Intracellular adenosine released from THP-1 differentiated human macrophages is involved in an autocrine control of Leishmania parasitic burden, mediated by adenosine A2A and A2B receptors.

Leishmania infected macrophages have conditions to produce adenosine. Despite its known immunosuppressive effects, no studies have yet established whether adenosine alter Leishmania parasitic burden upon macrophage infection. This work aimed at investigating whether endogenous adenosine exerts an autocrine modulation of macrophage response towards Leishmania infection, identifying its origin and potential pharmacological targets for visceral leishmaniasis (VL), using THP-1 differentiated macrophages. Adenosine deaminase treatment of infected THP-1 cells reduced the parasitic burden (29.1 ± 2.2%, P < 0.05). Adenosine A2A and A2B receptor subtypes expression was confirmed by RT-qPCR and by immunocytochemistry and their blockade with selective adenosine A2A and A2B antagonists reduced the parasitic burden [14.5 ± 3.1% (P < 0.05) and 12.3 ± 3.1% (P < 0.05), respectively; and 24.9 ± 2.8% (P < 0.05), by the combination of the two antagonists)], suggesting that adenosine A2 receptors are tonically activated in infected THP-1 differentiated macrophages. The tonic activation of adenosine A2 receptors was dependent on the release of intracellular adenosine through equilibrative nucleoside transporters (ENT1/ENT2): NBTI or dipyridamole reduced (~25%) whereas, when ENTs were blocked, adenosine A2 receptor antagonists failed to reduce and A2 agonists increase parasitic burden. Effects of adenosine A2 receptors antagonists and ENT1/2 inhibitor were prevented by L-NAME, indicating that nitric oxide production inhibition prevents adenosine from increasing parasitic burden. Results suggest that intracellular adenosine, released through ENTs, elicits an autocrine increase in parasitic burden in THP-1 macrophages, through adenosine A2 receptors activation. These observations open the possibility to use well-established ENT inhibitors or adenosine A2 receptor antagonists as new therapeutic approaches in VL.

Oxidative stress modulates nucleobase transport in microvascular endothelial cells.

Purine nucleosides and nucleobases play key roles in the physiological response to vascular ischemia/reperfusion events. The intra- and extracellular concentrations of these compounds are controlled, in part, by equilibrative nucleoside transporter subtype 1 (ENT1; SLC29A1) and by equilibrative nucleobase transporter subtype 1 (ENBT1). These transporters are expressed at the membranes of numerous cell types including microvascular endothelial cells. We studied the impact of reactive oxygen species on the function of ENT1 and ENBT1 in primary (CMVEC) and immortalized (HMEC-1) human microvascular endothelial cells. Both cell types displayed similar transporter expression profiles, with the majority (>90%) of 2-chloro[(3)H]adenosine (nucleoside) uptake mediated by ENT1 and [(3)H]hypoxanthine (nucleobase) uptake mediated by ENBT1. An in vitro mineral oil-overlay model of ischemia/reperfusion had no effect on ENT1 function, but significantly reduced ENBT1 Vmax in both cell types. This decrease in transport function was mimicked by the intracellular superoxide generator menadione and could be reversed by the superoxide dismutase mimetic MnTMPyP. In contrast, neither the extracellular peroxide donor TBHP nor the extracellular peroxynitrite donor 3-morpholinosydnonimine (SIN-1) affected ENBT1-mediated [(3)H]hypoxanthine uptake. SIN-1 did, however, enhance ENT1-mediated 2-chloro[(3)H]adenosine uptake. Our data establish HMEC-1 as an appropriate model for study of purine transport in CMVEC. Additionally, these data suggest that the generation of intracellular superoxide in ischemia/reperfusion leads to the down-regulation of ENBT1 function. Modification of purine transport by oxidant stress may contribute to ischemia/reperfusion induced vascular damage and should be considered in the development of therapeutic strategies.

Identification of TIGAR in the equilibrative nucleoside transporter 2-mediated response to fludarabine in chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells.

BACKGROUND: The nucleoside analogue fludarabine is used in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. It triggers p53-mediated apoptosis, although the mutational status of p53 does not fully account for heterogeneity in responsiveness to treatment. The aim of this study was to identify new genes implicated in fludarabine action as well as to determine the role of equilibrative nucleoside transporters (ENT) in the transcriptomic response triggered by this drug in chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells bearing wild type p53. DESIGN AND METHODS: We performed gene expression profiling in cells from two fludarabine-sensitive and two fludarabine-resistant cases of chronic lymphocytic leukemia treated with fludarabine either in the presence or the absence of nitrobenzylthioinosine, a hENT1-specific blocker. Twenty selected fludarabine-inducible genes were validated using Taqman low-density arrays in cells from 20 chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients with the same experimental design. RESULTS: Sixteen of the twenty genes (DDB2, GADD45A, TYMS, BAX, TIGAR, FAS, TNFSF7, TNFSF9, CCNG1, CDKN1A, MDM2, SESN1, MAP4K4, PPM1D, OSBPL3 and WIG1) correlated with the ex vivo sensitivity of chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells to fludarabine, TIGAR (TP53-induced glycolysis and apoptosis regulator) being the gene that showed the strongest correlation (p<0.0001; r2= 0.6022).We observed that the transcriptomic response was weakly sensitive to the hENT1 blocker nitrobenzylthioinosine. Interestingly, we also found a correlation between hENT2 expression and induction of TIGAR after fludarabine treatment. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate a correlation between the recently described p53-inducible apoptosis gene TIGAR and both sensitivity to fludarabine and hENT2 expression in chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells. These results, as well as the variability in fludarabine response among chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients with wild type p53, support the major role of hENT2 in the uptake of fludarabine into chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells.