Cholera toxin-peroxidase: changes in surface labeling of glioblastoma cells with increased time in tissue culture.

Cholera toxin coupled to peroxidase yielded a highly specific ultrastructural marker of plasma membrane monosialogangliosides. Studies with cultures of brain and brain tumors suggested that long-term culture of tissue in monolayers results in eventual loss of surface monosialogangliosides.

Variable stability of a selectable provirus after retroviral vector gene transfer into human cells.

Human lymphoblasts deficient in the enzyme hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) were infected with an amphotropic helper-free retroviral vector expressing human HPRT cDNA. The stability and expression of the HPRT provirus in five cell lines with different proviral integration sites were examined by determining HPRT mutation and reversion frequencies and by blot hybridization studies. Mutation to the HPRT-negative phenotype occurred at frequencies of approximately 4 X 10(-5) to 3 X 10(-6) per generation. Most mutations in each of the five cell lines were associated with partial or complete deletions or rearrangements of the provirus. Several mutants retained a grossly intact HPRT provirus, and in one such mutant HPRT shutdown resulted from a revertible epigenetic mechanism that was not associated with global changes in proviral methylation. Therefore, mutation and shutdown of the HPRT provirus in human lymphoblasts result from mechanisms similar to those reported for several other avian and mammalian replication-competent retroviruses.

Alterations of inosinate branchpoint enzymes in cultured human lymphoblasts.

The specific activities of the three enzymes of the inosinate branchpoint are independently regulated when lymphoblasts are grown under various tissue culture conditions. In comparison to rapidly dividing cells, lymphoblasts at high cell density with no cellular division have decreased activity of the enzymes which commit inosinate to adenylate or guanylate, while cytoplasmic 5'-nucleotidase is relatively preserved. A linear relationship between inosinate dehydrogenase activity and growth rate (r = 0.92) exists in lymphoblasts with slowed growth rates. In contrast, in dividing cells adenylosuccinate synthetase and 5'-nucleotidase do not vary with growth rate. Adenylosuccinate synthetase and inosinate dehydrogenase activities appear to be related to the presence or rate of cellular division, as opposed to the presence or degree of neoplastic transformation. Lymphoblast lines with alterations of specific purine metabolic enzymes have characteristic alteration of the inosinate utilizing enzymes. Deficiencies of purine nucleoside phosphorylase or hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase, abnormalities which render the cell unable to salvage purine effectively, are associated with depressed inosinate dehydrogenase activity. Insertion of the hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase gene into hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase-deficient cells normalizes inosinate dehydrogenase activity, while a hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase-deficient mutant selected from a hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase-containing line has depressed inosinate dehydrogenase activity. In contrast, overactivity of phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase, with enhanced excretion of purines due to excessive production, is associated with elevated inosinate dehydrogenase activity. Inosinate dehydrogenase appears to be regulated according to the availability of purine nucleotides. Patients who overproduce uric acid and potentially have undescribed purine metabolic defects are now being screened for abnormalities in the inosinate branchpoint enzymes.

Selective methyl group protonation of perdeuterated proteins.

Deuteration of aliphatic sites in proteins has shown great potential to increase the range of molecules amenable to study by NMR spectroscopy. One problem inherent in high-level deuterium incorporation is the loss of 1H-1H distance information obtainable from NOESY spectra of the labeled proteins. In the limit of perdeuteration, the available NH-NH NOEs are insufficient in many cases to define the three-dimensional structure of a folded protein. We describe here a method of producing proteins that retains all the advantages of perdeuteration, while enabling observation of many NOEs absent from spectra of fully deuterated samples. Overexpression of proteins in bacteria grown in 2H2O medium containing protonated pyruvate as the sole carbon source results in complete deuteration at C alpha and > 80% deuteration at C beta positions of nearly all amino acids. In contrast, the methyl groups of Ala, Val, Leu and Ile (gamma 2 only) remain highly protonated. This labeling pattern can be readily understood from analysis of bacterial pathways for pyruvate utilization and amino acid biosynthesis. As Ala, Val, Leu and Ile are among the most highly represented residue types in protein hydrophobic cores and at protein-protein interfaces, selectively methyl-protonated samples will be useful in many areas of structural analysis of larger molecules and molecular complexes by NMR.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of certain C-4 substituted pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridine nucleosides.

A series of C-4 substituted pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridine nucleosides have been synthesized and evaluated for their biological activity. Successful synthesis of various C-4 substituted pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridine nucleosides involves nucleophilic displacement by a suitable nucleophile at the C-4 position of 4-chloro-1H-pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridine (5), followed by glycosylation of the sodium salt of the C-4 substituted pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridines with a protected alpha-halopentofuranose. Use of this methodology furnished a simple and direct route to the beta-D-ribofuranosyl, beta-D-arabinofuranosyl, and 2-deoxy-beta-D-erythro-pentofuranosyl nucleosides of C-4 substituted pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridines, wherein the C-4 substituent was azido, amino, methoxy, chloro, or oxo. The regiospecificity of these glycosylations was determined on the basis of UV data and the anomeric configuration was established by 1H NMR analysis. Conclusive structural assignment was made by a single-crystal X-ray diffraction study of three compounds, 15, 31, and 42, as representatives of ribo-2'-deoxy-, and aranucleosides, respectively. The stereospecific attachment of all three alpha-halogenoses appears to occur by a Walden inversion (SN2 mechanism) at the C-1 carbon of the halogenose by the anionic N-1 of pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridine. All deprotected nucleosides were tested against various viruses and tumor cells in culture. The effects of these compounds on de novo purine and pyrimidine nucleotide biosynthesis was also evaluated. Among the compounds tested, 4-chloro-1-beta-D-ribofuranosylpyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridine (16) and 1-beta-D-ribofuranosyl-4,7-dihydro-4-oxopyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridine (19) were found to be moderately cytotoxic to L1210 and WI-L2 in culture.

Synthesis and evaluation of 5-amino-1-beta-D-ribofuranosyl-1,2,4-triazole-3-carboxamidine and certain related nucleosides as inhibitors of purine nucleoside phosphorylase.

The 5-amino and certain related derivatives of the powerful purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNPase) inhibitor 1-beta-D-ribofuranosyl-1,2,4-triazole-3-carboxamidine (TCNR,3) have been prepared and evaluated for their PNPase activity. Acetylation followed by dehydration of 5-chloro-1-beta-D-ribofuranosyl-1,2,4-triazole-3-carboxamide (4a) gave 5-chloro-1-(2,3,5-tri-O-acetyl-beta-D-ribofuranosyl)-1,2,4-triazole-3- carbonitrile (5). Ammonolysis of 5 furnished 5-amino-1-beta-D-ribofuranosyl-1,2,4-triazole-3-carboxamidine (5-amino-TCNR, 6), the structure of which was assigned by single-crystal X-ray analysis. Acid-catalyzed fusion of methyl 5-chloro-1,2,4-triazole-3-carboxylate (7a) with 5-deoxy-1,2,3-tri-O-acetyl-D-ribofuranose (8) gave methyl 5-chloro-1-(2,3-di-O-acetyl-5-deoxy-beta-D-ribofuranosyl)- 1,2,4-triazole-3-carboxylate (9a) and the corresponding positional isomer 9b. Transformation of the functional groups in 9a afforded a route to 5'-deoxyribavirin (9i). Compound 9a was converted in four steps to 5-amino-1-(5-deoxy-beta-D-ribofuranosyl)-1,2,4-triazole-3- carboxamidine (5'-deoxy-5-amino-TCNR, 9g). Similar acid-catalyzed fusion of 1,2,4-triazole-3-carbonitrile (7b) with 8 and ammonolysis of the reaction product 9h gave yet another route to 9i. Treatment of 9h with NH3/NH4Cl furnished 1-(5-deoxy-beta-D-ribofuranosyl)- 1,2,4-triazole-3-carboxamidine (5'-deoxy-TCNR, 9k). The C-nucleoside congener of TCNR (3-beta-D-ribofuranosyl- 1,2,4-triazole-5-carboxamidine, 12) was prepared in two steps from 3-(2,3,5-tri-O-acetyl-beta-D-ribofuranosyl)- 1,2,4-triazole-5-carbonitrile (10) by conventional procedure. 5-Amino-TCNR (6) displayed a more potent, high-affinity inhibition than TCNR, with a Ki of 10 microM. In contrast, 5'-deoxy-5-amino-TCNR (9g) was a significantly less potent inhibitor of PNPase, compared to 5'-deoxy-TCNR (Ki = 80 and 20 microM, respectively). Neither the C-nucleoside congener of TCNR (12) nor that of ribavirin were found to inhibit inosine phosphorolysis.

Antitumor and antiviral activity of synthetic alpha- and beta-ribonucleosides of certain substituted pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidines: a new synthetic strategy for exocyclic aminonucleosides.

A novel and direct synthesis of the antiviral and antitumor agent 4-amino-8-(beta-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (ARPP, 8) and its alpha-anomer (11) has been developed. Treatment of 2,4,6,8-tetrachloropyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (1) with 2,3-O-isopropylidene-D-ribofuranosylamine gave an anomeric mixture of 2,4,6-trichloro-8-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-beta- and -alpha-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidines (3 and 4) in a ratio of 1.0:0.7. A nucleophilic displacement of the 4-chloro group of 3 and 4 with NH3 furnished 4-amino-2,6-dichloro-8-[(2,3-O-isopropylidene-beta-D-ribofuranosyl)amino ] pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (6) and its alpha-anomer (9), respectively. Catalytic hydrogenation of 6 and 9, followed by deisopropylidenation gave ARPP (8) and the alpha-anomer 11, respectively. Similarly, 3 and 4 have been transformed to 4-methoxy-8-(beta-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido-[5,4-d]pyrimidine (MRPP, 14) and its alpha-anomer (17). Application of this procedure to 3 with NH2Me or NHMe2 resulted in the synthesis of 4-(methylamino)- and 4-(dimethylamino)-8-(beta-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido [5,4-d]pyrimidine (24 and 27, respectively). A synthesis of 8-(beta-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one (21) has also been accomplished from 3 in three steps. Selective hydrogenation of 6 furnished 4-amino-6-chloro-8-[(2,3-O-isopropylidene-beta-D-ribofuranosyl)amino] pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (36), the structure of which was established by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Deisopropylidenation of 36 gave 6-chloro-ARPP (37). Extended treatment of 36 with NH3 furnished 4,6-diamino-8-[(2,3-O-isopropylidene-beta-D-ribofuranosyl)amino]pyrimido [5,4-d]pyrimidine (34), which on deisopropylidenation gave 6-amino-ARPP (35). An unambiguous synthesis of 34 and 36 has also been accomplished by the reaction of 4,6,8-trichloropyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (28) with 2, followed by the treatment with NH3. Nucleophilic displacement studies with 1, 6, and 28 indicated the reactivity of the halogens in these compounds is in the order of 8 greater than 4 greater than 6 greater than 2. The structures of 3 and 9 have been assigned on the basis of 1H NMR data and further confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The exocyclic aminonucleosides synthesized during this study were tested for their activity against several RNA and DNA viruses in vitro and against L1210, WI-L2, and LoVo/L in cell culture. The effect of these compounds on the de novo nucleic acid biosynthesis has been studied. Compound 14 (MRPP) exhibited enhanced activity against L1210 in vivo, when compared to ARPP (8).

Synthesis, intramolecular hydrogen bonding, and biochemical studies of clitocine, a naturally occurring exocyclic amino nucleoside.

The total synthesis of clitocine [6-amino-5-nitro-4-(beta-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimidine] (1), a nucleoside recently isolated from the mushroom Clitocybe inversa, has been accomplished. Glycosylation of 4,6-diamino-5-nitropyrimidine (4) with 1-O-acetyl-2,3,5-tri-O-benzoyl-D-ribofuranose afforded the protected nucleoside 6-amino-5-nitro-4-[(2,3,5-tri-O-benzoyl-beta-D-ribofuranosyl) amino]pyrimidine (5) in good yield exclusively as the beta-anomer. Deprotection of 5 with NaOMe/MeOH gave 1 as an 11.5:1 mixture of the beta- and alpha-anomers, respectively. Recrystallization from MeOH, followed by chromatography, afforded 1 containing less than 1% of its alpha-anomer. X-ray crystal data revealed a planar aglycon moiety in clitocine with each oxygen atom of the nitro group intramolecularly hydrogen bonded to the hydrogen atoms of the two adjacent amino functions. Clitocine inhibited L1210 cells in vitro with an ID50 of 3 X 10(-8) M. Clitocine was also found to be a substrate and inhibitor of adenosine kinase with a Ki value of 3 X 10(-6) M.

Inhibition of orotidylate decarboxylase by 4(5H)-oxo-1-beta-D-ribofuranosylpyrazolo[3,4-d] pyrimidine-3-thiocarboxamide (APR-TC) in B lymphoblasts. Activation by adenosine kinase.

The nucleoside allopurinol riboside-3-thiocarboxamide (APR-TC; 4-(5H)oxo-1-beta-D-ribofuranosylpyrazolo[3,4,d]pyrimidine-3-thioca rboxamide) demonstrates potent in vitro antiviral activity against various DNA and RNA viruses and cytostatic activity against a variety of cell lines in culture. The IC50 for APR-TC in the splenic derived B lymphoblast cell line, WI-L2, was 0.3 microM. Adenosine kinase-deficient WI-L2 cells were resistant to growth inhibition by APR-TC, indicating that adenosine kinase (EC 2.7.1.20) is responsible for phosphorylation of APR-TC to form the monophosphate derivative (APR-TC-5'P). A 4-hr incubation of cells with 50 microM APR-TC resulted in severe depletion of intracellular pyrimidine nucleotide pools and the accumulation of 3 microM APR-TC-5'P. The cytotoxicity of APR-TC was reversed by uridine, indicating that the active form of this compound inhibits the de novo pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway. Further, APR-TC-treated cells could not utilize the pyrimidine nucleotide precursor [6-14C]orotic acid, suggesting that the UMP synthase complex is the major cellular site of inhibition. In studies utilizing cell-free lysates of WI-L2, chemically prepared APR-TC-5'P provided potent inhibition of the orotidylate decarboxylase activity (ODCase, EC 4.1.1.23) of the UMP synthase complex. APR-TC-5'P was competitive with OMP, and a Ki value of 0.35 nM was determined.

Inhibition of phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase by 4-methoxy-(MRPP) and 4-amino-8-(D-ribofuranosylamino) pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (ARPP).

The basis for the antitumor activities of the exocyclic amino nucleosides 4-amino-(ARPP) and 4-methoxy-8-(D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (MRPP) was investigated. The primary target of these nucleosides appeared to be 5-phospho-alpha-D-ribofuranose-1-pyrophosphate (PRPP) synthetase. MRPP-5'-monophosphate was a competitive inhibitor (Ki = 40 microM) of the activation of this enzyme by the cofactor inorganic phosphate (K alpha = 2.2 mM). Consequently, ARPP and MRPP treatment of WI-L2 cultures rapidly inhibited both de novo pyrimidine and purine synthesis as well as the nucleotide salvage reactions dependent on PRPP, ARPP or MRPP treatment completely prevented [14C]bicarbonate incorporation into acid-soluble pyrimidine and purine nucleotides. The rate of salvage of [8-14C]hypoxanthine to form IMP was decreased by 85%. Treatment of cells with these agents caused a 50% reduction in the steady-state level of PRPP. When the capacity of the treated cells for sustained synthesis of PRPP was examined by adenine incorporation, the rate of adenine uptake was inhibited by greater than 50%. In vivo treatment of BDF1 mice with a single dose of ARPP (173 mg/kg) or MRPP (62 mg/kg) extended the mean life span of the mice, which had been inoculated intraperitoneally 1 day earlier with 1 x 10(6) L1210 murine leukemia cells, by 62 and 82% respectively. These studies indicate that MRPP and ARPP inhibit PRPP synthetase, and that PRPP synthetase may be a viable target in the development of certain antitumor agents.

Inhibition of pyrimidine metabolism in myeloid leukemia cells by triazole and pyrazole nucleosides.

Two triazole nucleosides, 1 (3-beta-D-ribofuranosyl-1,2,4-triazole-5-carboxamide) and 2 (2-beta-D-ribofuranosyl-1,2,3-triazole-4,5-dicarboxamide), and a pyrazole nucleoside, 3 (1-beta-D-ribofuranosylpyrazole-3,4-dicarboxamide), were found to inhibit pyrimidine nucleotide biosynthesis in the human myeloid leukemia cell line, K562. Cells treated with these inhibitors released orotate in quantities of 8-35 nmol/10(5) cells/day. Treatment with these compounds caused the K562 cells to accumulate in the S phase of the cell cycle and induced the cells to synthesize hemoglobin.

Potent and specific inhibitors of mammalian phosphoribosylpyrophosphate (PRPP) synthetase.

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.

Nucleoside and nucleotide modulation of genetic expression--a new approach to chemotherapy.

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.

A novel non-radioactive method for detection of nucleoside analog phosphorylation by 5'-nucleotidase.

Cytosolic 5'-nucleotidase has been implicated in the phosphorylation of certain nucleosides of therapeutic interest. In vitro, IMP and GMP serve as the optimal phosphate donors for this nucleoside phosphotransferase reaction. Existing assays for nucleoside phosphorylation effected by 5'-nucleotidase require a radiolabeled nucleoside as the phosphate acceptor and separation of the substrate-nucleoside from product-nucleotide has been accomplished either by a filter binding method or HPLC. However, detection of the phosphorylation of unlabeled nucleoside by HPLC is difficult since the ultraviolet absorbance of the phosphate donor, IMP, frequently obscures the absorbance of newly formed nucleotide. The use of ribavirin 5'-phosphate (RMP, 1,2,4-triazole-3-carboxamide riboside 5-monophosphate) as the phosphate donor obviates this difficulty since this triazole heterocycle does not significantly absorb at the wavelengths used to detect most nucleoside analogs. Using this procedure, a 5'-nucleotidase activity from the 100,000 x g supernatant fraction of human T-lymphoblasts deficient in adenosine kinase, hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase, and deoxycytidine kinase, was characterized with regard to structure-activity relationships for certain inosine and guanosine analogs.