chemotherapy. This hypothesis received support from an array of evidence. IMP dehydrogenase has the lowest activity in purine biosynthesis; it is the rate-limiting enzyme in GTP production; the enzymic activity is transformation-and progression-linked; it is elevated in all examined animal and human neoplastic cells. The activity of GMP synthetase and the concentrations of GMP and dGTP were increased in cancer cells. Whereas guanine salvage has a high potential activity, the low guanine content may well curtail actual salvage capacity. Ribonucleotide reductase activity was two orders of magnitude lower than that of IMP dehydrogenase. Tiazofurin, a C-nucleoside, had marked cytotoxicity on hepatoma cells in vitro and was the first drug that as a single agent profoundly inhibited the proliferation of the subcutaneously inoculated solid hepatoma 3924A in the rat. The impact of tiazofurin administration in hepatoma cells was revealed in a cascade of biochemical alterations involving primary, secondary and tertiary targets and markers of this drug action. The primary target was IMP dehydrogenase where the active metabolite of tiazofurin, TAD, was thought to be absorbed to the NADH site of the enzyme. As a consequence, the enzymic activity declined rapidly to about 30-40% and returned to normal range by 36 to 48 hr after injection. The secondary targets and markers are the profoundly decreased pools of guanylates (GMP, GDP, GTP). Concurrently, the concentrations of IMP and PRPP were increased 8- to 15-fold. The elevated IMP pools were attributed to the de-inhibition of the AMP deaminase activity subsequent to the decline in GTP concentration. The rise in PRPP pools was attributed to the selective inhibition of GPRT and HPRT activities by the high IMP pool which did not affect APRT activity. This interpretation is supported by the 6- to 8-fold increase in the concentrations of guanine and hypoxanthine and the lack of change in the adenine pools inthe hepatomas after tiazofurin administration. The marked drop in NAD concentration which was drug dose- and time-dependent is attributed to the competition for NAD pyrophosphorylase activity by the precursors of NAD and tiazofurin monophosphate. The tertiary targets were dominated by the profound alterations in the concentrations of the dNTPs. This was characterized by a rapid and persistent drop (for 3 days) of the dGTP pool. The concentrations of dATP and dCTP also declined, but these alterations were less pronounced and the pools returned to normal after 2 days.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Unlike conventional enzymes, receptors that activate G proteins do not catalyze the direct formation or cleavage of covalent bonds but act instead as a catalyst for the exchange of GTP vs GDP, which results in major conformational changes in the alpha subunit of G proteins and dissociation and selective binding of the alpha subunit which provokes direct enzyme activation eventually resulting in stimulation of protein kinase A, B or C. Each of these kinases can phosphorylate specific DNA binding proteins which allow new portions of DNA to be read and expressed. Such a series of events can act as switches to control cellular genetic expression resulting in cellular proliferation, differentiation or hormonal secretion of growth factors (Scheme I). Examples of nucleosides and nucleotides which appear to exert their therapeutic effects via G protein control of cellular proliferation resulting in differentiation are tiazofurin, selenazofurin, and 8-chloro-cAMP which have been synthesized and studied in our laboratories. The clinical application of these nucleosides in cancer treatment is presently underway and offers a viable alternative to chemotherapy with highly cytotoxic agents. The use of these derivatives result in down-regulation of the G protein regulatory pathways responsible for rapid cell division. Alternatively, a series of guanosine analogs prepared in our laboratories, 8-bromoguanosine, 8-mercaptoguanosine, 7-methyl-8-oxoguanosine and 7-thia-8-oxoguanosine, all activate various aspects of the immune response by up-regulation of G protein regulatory pathways in various lymphocyte derived cells. Guanosine-like nucleosides which function in this manner could have major clinical application as antitumor, antiviral and antimetastatic agents providing the desired specificity can be achieved. Specific immune enhancement of the aged might be an attainable goal if suitable orally active guanosine derivatives with high specificity can be achieved. The G protein regulatory pathways for modulation of genetic expression in specific cell types provide a major modern approach to new chemotherapeutic agents.

3-Deazaadenosine (3-DZA), an inhibitor of somatic cell transmethylations, inhibited in vitro HCG-stimulated testosterone synthesis by rat testis interstitial cells. A maximal inhibition of 50% was observed with 100 microM 3-DZA; in addition homocysteine-thiolactone (Hcy) enhanced the inhibitory effect of 3-DZA. On the other hand, when cells were stimulated with dibutyryl cyclic AMP (Bt)2-cAMP, 3-DZA did not exert any effect on the stimulation. The presence of 3-DZA in the incubation medium neither modified HCG Kd values nor the number of its binding sites to Leydig cells. These results demonstrate that inhibitors of transmethylation reactions interfere with hormone-stimulated testosterone synthesis, suggesting that those reactions (presumably phospholipid methylation) at the plasma membrane level are involved in hormone-stimulated testosterone synthesis by rat Leydig cells.

Immune complexes (IC), 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), endotoxin (LPS) and phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) induce thromboplastin activity in human peripheral blood monocytes. In the presence of transmethylation inhibitors 3-deazaadenosine (DZA) and homocysteine a dose-dependent inhibition of the thromboplastin response reaching about 60 per cent was observed, when IC, LPS or PHA was used as the stimulant. TPA-induced thromboplastin synthesis was more resistant (maximum 20 per cent inhibition).

The mechanism of action of acivicin and tiazofurin was compared in hepatoma 3924A. The results were evaluated by assessing the impact of these drugs on primary targets, the activities of key enzymes, and on secondary and tertiary targets, the concentrations of pools of ribonucleotides and deoxyribonucleotides. The action of acivicin entails inhibition and inactivation of the key enzymes of glutamine utilization in the biosynthesis of purines and pyrimidines. As a result, the GTP and CTP pools were markedly depleted, whereas those of ATP and UTP were unaffected. Acivicin also markedly decreased the concentrations of all 4 deoxynucleoside triphosphates. The nucleotide pools returned to normal or near normal range within 2 to 3 days after a single acivicin injection. The pharmacologic targets of acivicin in anticancer chemotherapy include prominently the activities of glutamine-utilizing enzymes and the pools of GTP and CTP and all 4 dNTP's. These biochemical targets also serve as indicators of acivicin action in cancer cells. The action of tiazofurin in hepatoma cells entails the primary target, IMP dehydrogenase. The subsequent effects include marked enlargement of IMP and PRPP pools and depletion of the pools of GDP and GTP. The increased IMP concentration selectively inhibited the activities of hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase, but did not affect that of adenine phosphoribosyltransferase. The markedly decreased GTP pool de-inhibited the activity of AMP deaminase which permitted the channeling of AMP to IMP. An important indicator of tiazofurin action is the prolonged depletion of dGTP pools and similar but less pronounced declines in the pools of dCTP and dATP. In contrast, dTTP pools were increased. The crucial biochemical targets and indicators of tiazofurin action in sensitive cancer cells include inhibition of IMP dehydrogenase, a decrease in the concentrations of GDP, GTP, dGTP, dCTP, dATP and marked rise in the pools of IMP, PRPP and dTTP. Measurements of the molecular targets and indicators of drug action should be helpful in identifying cancer cells and tissues sensitive or resistant to the action of acivicin or tiazofurin. Identification of the targets and indicators should also be helpful in the design of frequency of administration of the drugs in combatting animal and human neoplasia.

The in-vitro effects of deoxycoformycin (dCF) on dATP, NAD, ATP and DNA strand breaks have been evaluated in the cells from 42 patients with various types of chronic lymphoid leukemia. These included 18 with B-cell chronic lymphoid leukemias of different types (BCL); 10 with hairy cell leukemia (HCL) and 14 with T-cell chronic lymphoid leukemias of different types (TCL). The dATP concentrations in HCL, BCL and TCL increased from means of 2.9, 1.8 and 3.0 to 100.3, 68.2 and 51.3 pmol/10(6) cells respectively after 2 h with 10(-5) M dCF and 10(-4)M deoxyadenosine. After 18-24 h, the NAD levels and total double-stranded DNA decreased to 37 and 12.5% (HCL) to 36 and 21.6% (BCL) and 40 and 20.5% (TCL) of control values respectively. Similar decreases were observed in ATP levels. The results do not suggest that these measurements in vitro would predict which patients with these disorders will respond to dCF therapy. Although HCL responds particularly well to dCF in vivo, no difference in the in-vitro effects of dCF studied here could be detected between cases of HCL and the other types of chronic leukemia.

Tiazofurin (2-beta-D-ribofuranosylthiazole-4-carboxamide, NSC 286193) is a synthetic nucleoside inhibitor of inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase. This agent has recently been shown to induce differentiation of human leukemia cell lines. In the present study, we have monitored the effects of tiazofurin on differentiation and proto-oncogene expression in K562 erythroleukemia cells. Tiazofurin induced K562 cell hemoglobin production in a concentration-dependent manner. This induction of a differentiated phenotype was also associated with a loss of proliferative capacity. In contrast to the reversible effects of hemin on induction of K562 cell hemoglobin synthesis, the effects of tiazofurin were irreversible. Northern blot analysis of K562 cells treated with 10 microM tiazofurin demonstrated the accumulation of alpha- and gamma-globin mRNA. The results also demonstrate that there was little if any effect of tiazofurin on levels of c-myc, c-myb, or c-abl mRNA. Furthermore, there were no detectable changes in Ki-ras, Ha-ras or N-ras expression at the mRNA and protein levels in tiazofurin-treated K562 cells. These findings suggest that tiazofurin induces changes in levels of globin transcripts but has little if any effect on c-myc, c-myb, c-abl, or c-ras gene expression in K562 cells.

The purpose of this investigation was to examine factors which regulate the reprogramming of gene expression in tumors responsible for resistance to tiazofurin. To study the resistance phenomenon drug-induced tumor lines were selected and examined for the mechanism of resistance. A comparison of the biochemical expression of resistance to tiazofurin in drug-induced resistant lines of hepatoma 3924A, leukemias L1210 and P388 revealed that the 3 lines expressed similar genetic alterations related to reduced TAD content, decreased NAD pyrophosphorylase activity and increased synthesis of guanylates from salvaging preformed guanine indicating that these 3 factors play an important role in the resistance to tiazofurin. Resistance was stable in the leukemia lines and did not require drug to maintain resistance. Hepatoma 3924A resistant line reverted to sensitive state in the absence of drug selection pressure. NAD pyrophosphorylase activity was substantially deleted in the tiazofurin resistant leukemia lines, but was only significantly decreased in the hepatoma resistant line. Extensive biochemical alterations including enhanced activity of IMP dehydrogenase, increased inosinate and guanylate pools, and reduced uptake of tiazofurin were found in the hepatoma line resistant to tiazofurin. To examine the applicability of these results to naturally sensitive and spontaneously resistant tumors, murine tumors were examined. In murine tumors, TAD accumulation, ratios of enzyme activities responsible for the synthesis and degradation of TAD, and the ratios of perturbation of inosinate and guanylate pools following tiazofurin challenge demonstrated significant correlation with the sensitive or resistant nature of the tumors. To extrapolate these observations to human tumor systems, cytotoxicity of tiazofurin and its metabolic effects were compared in 6 human lung cancer cell lines derived from cancer patients with small cell lung cancer (4 lines) and lung adenocarcinoma (2 lines). Cell lines exhibiting greater sensitivity to tiazofurin accumulated significantly larger amounts of TAD and showed significant reduction of guanylate pools following tiazofurin incubation. The activity of the enzyme responsible for the formation of TAD, NAD pyrophosphorylase, did not correlate with responsiveness to tiazofurin but the enzyme which hydrolyzes TAD, TADase, correlated positively with the status of resistance.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

The purpose of this investigation was to elucidate the factors that regulate the pattern of gene expression in purine and pyrimidine metabolism in normal liver and hepatoma. For this purpose, the action of a hormone, insulin, and the development of resistance to a chemotherapeutic agent, tiazofurin, were studied. This investigation brought detailed evidence showing that in the rat insulin exerted a profound effect on liver purine and pyrimidine metabolism by regulating the concentrations of nucleotides through controlling the activities of strategic enzymes involved in their biosynthesis. When rats were made diabetic by alloxan treatment, in the average liver cell concentrations of ATP, GTP, UTP and CTP decreased to 66, 62, 54 and 63%, respectively, of those of normal liver. Administration of insulin for 2 days returned the hepatic nucleotide concentrations to normal range; further insulin treatment for an additional 5 days raised the concentrations of ATP, GTP, UTP and CTP to 197, 352, 412 and 792% of values observed in the liver of diabetic rats. In diabetic rats the hepatic activities of OMP decarboxylase, orotate phosphoribosyltransferase, uridine phosphorylase, uridine-cytidine kinase and uracil phosphoribosyltransferase decreased to 44, 48, 70, 36 and 41% of the activities of normal liver. Insulin treatment for 2 days returned activities to normal range. Continued insulin treatment for an additional 5 days increased the enzymic activities to 3.9- to 5.3-fold of those of the liver of the diabetic rats. The regulation by insulin treatment of the activities of enzymes of de novo and salvage synthesis of UMP should explain, in part at least, the decline and increase of the uridylate pool in diabetes and after insulin treatment. In the diabetic rat hepatic CTP synthetase, the rate-limiting enzyme of CTP biosynthesis, decreased to 53% and insulin administration for 2 days restored activity to normal range. Insulin treatment for an additional 5 days increased the synthetase activity to 4-fold of the values of the diabetic liver. Thus, the behavior of liver CTP synthetase activity is tightly linked with that of the CTP pool. In the diabetic rat liver, the activity of IMP dehydrogenase, the rate-limiting enzyme of GTP biosynthesis, decreased to 24% of that of the normal liver. Insulin administration for 2 days returned the activity to normal range, yielding a 4.5-fold increase in the activity from the diabetic to the insulin-treated state.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Deoxycoformycin (DCF) is a specific inhibitor of adenosine deaminase (ADA) and has been shown to be active in lymphoid neoplasms. Cytotoxicity is thought to be mediated by the accumulation of deoxyadenosine (AdR) and deoxyadenosine triphosphate (dATP) which inhibits ribonucleotide reductase and DNA synthesis in rapidly proliferating cells. Others suggested mechanisms leading to cell death particularly in non-dividing cells include depletion of ATP and NAD pools, inhibition of S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) hydrolase and induction of DNA strand breaks. In patients with high leukemic counts who were subsequently treated with DCF, we have studied (a) the levels of ADA, ecto-5'-nucleotidase (5NT), deoxyadenosine kinase (AdR-kinase) and SAH-hydrolase in the leukemic cells; [b) the in-vitro effects of DCF on dATP, ATP, NAD, SAH-hydrolase levels and on DNA strand breaks; and (c) the correlation between these parameters with clinical response to DCF. No significant difference in ADA, 5NT, AdR-kinase and SAH-hydrolase activities could be found between responders and non-responders. Incubation of the leukemic cells in vitro with DCF caused an inhibition of ADA, an accumulation of dATP, a moderate reduction in ATP and NAD levels, a suppression of SAH-hydrolase activity and an increase in DNA strand breaks in practically all the leukemic samples, irrespective of clinical response. Our results show that neither measurement of these enzymes nor studies of these biochemical sequelae of ADA inhibition in vitro predicts clinical responsiveness to DCF therapy.