Inhibition of uridine transport in cultured mammalian cells by theophylline

Theophylline (theobromine, caffeine) reversibly inhibits the incorporation of labeled RNA precursors both in confluent 37 RC and in exponentially growing HeLa cells. As measured in 37 RC after 2 h labeling, 20 mM theophylline reduces the incorporation of [3H]UTP and [14C]uridine into acid-precipitable material to 5% and 9% of the control, respectively. This reduction is paralleled by a comparably lowered incorporation of the same precursors into the acid-soluble pool. The initial rate of incorporation into total cell material is similarly affected by theophylline, the inhibition being of a simple competitive type. Theophylline does not alter the turnover rate of pulse labeled RNA during actinomycin D chase nor does it preclude the utilization of the endogenous pool of nucleoside phosphates. Upto a concentration of 10 mM, it does not inhibit uridine kinase neither in 37 RC nor in HeLa cells. The mentioned inhibitory effects of theophylline cannot be mimicked by exogenously added cyclic AMP. All the data support the conclusion that theophylline inhibits the transport of uridine into the cell.

A guanidine-sensitive step of the poliovirus RNA replication cycle

It has been shown that the amount of viral RNA synthesized in synchronized HeLa cells 0-2 h after infection does not notably vary during the mitotic cycle. However, the amount of viral RNA synthesized 2-4.5 h after infection exhibited a sharp maximum in S-phase cells. Guanidine inhibited the incorporation of 3-H-uridine into the viral RNA synthesized 2-4.5 h after infection only in cells in the S-phase. It had no demonstrable effect on viral RNA synthesis 0-2 h after infection in cells in any phase of the mitotic cycle. Thus, additional indirect evidence has been presented in favor of the hypothesis that two different replicases or two different conformations of one enzyme are involved in poliovirus RNA replication. The one functioning 0-2 h after infection is cycle-independent and guanidine-sensitive, whereas the other functions exclusively in phase-S cells 2-4.5 h after infection and is inhibited by guanidine.