Signal transduction and biochemical targeting of ovarian carcinoma.

UNLABELLED: The purpose was to identify novel targets for the chemotherapy of ovarian carcinoma. METHODS: Assays were worked out to measure the activities of P1 kinase, PIP kinase and PLC in ovarian carcinoma samples and in OVCAR-5 cells and to compare the activities to those in normal ovaries. A method was also designed for measuring the concentration of the end product of signal transduction, IP3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Signal transduction activity was markedly increased in ovarian cancer cells as shown by the increased steady-state activities of the three enzymes and the elevated concentrations of IP3. Inhibitors blocked activities of PI kinase (quercetin), PIP kinase (genistein), and lowered GTP concentration required for PLC (tiazofurin). Combinations of tiazofurin with quercetin, tiazofurin with genistein, and quercetin with genistein yielded a synergistic kill of ovarian cancer cells. Tiazofurin, quercetin and genistein are in various stages of clinical trials. CONCLUSION: The increased signal transduction activity provides novel, sensitive targets to chemotherapy in ovarian cancer cells.

Amplification of signal transduction capacity and down-regulation by drugs.

Recent work in this Laboratory showed increased activity of PI 4-kinase, PIP kinase and PLC in various cancer cells, indicating a stepped-up capacity for signal transduction. This elevated potential was paralleled with increased concentration of the end product of signal transduction, IP3. Current investigations showed that in normal cells the activities of the specific phosphatases (which degrade PIP2 and PIP and oppose those of the synthetic enzymes) were 4 to 5 orders of magnitude higher than those of the synthetic kinases. In hepatoma cells the specific phosphatase activities markedly decreased. Thus, in cancer cells the marked elevations in activities of the synthetic enzymes were opposed by a reduction in the activities of the degradative specific phosphatases. This enzymic imbalance is responsible, in part at least, for the elevated capacity of signal transduction and IP3 concentration. Since the enzymic activities measured were proportionate with time elapsed and amount of enzyme added, the alterations in activities should reflect changes in enzyme amounts. These alterations indicate a reprogramming of gene expression which should confer selective advantages to the cancer cells, marking out the elevated synthetic enzyme activities as potentially sensitive targets for drug treatment. We showed earlier that tiazofurin, which curtailed the biosynthesis of enzymes with short half-lives such as PI and PIP kinases, down-regulated signal transduction and brought down IP3 concentration. Quercetin and genistein chiefly inhibited PI-4 kinase and PIP kinase, respectively, and as a result reduced IP3 concentration in cancer cells. Current studies reveal that tiazofurin with quercetin, tiazofurin with genistein, and quercetin with genistein were synergistic in killing human cancer cells and in reducing signal transduction activity. In estrogen receptor-negative MDA-MB-435 human breast carcinoma cells which have elevated signal transduction activity, tamoxifen caused IC50S for growth inhibition and cytotoxicity of 12 and 0.7 microM, respectively. When tiazofurin was added to breast carcinoma cells, followed 12 hr later by tamoxifen, synergism was observed in growth inhibition, in clonogenic assays and in the reduction of IP3 concentration. The synergistic action of tiazofurin and tamoxifen and the other synergistic drug interactions outlined above may have implications in the clinical treatment of neoplasias.

Regulation of signal transduction activity in normal and cancer cells.

UNLABELLED: The purpose of this investigation is to clarify critical aspects of the behavior and regulation of signal transduction activity in normal and cancer cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Signal transduction activity was determined by measuring the steady-state activity of the three synthetic enzymes involved in the conversion of 1-phosphatidylinositol to IP3, PI 4-kinase, PI 4-phosphate 5-kinase and phospholipase C. These enzymic activities were opposed by the activities of the degradative enzymes, 4-phosphatase and 5-phosphatase. RESULTS: We observed in hepatocellular carcinomas the operation of an integrated imbalance in signal transduction which was manifested in the up-regulation of the steady-state activities of the three synthetic enzymes and in the reduction of the activities of the two catabolic phosphatases. As a consequence of this enzyme imbalance there was an increase in the concentration of IP3 in hepatomas. Increased IP3 levels were also observed in numerous human carcinomas in clinical samples and in tissue culture cells. The signal transduction activity was subject to nutritional regulation and to drug action. The elevated signal transduction activity, as measured by the IP3 concentration, was down-regulated in a time- and dose-dependent fashion by the anticancer drug, tiazofurin, by the flavonoids, quercetin and genistein, and by the anti-estrogen receptor, tamoxifen. CONCLUSIONS: Our studies show that signal transduction activity is stringently linked with transformation and progression in rat and human carcinomas. Down-regulation of signal transduction activity by various drugs led to a marked reduction of IP3 concentration and then to apoptosis and induced differentiation.

Increased thymidine kinase and thymidylate synthase activities in human epithelial ovarian carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Thymidylate synthase (dTMP synthase, EC 2.1.1.45) is responsible for the de novo biosynthesis of thymidylate (dTMP) whereas thymidine kinase (TdR kinase, EC 2.7.1.21) is the salvage enzyme which leads to the production of dTMP even in presence of d TMP synthase inhibition. The current study was undertaken to compare the steady-state activities of d TMP synthase and TdR kinase in extracts of human epithelial ovarian carcinoma and normal ovaries. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Tissue extracts of epithelial ovarian carcinomas and normal ovaries were analyzed for activities of d TMP synthase (by a method that measures released 3H2O) and TdR kinase (by polyethyleneimine impregnated (PEI) cellulose plate radioassay), methods established in this laboratory. RESULTS: The dTMP synthase activity (mean +/- S.E.) in extracts of ovarian carcinomas (N = 11) was 0.198 +/- 0.069 and in extracts of normal ovaries (N = 12) it was 0.025 +/- 0.0004 nmol/hr/mg protein. By contrast, TdR kinase activity in extracts of ovarian carcinoma (N = 13) was 27.7 +/- 8.5 compared to 1.0 +/- 0.3 nmol/hr/mg protein in extracts of normal ovaries (N = 15). CONCLUSION: The observed 140-fold higher TdR kinase activity suggests that DNA synthesis may continue despite inhibition of dTMP synthase with current schedules of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and leucovorin. The addition of azidothymidine, a competitive inhibitor of TdR kinase, to 5-FU and leucovorin might be a rational biochemical strategy to employ in patients with refractory ovarian carcinoma.

Intracellular signalling: phosphatidylinositol lipid metabolism in cancer cells.

Evidence for heightened capacity for signal transduction in rat hepatoma as well as in human breast and ovarian carcinoma cells as reflected by coordinate increases in PI kinase and PIP kinase in the PI phosphorylation sequence leading to the production of second messengers IP3 and DAG is shown. The linkage of signal transduction enzymes with malignant growth is also seen as MDA-MB- 435 human breast carcinoma or ovarian OVCAR-5 cells express their proliferative capacity in tissue culture in the log phase. In both cases, quercetin inhibit cell proliferation with a decline in PI kinase activity and IP3 levels preceding the growth inhibition seen with quercetin. The elevated steady state activities of PI and PIP kinase indicate a metabolic up-regulation in signal transduction capacity of cancer cells which is down-regulated by quercetin. Since the gain in function manifested in the over-expressed capacity for signal transduction confers selective growth advantage to cancer cells, increased activities of PI and PIP kinases may be considered as sensitive targets for cancer chemotherapy. The potential of quercetin as an interceptor of intracellular signal transduction mechanisms needs to be explored.

Molecular mechanisms in the antiproliferative action of quercetin.

A single treatment with quercetin (5.5 microM), a plant flavonoid, activated both apoptosis and differentiation programs in K562 human leukemia cells. K562 cells expressed commitment to apoptosis after 1 h exposure, however, at least 12 h of drug exposure was needed to induce differentiation. Early (1 h) down-regulation of the c-myc and Ki-ras oncogenes and rapid reduction of inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) concentration (IC50 = 9 microM, 1 h incubation) are part of the antiproliferative action of quercetin and appear to relate to induction of differentiation and/or apoptotic program of K562 leukemia cells treated with quercetin.

Regulation of the signal transduction program by drugs.

The purpose of this paper was to clarify critical aspects of the behavior of signal transduction activity in normal and cancer cells. 1. Signal transduction activity in the conversion of phosphatidylinositol through PI and PIP kinases and PLC to IP3 is regulated at multiple sites. In liver, hepatomas and human carcinomas PIP kinase is the rate limiting enzyme and PLC activity is present in great excess. 2. The steady-state signal transduction activity as measured by the three enzyme activities and IP3 concentration was markedly up-regulated in rat hepatomas of different growth rates. The steady-state specific activities of the three signal transduction enzymes were elevated in ovarian carcinomas as compared to normal ovary. Increased enzyme activities were also observed in human breast carcinoma cells as compared to normal human breast parenchymal cells. In breast, ovarian and rat hepatoma cells as they go through lag, log and plateau phases, IP3 concentration in the early lag phase increased 4.5- to 20-fold and PI and PIP kinase activities peaked in mid-log phase. These events returned to baseline levels in the plateau phase. PLC activity did not change. 3. The bone marrow PI and PIP kinase activities in 3-day starvation were decreased to 13% and IP3 concentration was reduced to 24%; at 1-day refeeding they returned to normal. PLC activity changed little. These alterations are in line with the rapid t1/2 degradation rates (12 min) of PI and PIP kinases observed in studies with cycloheximide. By contrast, PLC has a long half-life. 4. The molecular action of tiazofurin entails inhibition of IMP DH activity, decrease in GTP and IP3 concentrations, reduction of ras and myc oncogene expression, and signal transduction enzyme activities. These events are followed by induced differentiation and apoptosis. There are also decreases in enzyme activities which have rapid turnover, including TdR kinase, dTMP synthase, and GPRT. In vitro studies indicated that these events are abrogated by addition of guanine which restores GTP concentrations. Therefore, most or all these events were brought about by the reduced GTP concentration in the tiazofurin target cells. 5. Quercetin and genistein are able to inhibit PI and PIP kinase activities and reduce IP3 concentration in vivo and in tissue culture systems. These flavonoids are also inhibitors of cell proliferation and clonogenic ability in rat hepatoma 3924A and in human OVCAR-5 and MDA-MB-435 cells. Quercetin down-regulated the expression of c-myc and Ki-ras oncogenes and led to induced differentiation and apoptosis in K562 cells. Genistein reduced IP3 concentration in vivo and in the tissue culture system. Genistein is antiproliferative and has cytototoxicity in human carcinoma cells. All three drugs, tiazofurin, quercetin and genistein, act, in part at least, through depression of cellular IP3 concentration although the mechanisms may not be identical. 6. Quercetin and genistein, which attack different targets and different phases of the cell cycle, proved to be synergistic in OVCAR-5 cells. The impact of tiazofurin, genistein and quercetin is of interest because the drugs crucially inhibit the display of the neoplastic program of cells and lead to induced differentiation and apoptosis.

Increased signal transduction activity and down-regulation in human cancer cells.

The purpose of this study was to elucidate the behavior of signal transduction activity in rat and human carcinoma cells. Signal transduction activity was measured by the steady-state activity of the three enzymes involved in the conversion of 1-phosphatidylinositol (PI) to IP3, PI 4-kinase, PI 4-phosphate 5-kinase, and phospholipase C activities were measured by our methods. The results indicate that the steady-state activities of the three signal transduction enzymes and the end-product, IP3, were up-regulated in a transformation- and progression-linked fashion. In rat liver PI kinase, PIP kinase and PLC activities were 0.4, O.04, and 800 nmol/hour/mg protein, respectively. PI and PIP kinase and PLC activities were increased 2- to 8-fold in five rat hepatomas and 29-, 45-, and 4-fold, respectively, in rapidly growing hepatoma 3924A. PI and PIP kinase activities as compared to normal ovary were elevated in human ovarian epithelial carcinomas (4- and 3-fold) and in OVCAR-5 cells in culture (31- and 11-fold). Compared to normal breast parenchymal cells, PI and PIP kinase activities were increased in human breast carcinoma cells (96- and 16-fold). When breast carcinoma cells were plated and expressed their neoplastic proliferative program. IP3 concentration increased 20-fold in early log phase: PI and PIP kinase activities increased 11-fold in mid log phase: PLC activity did not change throughout. PI and PIP kinase activities in bone marrow had short half-lives (t1/2 = 8 minutes) but PLC had a long one (t1/2 > 6 hours). The elevated signal transduction activity was down-regulated by the anti-cancer drug, tiazofurin, and also by quercetin, an inhibitor of PI kinase. The addition of these drugs to cultured carcinoma cells reduced the IP3 concentration, and the cells were killed. These integrated studies are the first showing that signal transduction activity is stringently linked with transformation and progression in rat and human solid tumors and carcinoma cells. Down-regulation (by tiazofurin) or inhibition of PI and PIP kinase activities (by quercetin) in human carcinoma cells led to a marked reduction of IP3 concentration and to cell death. Tiazofurin and quercetin may be useful in the treatment of carcinomas with increased signal transduction capacity.

Tiazofurin: molecular and clinical action.

UNLABELLED: The purpose is to provide an overview of the molecular and clinical impact of tiazofurin. METHOD: The biochemical and clinical techniques were reported (1, 2). RESULTS: IMP DH activity increased in various animal and human tumors and was particularly high in leukemic blast cells. The increased activity was due to an elevation in the mRNA concentration of type II isozyme. Tiazofurin, a C-nucleoside, was converted in sensitive cells to the active metabolite, TAD, which tightly bound at the NADH site inhibited IMP DH activity. The inhibition led to decreased GTP concentration, down-regulation of ras and myc oncogenes and induced maturation of blast cells. New evidence shows that tiazofurin injection downregulated signal transduction activity due to a reduction of the activities of PI and PIP kinases leading to a decrease in the concentration of the second messenger, IP3. In patients; tiazofurin infusion and allopurinol administration led to reduction of IMP DH activity and GTP concentration. Allopurinol inhibited xanthine oxidase activity leading to a marked rise in hypoxanthine concentration which inhibited the increased guanine salvage pathway. In the clinic, the increase in serum hypoxanthine concentration is essential for the success of tiazofurin treatment. Tiazofurin showed additivity or synergism with ribavirin, retinoic acid, taxol, quercetin, gemcitabin, dipyridamole and brefeldin. Ribavirin which inhibits IMP DH at the IMP site has been shown to prolong the IMP depressing action of tiazofurin in rat bone marrow cells. CONCLUSION: Tiazofurin and allopurinol achieve reduction of GTP concentration in leukemic blast cells through inhibition of IMP DH and GPRT activities. As a result, induced maturation occurs with down-regulation of ras and myc oncogenes and probably reduced signal transduction capacity. Tiazofurin in leukemic patients provides over 75% therapeutic responses and patients can be treated with this combination for many months with good quality of life. These clinical and biochemical results were recently confirmed independently (3).

Molecular mechanisms in the antiproliferative action of taxol and tiazofurin.

The molecular antiproliferative effects of taxol and tiazofurin were studied in human K562 leukemia, and in MCF-7 breast and OVCAR-5 ovarian carcinoma cell cultures. A single treatment with taxol (2 to 100 nM) or tiazofurin (5 to 20 microM) on K562 leukemia cells resulted in both a differentiation program and apoptosis in the same cell culture. Tiazofurin proved to be the most potent inducer of differentiation among the inducers, however, taxol had a major impact on induction of the alterations characteristic of apoptosis. The antiproliferative effect of tiazofurin was mediated by 37 to 85% inhibition of IMP dehydrogenase activity. Both the differentiation and apoptosis induced by tiazofurin were dependent on GTP supply. The induction of differentiation and/or apoptosis was mediated by downregulation of c-myc and Ki-ras oncogenes in all three cell lines treated with tiazofurin (by 2 hr) or taxol (by 24 hr). Combined treatments with tiazofurin and taxol exerted a schedule-dependent, antiproliferative interaction in the cell lines studied. Synergistic inhibition of cell proliferation was observed when cells were pretreated with tiazofurin (10 to 15 microM) for at least 12 hr, then taxol (5 to 15 nM) was added.

Current issues in the regulation of signal transduction.

(1) In all examined rat and human tissues and cells, PIP kinase activity was rate-limiting and PLC activity was present in great excess. (2) The steady-state activities of the signal transduction enzymes, PI kinase, PIP kinase and PLC, and the concentration of the end product, IP3, were determined in rat liver and hepatomas of different malignancies. The activities of all three enzymes were elevated in the hepatomas in a non-random fashion. A generalization emerged that the enzyme with the lowest activity in liver, PIP kinase, increased to the highest extent and the enzyme with the highest activity in liver, PLC, increased to the smallest extent in rapidly growing hepatomas. The IP3 concentration in the hepatomas was elevated in a progression-linked fashion. (3) The three signal transduction enzyme activities were elevated in human ovarian carcinoma samples and in human breast carcinoma cells. (4) When human breast carcinoma MDA-MB-435 cells were allowed to go through lag, log and plateau phases, the IP3 concentration reached a 20-fold peak at 12 hr after plating. The elevation in IP3 concentration preceded the rise in PI and PIP kinase activities which increased 11-fold in the log phase. The IP3 concentration and PI and PIP kinase activities returned to their baseline levels when the plateau phase was reached. The PLC activity did not change significantly during the whole period. (5) Administration of cycloheximide i.p. in rats revealed short half-lives in the bone marrow for the two kinases (8 min) and a long half-life for PLC (> 6 hr). In a group of 10 enzymes, the half-lives of the kinases were the shortest. In cycloheximide-injected rats, the bone marrow IP3 concentration was reduced to about 50% in 30 min. The reduction of IP3 concentration is attributed to the decline to 15 and 12%, respectively, in PI and PIP kinase activities since PLC activity did not change. (6) In 3-day starved rats, the bone marrow PI and PIP kinase were reduced to activities (13%) that were markedly lower than the decrease in the protein concentration (to 55%). By contrast, the PLC activity was preferentially maintained (to 78%) over the protein level. Under starvation, the IP3 concentration decreased (to 24%), indicating that starvation can markedly disrupt IP3 homeostasis. Refeeding returned the enzymic activities and the IP3 concentration to the normal level in bone marrow in 24 hr. (7) Comparison of the absolute activities of PI and PIP kinases and PLC showed that PLC is present in an excess; therefore, it does not appear to have a rate-limiting action in cycloheximide treated rats or in starvation. (8) Whereas PI and PIP kinases have short half-lives and apparently rapid synthetic rates, PLC has high activity, a long half-life and responds to starvation with only a small decrease. (9) The gain in function manifested in the over-expressed capacity for signal transduction confers growth advantages to cancer cells. These increased activities, particularly those of PI and PIP kinases, should be sensitive targets for chemotherapy.

Regulation of signal transduction.

1. A systematic study is reported on the control of 1-phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase (PI kinase) and PI 4-phosphate 5-kinase (PIP kinase), enzymes of the phosphatidylinositol phosphorylation pathway which leads to the production of second messengers. IP3 and DAG. In liver of normal male, adult, fed Wistar rats the steady state activity of PI kinase was 0.5 +/- 0.01 and that of PIP kinase was 0.046 +/- 0.003 nmol/hr/mg protein. The concentration of IP3 was 1.8 +/- 0.1 pmol/mg protein. 2. That the two kinases have short half-lives was observed in starvation. where in the rat liver or bone marrow activities rapidly decreased and on refeeding were restored in a day. Injection to rats of the protein synthetic inhibitor, cycloheximide, yielded t1/2 = 80 min for the two enzymes in bone marrow and t1/2 = 80 min in liver. 3. Linkage of the signal transduction enzymes with proliferation was shown by the high activities as compared to liver of these enzymes in rat organs of high cell renewal capacity, e.g., thymus, bone marrow, spleen and testes. 4. Linkage with malignant proliferation was indicated by the observation that in rat hepatomas the enzyme activities increased 5- to 9-fold and were highest in rapidly growing hepatoma 3924A (29- and 45-fold). 5. In human primary ovarian carcinoma PI and PIP kinase activities were elevated 4.4 and 2.9-fold, respectively, and in OVCAR-5 cells, 32- and 11-fold, respectively. Similar increases were observed in MDA-MB-435 human breast carcinoma cells in comparison with normal breast parenchymal cells. 6. The linkage of signal transduction enzyme activities with malignant proliferation was also observed in experiments when human breast carcinoma cells were plated in flasks and expressed their proliferative capacity in the log phase. PI and PIP kinase activities steadily and coordinately increased to a peak 11-fold rise in mid-log phase. In late log and plateau phases the kinase activities gradually declined to the starting level. Similar observations were made for the two enzymes in human ovarian carcinoma OVCAR-5 cells and in rat hepatoma 3924A cells in tissue culture. 7. In animals injected with cycloheximide the bone marrow PI and PIP kinase activities exhibited t1/2 = 0.12 hr, the shortest decay rate in comparison with 8 enzymes of purine and pyrimidine biosynthesis with t1/2 = 0.6 to 4.3 hr. 8. Injection of tiazofurin decreased PI and PIP kinase activities in the bone marrow with t1/2 = 82 and 78 min, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Linkage of reduction in 1-phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase activity and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate concentration in human ovarian carcinoma cells treated with quercetin.

Quercetin inhibited 1-phosphatidylinositol (Pl) 4-kinase, EC 2.7.1.67 (Pl kinase) activity in a concentration-dependent manner (IC50 = 4 microM) in particulate extracts from human ovarian carcinoma. In OVCAR-5 cells quercetin produced growth inhibition (IC50 = 63 microM) and cytotoxicity (LC50 = 17 microM). The growth inhibition by quercetin was accompanied by an 80% decrease in Pl kinase activity and a 65% decrease in the concentration of the second messenger, inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3). When human OVCAR-5 cells were plated and expressed their neoplastic proliferative program in the log phase, Pl kinase and Pl 4-phosphate 5-kinase, EC 2.7.1.68 (PIP kinase) activities coordinately increased to a peak of 5.8- and 4.5-fold, respectively. The results demonstrate for the first time inhibition by quercetin of the enhanced capacity for operation of signal transduction in human ovarian carcinoma cells, thus providing a novel target in cancer cells.

1-Phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate 5-kinase (EC 2.7.1.68): a proliferation- and malignancy-linked signal transduction enzyme.

The activity of PIP kinase (1-phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate 5-kinase; EC 2.7.1.68), the second ATP-utilizing enzyme of 1,4,5-trisphosphate and diacylglycerol biosynthesis, was determined in the rat in a spectrum of transplantable solid hepatomas of different growth rates and in normal tissues of high and low cell renewal rates. In a standard isotopic method developed for the assay, the enzyme activity was linear with time for 4 min and proportional with protein concentration over a range of 0.05 to 1 mg per 0.135-ml reaction mixture. The apparent Km for the substrate PIP (phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate) and for ATP and Mg2+ in normal liver were 0.06, 0.5, and 4.2 mM, respectively, and in rapidly growing hepatoma 3924A, 0.08, 0.7, and 7.1 mM. The kinase activity in adult Wistar rat liver was 0.046 +/- 0.003 nmol/h/mg protein. In hepatomas of slow and intermediate growth rates, PIP kinase activity increased 3.3-9.7-fold, and in hepatoma 3924A, it was elevated 45-fold over that of normal liver. When hepatoma 3924A cells were plated and expressed their proliferative program, enzyme activity increased 4.3-fold in mid-log phase. To further clarify the linkage between PIP kinase activity and proliferation, enzyme activity was determined in rat organs of high and low cell renewal capacity. The PIP kinase activity in rat thymus, bone marrow, spleen, and testes was 5.4-, 6.3-, 4.8- and 4.3-fold higher, respectively, than in normal rat liver; in lung, brain, skeletal muscle, renal cortex, and heart, the activities were low. In all tissues examined, the activity of PIP kinase was 4.6 to 18% of that of phosphatidylinositol kinase. Since enzymes of crucial significance frequently have short half-lives, the decay rates of PIP kinase were examined in liver, bone marrow, and hepatoma 3924A in rats injected with cycloheximide, which inhibits protein biosynthesis. In cycloheximide-treated animals, PIP kinase had the shortest decay rate (t1/2 = 0.12 h) in comparison with eight enzymes of purine and pyrimidine biosynthesis of rat bone marrow (t1/2 = 0.6 to 4.3 h). In liver and solid hepatoma 3924A, the activity of PIP kinase was degraded less rapidly (t1/2 = 5 h). The relationship of PIP kinase activity with proliferation and transformation is apparent in the high activity in thymus, bone marrow, spleen, and testes and in the increased activities in the rat hepatomas of different growth rates. The coordinate increases in phosphatidylinositol and PIP kinase activities suggest that the capacity for signal transduction is heightened in cancer cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Role of differentiation induction in action of purine antimetabolites.

In cancer cells, particularly in leukaemic cells, guanylate biosynthesis is up-regulated as shown by the increased activities of IMP dehydrogenase, the rate-limiting enzyme of de novo GTP biosynthesis, and of the salvage enzyme, hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGPRT). In enzyme pattern-targeted chemotherapy, tiazofurin inhibits IMP dehydrogenase activity in cancer cells and allopurinol-induced high serum hypoxanthine levels inhibit HGPRT activity. A triad of responses was observed in the blast cells of patients treated with tiazofurin infusions: chemotherapy, induced differentiation, and down-regulation of c-Ki-ras and c-myc oncogenes. Tiazofurin was synergistic in cytotoxicity and in causing differentiation with ribavirin, retinoic acid, and gemcitabine [corrected]. Induced differentiation plays an important role in the overall impact of antipurine agents.

Targeted and non-targeted actions of anti-cancer drugs.

(1) The currently used clinical anti-metabolites are targeted against-key enzymes of de novo purine and pyrimidine biosynthesis. However, the activities of salvage enzymes in each of the biosynthetic segments are markedly higher than those of the rate-limiting enzymes of de novo biosynthesis. Enzyme-pattern-targeted chemotherapy has been suggested to overcome the circumvention activity of salvage. Combination of inhibition of de novo and salvage pathways does provide a synergistic impact. Examples that enzyme-pattern-targeted drug treatment yields synergism include the following: tiazofurin (against IMP DH) and allopurinol (by raising serum hypoxanthine levels it inhibits GPRT); methotrexate or 5-FU lead to inhibition of the dTMP synthase reaction and AZT (a competitive inhibitor of thymidine kinase) or dipyridamole (a nucleoside transport inhibitor); acivicin, an inhibitor and inactivator of glutamine-utilizing enzymes in the de novo pathways of purine and pyrimidine biosynthesis, and dipyridamole. (2) Administration of MTX, 5-FU, tiazofurin or acivicin causes inhibition and/or inactivation of target enzymes. That these drugs are effective in spite of the presence of highly active salvage enzymes is now accounted for, at least in part, by new observations showing that these drugs markedly reduce (but do not eliminate) the activities (amounts) of CdR and TdR kinases, dTMP synthase and GPRT. This action is attributed to the rapid decay rate of these enzymes. (3) Studies on the bone marrow enzymic programs indicate that there is a window of opportunity for strengthening therapy and for the protection of bone marrow by administering salvage metabolites when the salvage enzymes are still present in high enough activities, i.e., 2-6 hr after administration of the blockers of de novo enzyme activities. (4) These results are a strong argument for discovering and utilizing inhibitors of purine and pyrimidine salvage enzymes to achieve more successful enzyme-pattern-targeted chemotherapy and to avoid development of resistant clones of cancer cells. (5) These approaches provide greater explanatory coherence than the previous accounts because recognition of (a) the importance of salvage and (b) rapid decay of key and salvage enzymes reveals a paradigm shift. The problem-solving process in chemotherapy should now be not only data-driven but also explanation-driven.

Sequential impact of tiazofurin and ribavirin on the enzymic program of the bone marrow.

Tiazofurin and ribavirin are clinically used inhibitors of IMP dehydrogenase (DH), binding to the NAD and IMP sites, respectively, of the target enzyme. In patients with chronic granulocytic leukemia in blast crisis, daily tiazofurin infusions decreased the high IMP DH activity in blast cells and resulted in 77% response (G. Weber. In: R. A. Harkness et al., Purine and Pyrimidine Metabolism in Man, Vol. VII, Part B, pp. 287-292, 1991). However, patients relapsed in a few weeks with emergence of high IMP DH activity (G. Tricot et al., Int. J. Cell Cloning, 8: 161-170, 1990). The present study showed that the tiazofurin-induced depression of IMP DH activity in rat bone marrow can be maintained by ribavirin injection. Tiazofurin (150 mg/kg, i.p., once a day for 2 days) decreased IMP DH activity to 10% and ribavirin (250 mg/kg, i.p., once a day for the subsequent 3 days) maintained the enzymic activity at 20 to 30% of control values. In control rats where no ribavirin was given, IMP DH activity of the tiazofurin-treated rats rapidly returned to the range of untreated animals. The decrease of IMP DH activity (t1/2 = 2.6 h) sharply preceded that of the bone marrow cellularity (t1/2 = 17.4 h). In addition to the target enzyme, IMP DH, tiazofurin also decreased activities of the guanylate metabolic enzymes, guanine phosphoribosyltransferase and GMP reductase, and the pyrimidine salvage enzymes, deoxycytidine and thymidine kinases with t1/2 of 2.6, 4.7, 6.0, 3.4, and 6.5 h, respectively. In cycloheximide-treated rats, where much of protein biosynthesis was blocked, the t1/2(8) of these five enzymes in bone marrow were shorter, 1.6, 4.3, 3.0, 0.6, and 0.8 h, respectively. Thus, the impact of tiazofurin in the bone marrow entails a decrease in the activity of the target enzyme, IMP DH, and also of other enzymes in purine and pyrimidine biosynthesis as a result of the enzyme half-lives shortened by this drug. These novel observations should assist in achieving better protection and recovery of bone marrow during and after chemotherapy.