Thymidine 5'-monophosphate-requiring mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae are deficient in thymidylate synthetase

Thymidylate synthetase activity was measured in crude extracts of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae by a sensitive radiochemical assay. Spontaneous non-conditional mutants auxotrophic for thymidine 5'-monophosphate (tmp1) lacked detectable thymidylate synthetase activity in cell-free extracts. In contrast, the parent strains (tup1, -2, or -4), which were permeable to thymidine 5'-monophosphate, contained levels of activity similar to those found in wild-type cells. Specific activity of thymidylate synthetase in crude extracts of normal cells or of cells carrying tup mutations was essentially unaffected by the ploidy or mating type of the cells, by the medium used for growth, by the respiratory capacity of the cells, by concentrations of exogenous thymidine 5'-monophosphate as high as 50 mug/ml, or by subsequent removal of thymidine 5'-monophosphate from the medium. Extracts of a strain bearing the temperature-sensitive cell division cycle mutation cdc21 lacked detectable thymidylate synthetase activity under all conditions tested. Its parent and another mutant (cdc8), which arrests with the same terminal phenotype under restrictive conditions, had normal levels of the enzyme. Cells of a temperature-sensitive thymidine 5'-monophosphate auxotroph arrested with a morphology identical to the cdc21 strain at the nonpermissive temperature and contained demonstrably thermolabile thymidylate synthetase activity. Tetrad analysis and the properties of revertants showed that the thymidylate synthetase defects were a consequence of the same mutation causing, in the auxotrophs, a requirement for thymidine 5'-monophosphate and, in the conditional mutants, temperature sensitivity. Complementation tests indicated that tmp1 and cdc21 are the same locus. These results identify tmp1 as the structural gene for yeast thymidylate synthetase.

Catabolism of deoxythymidylate in some trypanosomatids

An initial observation concerning the failure of [3H]thymidine at high specific activity to be incorporated into the DNA of Crithidia fasciculata for more than a brief initial period has been correlated with the presence at high specific activity in the organism of a thymidine phosphorylase activity with an equilibrium in the direction of catabolism. This enzyme degrades thymidine to thymine which is not utilized by the organism. The enzyme has also been shown to be present in a number of other trypanosomatids, including the culture forms of Trypanosoma cruzi, where the specific activity was nearly as high as that in C. fasciculata. Evidence is presented that in C. fasciculata, the culture forms of T. cruzi and possibly other species of trypanosomatid, the thymidine phosphorylae, together with a thymidylate phosphatase, forms a catabolic pathway which degrades thymine nucleotides to thymine, which is then excreted. About 60% of the thymine nucleotides made by organisms appear to be metabolized through the pathway, suggesting that their synthesis is not subject to completely effective regulatory control.

Characterization of pyrimidine nucleoside monophosphokinase in normal and malignant tissues

It was found that there are two kinds of pyrimidine nucleoside, monophosphokinase deoxythymidine 5'-monophosphate-deoxyuridine 5'-monophosphate (dTMP-dUMP) kinase and cytidine 5'-monophosphate-deoxycytidine 5'-monophosphate-uridine 5'-monophosphate-doexyuridine 5'-monophosphate (CMP-dCMP-UMP-dUMP) kinase, and their molecular weights were calculated to be 46,000 and 26,000, respectively, by gel filtration. dTMP-dUMP kinase phosphorylated dTMP with a Km of 3.1 X 10(-5)M and dUMP with a Km of 7.7 X 10(-4) M. dTMP phosphorylation catalyzed by dTMP-dUMP kinase was inhibited competively by dUMP with a Ki of 2.0 X 10(-3) M. Similarly, phosphorylation of dUMP by this enzyme was inhibited competively by dTMP with a Ki of 2.5 X 10 (-5) M. CMP-dCMP-UMP-dUMP kinase of Yoshida sarcoma phosphorylated dUMP with a Km of 3.1 X 10(-3) M and dCMP with a Km of 7.1 X 10 (-4) M, but it did not phosphorylate dTMP. Phosphorylation of dUMP BY CMP-dCMP-UMP-dUMP kinase was inhibited competitively by DCMP and dTMP with Ki's of 6.9 X 10(-4) and 3.0 X 10(-3) M, respectively, and phosphorylation of dCMP was inhibited completely by dUMP a Ki of 2.2 X 10(-3) M. Relative Vmax activity of this enzyme was 345 nmoles/mg protein with dCMP and 127 nmoles/mg protein with dUMP.

Relative biochemical aspects of low and high doses of methotrexate in mice

During low infusion rates of methotrexate (1.0 microng/hr/mouse; plateau plasma concentration, 2 X 10(-8) M), [3H]deoxyuridine incorporation into DNA was inhibited to a significant degree in small intestine and femur marrows. However, incorporation of [3H]thymidine into intestinal DNA was stimulated at this low infusion rate. During high infusion rates of methotrexate (10 microng/hr/mouse, plateau plasma concentration, 4 X 10(-7) M), inhibition of the incorporation of [3H]deoxyuridine at the steady state levels of plasma methotrexate in both the small intestine and femur marrow was significant. In contrast to stimulation at the low infusion rate, incorporation of [3H]thymidine into intestinal DNA at this high infusion rate was inhibited to a significant degree. Inhibition was not statistically significant in femur marrow DNA. The inhibition of [3H]thymidine into intestinal DNA could be reversed by the simultaneous infusion of inosine. Thus, in the in vivo system, an antipurine effect on DNA Synthesis at high methotrexate plasma concentration in the small intestine was observed. This antipurine effect was not apparent at the lower concentrations. The lower concentration, however, could still inhibit [3H]deoxyuridine incorporation into intestinal and femur marrow DNA to a significant enough degree that, if prolonged, it would resultin lethality to the mice. The thymineless state can be maintained for at most 60 hr in mice without lethal toxicity, whereas the antipurine state can be maintained for no longer than 18 hr in mice without some lethal toxicity. These data have important implications in rescue studies using thymidine or leucovorin.

Effect of camptothecin and adriamycin on bleomycin-induced tritiated thymidine triphosphate incorporation in a rat nuclear system

We investigated the effect of camptothecin and adriamycin on [3H]TTP incorporation and bleomycin-stimulated [3H]TTP incorporation in host liver and hepatoma nuclei of rats. Camptothecin neither stimulated nor inhibited incorporation in the regular nuclear incorporating system. Bleomycin stimulated incorporation to a much greater extent in host liver nuclei and slow-growing hepatomas than it did in the fast-growing hepatoma 7777. Addition of camptothecin to bleomycin stimulated incorporation of [3H]TTP even further. This camptothecin stimulation was slightly greater in hepatoma nuclei than it was in host liver nuclei. Adriamycin inhibited [3H]TTP incorporation in the regular system as well as the bleomycin-induced incorporation. Hepatoma nuclei were more sensitive to this inhibition than were host liver nuclei. Sucrose density gradients indicated that camptothecin caused DNA strand scissions in addition to those produced by bleomycin. Camptothecin alone produced some single-strand but no double-strand scissions. The action of bleomycin was dependent on sulfhydryl-reducing agents. Camptothecin could partially substitute for this requirement. Adriamycin did not produce DNA breaks as determined by neutral or alkaline sucrose density gradients. Despite complete inhibition of bleomycin-induced [3H]TTP incorporation, adriamycin did not prevent bleomycin-induced DNA breaks. The inhibitory effect of adriamycin might have been on the repair system.

Characterization of DNA polymerase associated with nuclear membrane fractions from uninfected and adenovirus 2-infected KB cells

We have isolated a nuclear membrane fraction from KB cells infected with human adenovirus 2 that synthesizes exclusively small viral DNA chains (approx. 9 S) in vitro (Yamashita, T., Arens, M. and Green, M. (1975) J. Biol. Chem. 250, 3273-3279). The DNA polymerase activity present in the adenovirus 2 DNA-nuclear membrane complex was purified through chromatography on phosphocellulose and DEAE-cellulose, glycerol gradient centrifuation and DNA-cellulose chromatography. A single peak of enzymatic activity sedimented in glycerol gradients at about 6.7 S which corresponds to a molecular weight of 125000. The enzyme preparation in the step of glycerol gradient centrifugation utilized activated calf thymus, KB cell and adenovirus 2 DNA as template-primer in the presence of Mg2+; Km values for these DNAs were 5.5, 4.0, and 0.8 mug/ml, respectively. The partially purified enzyme preparation was characterized by several criteria which were compared to the properties of the three major mammalian DNA polymerases, alpha, beta, and psi. On the basis of template-primer preference, effect of salt, inhibition by N-ethylmaleimide and Km for dTTP, the DNA polymerase activity from the membrane complex can be distinguished from the alpha and beta DNA polymerases. The elution profile from DNA cellulose revealed a minor peak (I) and a major peak (II) of DNA polymerase activity utilizing poly(A) -(dT)10 as template-primer in the presence of Mn2+ - Peak II from DNA cellulose, which contained about 90% of the total DNA polymerase activity eluted from the column, was 2-3 times as active with poly(A) - (dT)10 as template-primer in the presence of Mn2+ than with activated calf thymus DNA in the presence of Mg2+. On the other hand, peak I had a low ratio of poly(A) - (dT)10 to activated calf thymus DNA activity. DNA polymerase was also purified from the nuclear membrane fraction of uninfected KB cells by the same procedures as those used in enzyme purification from the adenovirus 2 DNA-nuclear membrane complex. A minor peak and a major peak of DNA polymerase activity utilizing poly(A) - (dT)10 as template primer in the presence of Mn2+ were again observed that eluted from DNA cellulose at the same KCl concentrations as peak I and II from adenovirus 2-infected cells. The enzymes of the nuclear membrane fraction of uninfected KB cells could not be differentiated from the enzymes of the adenovirus 2 DNA-nuclear membrane complex through any of the purification steps nor by their template specificities. These results indicate that the predominant enzyme in the adenovirus 2 DNA-nuclear membrane complex and in the KB cell nuclear membrane complex belongs to the class of DNA polymerase psi.

A simple method for the isolation and characterization of thymidylate uptaking mutants in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The mutant tmpl--10ts which confers thermosensitive auxotrophy for thymidylate is employed for the selection of 5'-dTMP uptaking mutants. At the nonpermissive temperature yeast cells phenotypically wild type for thymidylate uptake can grow for only 3 to 4 generations in the presence of 10(-2) M 5'-dTMP. Thymidylate utilizing mutants (tum mutants) were isolated which can grow in the presence of 12 to 24 mug 5'-dTMP/ml. Genetical analysis revealed one of these mutant strains to be a double mutant, tuml tum2. For normal growth haploid thymidylate auxotrophic strains require approximately 360 mug 5'-dTMP/ml when tuml and 24 mug 5'-dTMP when tum2 is present, respectively. Cells prototrophic for thymidylate (TMP) harbouring tuml tum2 will also take up 5'-dTMP and incorporate it specifically into their DNA. Thymidylate utilization in such strains is independent of functional mitochondria, as similar incorporation of labelled 5'-dTMP is found in isogenic strains with rho+, rho- and rho0 status. Optimal stimulation of the 5'-dTMP uptaking principle in haploid TMP strains is found at 4 mug5'-dTMP/ml when tuml and tum2 are present.

Isolation and properties of yeast mutants with highly efficient thymidylate utilization

A screening procedure is presented which allows the isolation of yeast mutants (typ tir) with highly efficient utilization of exogenous deoxythymidine-5'-monophosphate (5'-dTMP) (greater than 50%). Data are given concerning the phenomenon of 5'-dTMP utilization in general: (i) The ability of S. cerevisiae to incorporate exogenous 5'-dTMP was found to already to be a wild type feature of this yeast, i.e. apparently not to be due to any mutation such as typ, tup, tmp, per or tum. Consequently these mutations are interpreted as amplifiers of a pre-given wild type potency. So far eight stages of 5'-dTMP utilization were detected as classified by the optimal 5'-dTMP requirement, with 5'-dTMP biosynthesis blocked, of the corresponding mutant strains isolated. All of them fit well into a mathematical series of the type "2n x 1.5" (n = 0, 1, 2, ..., 11), where the product term for n = 11 represents the 5'-dTMP requirement (mug/ml) of the best 5'-dTMP utilizing wild type strain found. (ii) Amplification of the 5'-dTMP utilizing potency obviously is due to any genetically determined alteration of the yeast 5'-dTMP uptaking principle itself or of physiological processes accompanying the monophosphate's uptake. (iii) The functioning of 5'-dTMP uptake requires acidic (less than or equal to pH 6) conditions in the yeast cell's outer environment. (iv) Some yeast typ and typ tlr mutants were found to exhibit a more or less pronounced sensitivity towards exogenously offered 5'-dTMP. The response of a sensitive strain towards inhibitory concentrations of the nucleotide apparently is co-conditioned by the presence or absence of thymidylate biosynthesis. With 5'-dTMP biosynthesis blocked the 5'-dTMP mediated inhibition is a permanent one and finally leads to the death of a cell. With a functioning thymidylate biosynthesis, in contrast, the inhibition is only temporary. (v) Yeast typ or typ tlr strains were observed to dephosphorylate exogenous 5'-dTMP to thymidine due to a phosphatase activity which cannot be eliminated at pH 7 + 70 mM inorganic phosphate conditions in the growth medium. This 5'-dTMP cleavage obviously occurs outside the cell and does not seem to be correlated both to the monophosphate's uptake and to the phenomenon of 5'-dTMP sensitivity. The destruction of 5'-dTMP does not disturb (5'-dTMP) DNA-specific labelling.

Effects of Poly(1-vinyluracil) and Poly(9-vinyladenine) on viral RNA-directed DNA polymerase

The effects of poly(1-vinyluracil) [poly(vU)] and poly(9-vinyladenine) [poly(vA)] on the RNA-dependent DNA polymerase activity of murine leukemia virus (Moloney strain) were studied. Vinyl polymers themselves cannot act as templates for the polymerase. However, if a vinyl polymer is added to a polymerase reaction mixture in which a complementary polynucleotide serves as the template, the reaction is inhibited: thus with polyribocytidylic acid as template and oligodeoxyguanylic acid as primer, neither poly(vU) nor poly(vA) had a significant effect; when polyribouridylic acid was used as template and oligodeoxyadenylic acid as primer, poly(vA) inhibited polymerase activity while poly(vU) had little effect; when polyriboadenylic acid was a template and oligodeoxy thymidylic acid was a primer, poly(vU) was an inhibitor. Complex effects were noted with the latter system and poly(vA); either stimulation or inhibition of the reaction was observed, depending on the concentration of poly(vA). The stimulation brings about a decrease in the amount of lower-molecular-weight materials in the product and is caused by the interaction of poly(vA) with the template-primer. Thus vinyl polymers differ from polynucleotides in their mechanism of inhibition of viral polymerase, since the latter inhibit the enzyme by binding to it.

Changes in the pool of deoxyuridine monophosphate in the normal embryogenesis of rats and under the influence of the folic acid antagonist chloridin

Using the methods of ion exchange and paper chromatography, the content of d-UMP, AMP, GMP, and UMP was measured in 13-15 day rat embryos, and the changes in the pools of these nucleotides under the action of chloridin, one of the inhibitors of dihydrofolate reductase, were also determined. Only the concentration of d-UMP changed appreciably: it increased in the case of normal development from the 13th to the 14th day, apralleling a decrease in the specific activity of TMS, and especially sharply under the action of chloridin, which, inhibiting dihydrofolate reductase, evidently created a deficiency of FA-H4 and thereby blocked the TMS reaction.