Synthesis of a potent 5'-methylthioadenosine/S-adenosylhomocysteine (MTAN) inhibitor.

MTAN has been known to occur in a variety of bacterial cell types. Due to the evolution of bacterial strains which are resistant to some of the most powerful antibiotics there has been a renewed interest in the development of novel anti-microbial agents. Presented herein is a synthesis of a potent MTAN inhibitor, namely 2-amino-4-[5-(4-amino-5H-pyrrolo[3,2-d]pyrimidin-7-yl)-3,4-dihydroxypyrrolidin-2-ylmethylsulfanyl]-butyric acid (1).

Genomic abnormalities in hepatocarcinogenesis. Implications for a chemopreventive strategy.

Carcinogenesis is a complex process characterized by the cumulative activation of various oncogenes and the inactivation of suppressor genes. Epigenetic mechanisms are also involved. Mutational activation of ras family genes occurs in most spontaneous or carcinogen-induced liver tumors, in susceptible mice, and less frequently in preneoplastic lesions. This suggests a pathogenetic role of these changes in hepatic carcinogenesis, in the mouse. Overexpression of various growth-related genes occurs in preneoplastic tissue during rat liver carcinogenesis, but mutational activation of protooncogenes, notably of ras family genes, seems to be a late and rare event, while c-myc amplification is a late but frequent event in both rodent and human carcinogenesis. However, mutation of the suppressor p53 gene has been found in relatively early preneoplastic lesions in rat liver, and it may be frequently seen in human hepatocellular carcinomas. The possibility that this mutation is involved in the initiation stage of liver carcinogenesis is an attractive hypothesis which needs further evaluation. DNA hypomethylation is involved in carcinogenesis, but the mechanisms underlying this effect are still elusive. Hypomethylation of growth-related genes is associated with their overexpression and this could favor overgrowth of preneoplastic liver tissue. Decrease in S-adenosyl methionine/S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAM/SAH) ratio occurs in the liver of rats fed a methyl deficient diet, which is a carcinogenic treatment, and in preneoplastic liver tissue, developing in initiated/promoted rats fed an adequate diet. The role of low SAM/SAH ratio in carcinogenesis is substantiated by the tumor chemopreventive effect of lipotropic compounds. Treatment with exogenous SAM prevents the development of preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions in rat liver. This is associated with recovery of SAM/SAH ratio, DNA methylation and inhibition of growth-related gene expression. SAM effect on prenoplastic cell growth is abolished by 5-azacytidine, a hypomethylating agent, indicating the involvement of DNA methylation. The possibility that in SAM-treated rats, methylation and inhibition of the expression of growth-related genes is implicated in growth restraint is attractive and should be further evaluated. Modulation of rat liver carcinogenesis by influencing gene expression through DNA methylation or other epigenetic mechanisms could be a new approach to chemoprevention of these tumors.

Reversal of 6-mercaptopurine and 6-methylmercaptopurine ribonucleoside cytotoxicity by amidoimidazole carboxamide ribonucleoside in Molt F4 human malignant T-lymphoblasts.

Cytotoxicity of 6-mercaptopurine (6MP) and 6-methylmercaptopurine ribonucleoside (Me-MPR) was studied in Molt F4 human malignant lymphoblasts. Both drugs are converted into methylthioIMP (Me-tIMP), which inhibits purine de novo synthesis. Addition of amidoimidazole carboxamide ribonucleoside (AICAR) circumvented inhibition of purine de novo synthesis, and thus partly prevented 6MP and Me-MPR cytotoxicity. Purine nucleotides, and especially adenine nucleotides, were recovered by addition of AICAR. Under these conditions, Me-tIMP formation decreased. The results of this study indicate that formation of Me-tIMP may be important for 6MP cytotoxicity in Molt F4 cells. These data suggest that depletion of adenine nucleotides is the main cause for Me-tIMP cytotoxicity.

Structural analogs of 5'-methylthioadenosine as substrates and inhibitors of 5'-methylthioadenosine phosphorylase and as inhibitors of human lymphocyte transformation.

5'-Deoxy-5'-methylthioadenosine (MTA) phosphorylase was purified 13.4-fold from human peripheral lymphocytes. The enzyme demonstrated normal Michaelis-Menten kinetics with Km values of 26 microM and 7.5 mM for the two substrates, MTA and phosphate, respectively. The rate of MTA degradation was temperature dependent, 47 degrees being the optimum temperature. Five structural analogs served as alternative substrates with Km values ranging from 31 to 53 microM while two compounds, 5'-deoxy-5'-methylthiotubercidin (MTT) (Ki = 31 microM) and adenine (Ki = 172 microM), were inhibitory. These same analogs were examined as inhibitors of mitogen-induced human lymphocyte blastogenesis. MTT was found to be the most effective inhibitor of lymphocyte transformation with an I50 of 80 microM.

Simultaneous decrease in deamination of 5'-adenylic acid and 5'-deoxy-5'-S-isobutylthioadenosine in chick-embryo fibroblasts infected by Rous sarcoma virus.

The rate of deamination of 5'-deoxy-5'-S-isobutylthioadenosine [(iBuS5'Ado] in chick embryo fibroblasts was substantially reduced after their infection and morphological transformation by Rous sarcoma virus. Concomitant with the reduction in rate of (iBuS)5'Ado deamination there was a decrease in adenosine deaminase and 5'-adenylic acid deaminase activities. The drop of these activities was related to infection and not to the expression of the src gene. (iBuS)5'Ado was deaminated by at least three enzymes or isoenzymes whose apparent molecular weights have been estimated to be 295000, 121000 and 37000 respectively. Two of these enzymes have been characterized as 5'-adenylic acid deaminase and the heavy form of adenosine deaminase, respectively.