Selection of mammalian thymidine auxotrophic cell mutants defective in thymidylate synthase by their reduced sensitivity to methotrexate

A Chemical Modulator of p53 Transactivation that Acts as a Radioprotective Agonist

Inhibiting p53-dependent apoptosis by inhibitors of p53 is an effective strategy for preventing radiation-induced damage in hematopoietic lineages, while p53 and p21 also play radioprotective roles in the gastrointestinal epithelium. We previously identified some zinc(II) chelators, including 8-quinolinol derivatives, that suppress apoptosis in attempts to discover compounds that target the zinc-binding site in p53. We found that 5-chloro-8-quinolinol (5CHQ) has a unique p53-modulating activity that shifts its transactivation from proapoptotic to protective responses, including enhancing p21 induction and suppressing PUMA induction. This p53-modulating activity also influenced p53 and p53-target gene expression in unirradiated cells without inducing DNA damage. The specificity of 5CHQ for p53 and p21 was demonstrated by silencing the expression of each protein. These effects seem to be attributable to the sequence-specific alteration of p53 DNA-binding, as evaluated by chromatin immunoprecipitation and electrophoretic mobility shift assays. In addition, 5-chloro-8-methoxyquinoline itself had no antiapoptotic activity, indicating that the hydroxyl group at the 8-position is required for its antiapoptotic activity. We applied this remarkable agonistic activity to protecting the hematopoietic and gastrointestinal system in mouse irradiation models. The dose reduction factors of 5CHQ in total-body and abdominally irradiated mice were about 1.2 and 1.3, respectively. 5CHQ effectively protected mouse epithelial stem cells from a lethal dose of abdominal irradiation. Furthermore, the specificity of 5CHQ for p53 in reducing the lethality induced by abdominal irradiation was revealed in Trp53-KO mice. These results indicate that the pharmacologic upregulation of radioprotective p53 target genes is an effective strategy for addressing the gastrointestinal syndrome. Mol Cancer Ther; 17(2); 432-42. ©2017 AACRSee all articles in this MCT Focus section, "Developmental Therapeutics in Radiation Oncology."

Isolation and characterization of a thymidylate synthase-deficient human colon tumor cell line

Following mutagenesis of the human colorectal tumor cell line HCT C with ethyl methanesulfonate, clonal sublines were isolated that survived on medium toxic to cells expressing thymidylate synthase (TS). The subline exhibiting the lowest TS activity, designated as C18, was characterized. Extracts from C18 cells were mixed with extracts from parental C cells to determine whether the TS-deficient phenotype is trans-acting. No effect was observed on the activity of TS in parental extracts. The levels of functional TS in C18 cells were analyzed by the binding of the mechanism-based inhibitor 5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridylate (FdUMP) under conditions that allowed for the detection of 10 fmol of TS. Only a low level of FdUMP-TS complexes was detected in C18 extracts. The level of TS expression in C18 cells was similar to that in parental C cells, as indicated by immunoblot and RNA analyses. DNA sequence analysis of TS cDNA from C18 cells revealed the existence of a point mutation (C-->T) at nucleotide 647 that predicts the replacement of Ser216 by a leucine residue. That the C18 cell line was homozygous for this mutation was indicated by restriction fragment-length polymorphism analysis and by primer extension analysis. To provide additional evidence that substitution of Ser216 by a leucine residue created a defective protein, a TS-deficient bacterial strain was transformed with an expression vector containing the mutated human TS cDNA. The transformed strain exhibited thymidine auxotrophy, indicating that the mutant TS (Leu216) is nonfunctional.

Gene structure and chromosomal localization of mouse S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase

The structure of the mouse S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (AdoMetDC) gene has been determined. The mouse gene (AMD1) consisted of eight exons and seven introns, similar to the rat AdoMetDC gene, and was mapped to chromosome 10. The characteristics of AMD1 gene were as follows: (1) The region of the promoter necessary for maximal transcriptional activity was located about 400 nucleotides upstream of the transcriptional initiation point, and contained a TATA box and two GC boxes. The transcriptional activity of the promoter was nearly equal to that of the SV40 promoter. (2) Two polyadenylation signals for transcription were observed, and the larger AdoMetDC mRNA, which is the dominant form of mRNA, corresponded to mRNA that is generated using the second polyadenylation signal. (3) Using stable transfectants, we confirmed that the upstream open reading frame (uORF) in the 5'-untranslated region (5'-UTR) of AdoMetDC mRNA functioned as a negative regulatory element. Lower concentrations of polyamines affect both stimulation and inhibition of AdoMetDC synthesis, through the uORF in the mRNA, than affect general protein synthesis.

Genetic complementation and resistance to 5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridine in thymidine auxotrophs expressing a highly defective mutant of human thymidylate synthase

A mutant human thymidylate synthase (TS) has been created in which a glutamine residue at position 214 has been replaced by glutamate. Glutamine at position 214 is postulated to be involved in maintaining the enzyme in a conformation that facilitates the binding of the substrate dUMP. Although the kcat/Km of the mutant protein for the substrate, dUMP, is 10(3) lower than that of wild-type TS, the mutant TS confers thymidine prototrophy on a TS-deficient bacterial strain when expressed at high levels. In the present investigation, a TS-deficient Chinese hamster lung cell line was transfected with DNA encoding the defective protein. Thymidine prototrophs were isolated that expressed the defective protein at levels that were physiologically relevant. The activities of the enzymes expressed endogenously in representative prototrophs were consistent with the activities observed for the purified proteins. At similar levels of TS expression, thymidine prototrophs expressing Glu214 TS were 8-fold more resistant to 5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridine (FdUrd) cytotoxicity than are prototrophs expressing Gln214 TS. FdUrd is a prodrug of the tight-binding TS inhibitor, 5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridine-5'-monophosphate (FdUMP). The resistance to FdUrd was associated with a significant decrease in the binding of FdUMP to the purified mutant enzyme. The data are consistent with the interpretation that TSs that are highly defective are capable of sufficient dTMP production for cell survival and optimal growth, yet may confer resistance to TS-directed inhibitors.

Probing the folate-binding site of human thymidylate synthase by site-directed mutagenesis. Generation of mutants that confer resistance to raltitrexed, Thymitaq, and BW1843U89

Human thymidylate synthase (TS) contains three highly conserved residues Ile-108, Leu-221, and Phe-225 that have been suggested to be important for cofactor and antifolate binding. To elucidate the role of these residues and generate drug-resistant human TS mutants, 14 variants with multiple substitutions of these three hydrophobic residues were created by site-directed mutagenesis and transfected into mouse TS-negative cells for complementation assays and cytotoxicity studies, and the mutant proteins expressed and characterized. The I108A mutant confers resistance to raltitrexed and Thymitaq with respective IC50 values 54- and 80-fold greater than wild-type but less resistance to BW1843U89 (6-fold). The F225W mutant displays resistance to BW1843U89 (17-fold increase in IC50 values), but no resistance to raltitrexed and Thymitaq. It also confers 8-fold resistance to fluorodeoxyuridine. Both the kinetic characterization of the altered enzymes and formation of antifolate-resistant colonies in mouse bone marrow cells that express mutant TS are in accord with the IC50 values for cytotoxicity noted above. The human TS mutants (I108A and F225W), by virtue of their desirable properties, including good catalytic function and resistance to antifolate TS inhibitors, confirm the importance of amino acid residues Ile-108 and Phe-225 in the binding of folate and its analogues. These novel mutants may be useful for gene transfer experiments to protect hematopoietic progenitor cells from the toxic effects of these drugs.

Activation of c-jun and c-fos genes in dNTP imbalance cell death induced with 5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridine in mouse mammary tumor FM3A cell line

5-Fluoro-2' -deoxyuridine (FdUrd)-induced death of mouse mammary FM3A cells was found to be associated with an increased expression of cellular c-jun and c-fos genes. The increase in these gene expressions was mediated through the protein kinase C-dependent pathway. Blockage of the expressions with the use of antisense oligodeoxynucleotide for c-jun delayed the cell death. These findings suggest that the activation of c-jun and c-fos genes, which encode transcription factors participating in cell proliferation, plays a role in FdUrd-induced cell death.

Different modes of cell death induced by 5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridine in two clones of the mouse mammary tumor FM3A cell line

The mode of cell death induced by 1 microM 5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridine (FdUrd) changed in a wild-type F28-7 clone of mouse mammary tumor FM3A cells after a six-month culture. In the original stocked F28-7 clone, FdUrd-induced cell death was accompanied by necrosis-like cell swelling and DNA fragmentation to 100-200 kbp. In subclone F28-7-A isolated from F28-7 cells, which had been cultured for six months, apoptotic bodies and nucleosomal DNA-ladder fragments were observed with the treatment. Furthermore, we investigated the differences in FdUrd-induced intracellular signals between these clones. In F28-7 cells, FdUrd induced increases in caspase-3-like activity, and the mRNA levels of the c-jun, c-fos and c-myc genes, which were greater and earlier than those in F28-7-A cells. Moreover, intracellular acidification occurred in F28-7-A cells treated with FdUrd, though it was not observed in F28-7 cells. These findings suggest that FdUrd-induced cell death occurred through the death program to cell lysis (necrosis) without apoptosis when the induction of these intracellular signals was very high and when intracellular acidification was deficient. Investigation of the differences in the mode of FdUrd-induced cell death between these clones would be important for elucidating the molecular mechanism of pivotal events guiding cells toward either apoptosis or necrosis.

Isolation and characterization of thymitaq (AG337) and 5-fluoro-2-deoxyuridylate-resistant mutants of human thymidylate synthase from ethyl methanesulfonate-exposed human sarcoma HT1080 cells

Thymidylate synthase plays an essential role in the synthesis of DNA. Recently, several new and specific thymidylate synthase inhibitors that occupy the folate binding site, including Tomudex(R), BW1843U89, and Thymitaq, have demonstrated therapeutic activity in patients with advanced cancer. In order to find drug-resistant forms of human thymidylate synthase for gene therapy applications, human sarcoma HT1080 cells were exposed to ethyl methanesulfonate and Thymitaq selection. Thymitaq-resistant clonal derived sublines were established, and analysis indicated that both gene amplification and point mutations contributed to drug resistance. Eight mutant cDNAs that were identified from Thymitaq-resistant sublines were generated by site-directed mutagenesis and transfected into thymidylate synthase-negative cells. Only K47E, D49G, or G52S mutants retain enzyme activity. Moreover, cytotoxicity studies demonstrated that D49G and G52S transfected cells, besides displaying resistance to Thymitaq with IC50 values 40- and 12-fold greater than wild-type enzyme transfected cells, respectively, also lead to fluorodeoxyuridine resistance (26- and 97-fold in IC50 values, respectively) but not to Tomudex or BW1843U89. Characterization of the purified altered enzymes obtained from expression in Escherichia coli is consistent with the cell growth inhibition results. We postulate that the D49G or G52S mutation leads to the structural perturbation of the highly conserved Arg50 loop, decreasing the binding of thymidylate synthase to the inhibitors, Thymitaq and fluorodeoxyuridylate.

Selection against the dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase (DHFR-TS) locus as a probe of genetic alterations in Leishmania major

The genome of the trypanosomatid protozoan genus Leishmania has been shown to undergo a number of changes relevant to drug resistance and virulence, such as gene amplification, chromosomal rearrangement, and variation in ploidy. Experimental approaches to the study of genomic changes have in some cases been limited by the fact that Leishmania cells are asexual diploids, as are some other trypanosomatids, pathogenic fungi, and cultured mammalian cells. Here we report upon a system which permits the measurement of several types of genomic change occurring at the dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase (DHFR-TS) locus. First, we show that DHFR-TS can function as a positive/negative marker. We used selection against DHFR-TS on a heterozygous line (+/HYG) to generate colonies exhibiting both loss of heterozygosity and structural mutations in DHFR-TS, permitting the first measurement of mutation frequencies in this parasite. Loss of heterozygosity occurred at a frequency ranging from 10(-4) to 10(-6) and was elevated 24-fold by treatment with gamma-irradiation, while the frequency of other events was less than 10(-6) and was increased more than 1,000-fold by nitrosoguanidine treatment. The frequency of loss of heterozygosity relative to other processes such as mutation and gene replacement has important implications for genetic variability in natural Leishmania populations and the generation of both targeted and random mutations. We also developed a protocol for null targeting of diploid cells, in which transfection of a DHFR-TS deletion construct into Leishmania cells followed by negative selection yielded parasites lacking DHFR-TS or foreign sequences. The null-targeting method can be applied to any diploid cell, at any locus for which a negative selection exists. Such marker-free auxotrophic Leishmania cells show potential as an attenuated vaccine, and the methods developed here provide a new approach for manipulating and characterizing the plasticity of the Leishmania genome.

The genetic toxicology of 5-fluoropyrimidines and 5-chlorouracil

The halogenated pyrimidines were synthesized in the 1950s as potential anti-tumor agents after the discovery that certain tumors preferentially incorporated uracil rather than thymine into the DNA. The fluorinated derivatives are widely recognized today as effective treatment modalities, especially with tumors of the head, neck and breast. Mechanistically, efficacy of the fluorinated pyrimidines results from the ability of these compounds to incorporate into RNA and inhibit its maturation to those forms necessary for cellular metabolism and from the inhibition of the enzyme, thymidylate synthetase, which controls the biosynthesis of thymine and DNA synthesis. The 5-fluoropyrimidines can incorporate into DNA, but the contribution of this phenomenon to the overall efficacy of this class of chemotherapeutic agents is not totally resolved. Evidence exists that this class of compounds possesses the properties to induce genotoxic effects, both in bacterial and eukaryotic cells. Most notably, these effects include the induction of cellular toxicity and the induction of chromosome aberrations. The biology and chemistry of the chlorinated pyrimidines were first explored as a possible means of sensitizing the DNA to ionizing radiation in a manner similar to the sensitization observed when DNA incorporates bromodeoxyuridine. This approach was not utilized clinically. The genetic toxicology of this compound became important with the discovery of the ribonucleoside in the effluents of sewage treatment plants. Evidence is now available that the chlorinated pyrimidines, upon conversion to deoxyribonucleosides, are effective mutagens, clastogens and toxicants, as well as extremely effective inducers of sister-chromatid exchanges.

Imbalance of deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates and DNA double-strand breaks in mouse mammary tumor FM3A cells treated in vitro with an antineoplastic tropolone derivative

The mechanism by which alpha,alpha-bis(2-hydroxy-6-isopropyltropon-3-yl)-4-methoxytolu ene (JCI-3661) kills mouse mammary tumor FM3A (F28-7) cells was studied. When the cells were exposed to the drug at 3.7 microM, the intracellular dNTP pool became imbalanced because of decreases in dGTP and dATP and an increase in dTTP. The pattern of the dNTP imbalance was the same as that caused by hydroxyurea. When JCI-3661 was added to the culture medium, mature DNA strands broke, giving fragments of 100-200 kilobase pairs long as found by orthogonal-field-alternation gel electrophoresis. DNA strand breaks, detected by this technique, were observed in the cells at 12 h after the addition. The beginning of cell death was observed at about 14 h (trypan blue staining) or at about 12 h (colony-forming ability) after cultivation Breaks in the single and double strands of DNA, as measured by alkaline and neutral filter elution assay, became evident 24 h after treatment with 3.7 microM JCI-3661. Comparison of the ratio of single- and double-strand breaks caused by JCI-3661 to that following radiation suggested that JCI-3661 broke only double strands. Cycloheximide inhibited both the breakage of double strands and the cell death caused by JCI-3661. JCI-3661 decreased DNA synthesis more than RNA or protein synthesis. The breaks in double strands of DNA were probably important in the cell death caused by JCI-3661.

Acquisition of thymidylate by the obligate intracytoplasmic bacterium Rickettsia prowazekii

The pathway for the acquisition of thymidylate in the obligate bacterial parasite Rickettsia prowazekii was determined. R. prowazekii growing in host cells with or without thymidine kinase failed to incorporate into its DNA the [3H]thymidine added to the culture. In the thymidine kinase-negative host cells, the label available to the rickettsiae in the host cell cytoplasm would have been thymidine, and in the thymidine kinase-positive host cells, it would have been both thymidine and TMP. Further support for the inability to utilize thymidine was the lack of thymidine kinase activity in extracts of R. prowazekii. However, [3H]uridine incorporation into the DNA of R. prowazekii was demonstrable (973 +/- 57 dpm/3 x 10(8) rickettsiae). This labeling of rickettsial DNA suggests the transport of uracil, uridine, uridine phosphates (UXP), or 2'-deoxyuridine phosphates, the conversion of the labeled precursor to thymidylate, and subsequent incorporation into DNA. This is supported by the demonstration of thymidylate synthase activity in extracts of R. prowazekii. The enzyme was determined to have a specific activity of 310 +/- 40 pmol/min/mg of protein and was inhibited greater than or equal to 70% by 5-fluoro-dUMP. The inability of R. prowazekii to utilize uracil was suggested by undetectable uracil phosphoribosyltransferase activity and by its inability to grow (less than 10% of control) in a uridine-starved mutant cell line (Urd-A) supplemented with 50 microM to 1 mM uracil. In contrast, the rickettsiae were able to grow in Urd-A cells that were uridine starved and supplemented with 20 microM uridine (117% of control). However, no measurable uridine kinase activity could be measured in extracts of R. prowazekii. Normal rickettsial growth (92% of control) was observed when the host cell was blocked with thymidine so that the host cell's dUXP pool was depressed to a level inadequate for growth and DNA synthesis in the host cell. Taken together, these data strongly suggest that rickettsiae transport UXP from the host cell's cytoplasm and that they synthesize TTP from UXP.

Thymidylate stress induces homologous recombination activity in mammalian cells

We studied whether homologous recombination activity in mammalian cells could be induced by thymidylate stress (thymidylate deprivation). In vitro recombination activity in cell extracts was measured with pSV2neo-derived plasmids. When prior to the preparation of extracts, mouse FM3A cells were grown in 5-fluorodeoxyuridine (FdUrd), an inducer of thymidylate stress, the homologous recombination activity was significantly induced, as judged from an increase in the number of neomycin-resistant bacterial colonies. Maximum induction was observed in cells treated with 1 microM FUdR for 16 h. However, 3-8 h of treatment of FM3A cells with the drug followed by an additional 8-16-h incubation in its absence was sufficient to induce the recombination activity while slightly reducing their growth rates. These results indicate that thymidylate stress induces homologous recombination activity in mammalian cells as observed in Escherichia coli and in yeast.

High level of aphidicolin resistance with multiple mutations in mouse FM3A cell mutants

Spontaneous mutants of mouse FM3A cells (AC1, AC2, and AC3), highly resistant to aphidicolin (3000-, 2500-, and 300-fold increase in resistance, respectively), were isolated by multistep selection. The DNA synthesizing activity in permeabilized cells of all three mutants was substantially resistant to aphidicolin, like that in intact cells. The DNA polymerase activity in nuclear extracts in AC1 and AC3, but not AC2, was resistant to aphidicolin. Partially purified DNA polymerase alpha from AC3, but not from AC1 or AC2, showed resistance to aphidicolin. The apparent Ki value for aphidicolin of AC3 polymerase alpha was three to four times that of the enzyme from the parent cells, but the apparent Km values of the enzyme for dCTP and dTTP were normal. All the mutants showed cross-resistance to both arabinofuranosyladenine and arabinofuranosylcytosine. The AC3 mutant had expanded deoxyribonucleoside triphosphate pools. On two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, AC1 gave a new protein (mol wt 40 kDa). The aphidicolin-resistance trait was reversible in AC2, unlike in AC1 and AC3. These results show that in mammalian cells there are at least two mechanisms of aphidicolin-resistance that involve an altered DNA polymerase alpha that is resistant to aphidicolin and simultaneous expansion of the four DNA-precursor pools.

Isolation of temperature-sensitive CHO-K1 cell mutants exhibiting chromosomal instability and reduced DNA synthesis at nonpermissive temperature

Twenty-five temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants were isolated from Chinese hamster CHO-K1 cells after mutagenization with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine. Of 13 complementation groups identified, nine exhibited chromosomal instability at a nonpermissive temperature. They were classified into three major classes according to inducibility of sister chromatid exchange (SCE) and/or chromosomal aberration (CA): class 1 resulted in predominant SCEs, class 2 manifested both SCEs and CAs, and class 3 exhibited higher induction of CAs. Flow cytometric analysis of the mutants exhibiting chromosomal instability indicated that many of the mutants were arrested in the S or S to G2 phases of the cell cycle at the nonpermissive temperature, accompanied by a decrease in the rate of DNA synthesis. These results imply that ts defects are related to some points in DNA replication and might be responsible for the induction of SCEs and/or CAs at the nonpermissive temperature.

Thymidylate synthetase gene as a quantitative mutation marker in Chinese hamster cells

A quantitative mutation marker for cultured mammalian cells is presented which uses a selective medium containing folinic acid, aminopterin and thymidine (the 'FAT' medium) to select for mutants deficient in thymidylate synthetase (TS) activity. Optimization of FAT medium was carried out using Chinese hamster V79 cell lines having 3 levels of TS activity. By manipulating the concentration of folinic acid in FAT medium, TS-deficient mutants can be readily selected. TS mutation is inducible in a dose-dependent manner by either ethyl methanesulfonate or ultraviolet light irradiation. Expression time for TS mutation was also determined using two concentrations of ethyl methanesulfonate and found to be very short, being 1 or 2 days. This newly characterized TS mutation marker should be useful in the study of both spontaneous and induced mutagenesis.

Two types of mouse FM3A cell mutants deficient in 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide transformylase and their transformants isolated by human chromosome-mediated gene transfer

We isolated three adenine auxotrophic mutants (Ade1, Ade2 and Ade3) of mouse FM3A cells deficient in 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribotide transformylase (EC 2.1.2.3) activity. Ade1 and Ade3 but not Ade2 also lacked inosinicase (EC 3.5.4.10) activity. While Ade2 and Ade3 complemented each other, Ade1 complemented neither Ade2 nor Ade3, suggesting that two complementation groups exist in these mutants. We introduced human genes into the Ade2 and Ade3 cells by chromosome-mediated gene transfer. All the transformants tested were found to produce the human transformylase and inosinicase, and identical DNA bands containing human Alu sequences were detected in the transformants of Ade2 and Ade3. These mutants seem to have arisen by mutation in the same gene or adjacent genes, since only human chromosome 2 was capable of rescuing the genetic defects in all these mutants.

Isolation and characterization of mouse FM3A cell mutants which are devoid of Newcastle disease virus receptors

A method was developed to select host cell mutants which did not permit the replication of Newcastle disease virus (NDV), and 14 isolates of NDV-nonpermissive mutants of mouse FM3A cells were obtained. All these isolates were judged to be deficient in NDV receptors, since their ability to adsorb 3H-labeled NDV virions was markedly decreased. They were tested for genetic complementation in pairs by cell fusion and shown to fall into a single recessive complementation group, which was designated as Had-1. Vesicular stomatitis virus was able to replicate in this mutant to produce infectious progeny, but the glycoprotein of the released virion was abnormal in size, suggesting a defective processing of the asparagine-linked carbohydrate chains in the mutant cell. The Had-1 mutant was resistant to wheat germ agglutinin, but sensitive to a Griffonia simplicifolia lectin, GS-II, which recognizes terminal N-acetylglucosamine residues. The altered sensitivity to these plant lectins compared with that of the parental FM3A cells indicates that sialylated sugar chains on the cell surface are almost absent from the Had-1 cells, thereby rendering the cells NDV receptor deficient.

Deoxyribonucleoside-triphosphate imbalance death: deoxyadenosine-induced dNTP imbalance and DNA double strand breaks in mouse FM3A cells and the mechanism of cell death

The mechanism of deoxyadenosine (dAdo)-induced death of mouse mammary tumor FM3A cells was studied. When the cells were exposed to dAdo at 3 mM, an imbalance of intracellular dNTP pool resulted: dATP concentration was elevated 100-fold and the dGTP concentration was reduced to less than 1% of the control values. The imbalance was followed by breakage of mature DNA. DNA double strand breaks were observed in the dAdo treated cells 12 hr after the administration. We assume that the double strand breaks play an important role in the process of the dAdo-mediated cell death, and that the intracellular dNTP imbalance is the trigger of these events.

Role in translation of a triple tandemly repeated sequence in the 5'-untranslated region of human thymidylate synthase mRNA

A triple tandem repeat (TTR) consisting of 90 nucleotides exists immediately upstream of the ATG initiator codon in human thymidylate synthase (TS) cDNA (pcHTS-1). To investigate the role of the TTR in the expression of the TS cDNA, we used pcHTS-1 to construct mutant cDNA clones in which part of the TTR was deleted or an additional element was inserted. The mutant cDNA plasmid was introduced into murine TS-negative mutant cells and the relative translation efficiencies of the mutant cDNAs were determined by measuring the transient expression of TS activity and the amount of TS mRNA transcribed. The translation efficiency in transient expression of the mutants was increased by deletions covering all the first two repeated elements, and the part of the third closest to the ATG initiator codon, but was not affected by deletions of only parts of the first two repeated elements at the 5' end. The translation efficiency was also not affected by insertion of an additional repeated element into the TTR. These results suggest that the first two repeated elements at the 5' end both have inhibitory effects on translation of the TS mRNA, probably due to the unique structural feature of this element.

Induction, by thymidylate stress, of genetic recombination as evidenced by deletion of a transferred genetic marker in mouse FM3A cells

Studies were made on the genetic consequences of methotrexate-directed thymidylate stress, focusing attention on a human thymidylate synthase gene that was introduced as a heterologous genetic marker into mouse thymidylate synthase-negative mutant cells. Thymidylate stress induced thymidylate synthase-negative segregants with concomitant loss of human thymidylate synthase activity with frequencies 1 to 2 orders of magnitude higher than the uninduced spontaneous level in some but not all transformant lines. Induction of the segregants was suppressed almost completely by cycloheximide and partially by caffeine. Thymidylate stress did not, however, induce mutations, as determined by measuring resistance to ouabain or 6-thioguanine. Thymidylate synthase-negative segregants were also induced by other means such as bromodeoxyuridine treatment and X-ray irradiation. In each of the synthase-negative segregants induced by thymidylate stress, a DNA segment including almost the whole coding region of the transferred human thymidylate synthase gene was deleted in a very specific manner, as shown by Southern blot analysis with a human Alu sequence and a human thymidylate synthase cDNA as probes. In the segregants that emerged spontaneously at low frequency, the entire transferred genetic marker was lost. In the segregants induced by X-ray irradiation, structural alterations of the genetic marker were random. These results show that thymidylate stress is a physiological factor that provokes the instability of this exogenously incorporated DNA in some specific manner and produces nonrandom genetic recombination in mammalian cells.

Induction, by thymidylate stress, of genetic recombination as evidenced by deletion of a transferred genetic marker in mouse FM3A cells

Studies were made on the genetic consequences of methotrexate-directed thymidylate stress, focusing attention on a human thymidylate synthase gene that was introduced as a heterologous genetic marker into mouse thymidylate synthase-negative mutant cells. Thymidylate stress induced thymidylate synthase-negative segregants with concomitant loss of human thymidylate synthase activity with frequencies 1 to 2 orders of magnitude higher than the uninduced spontaneous level in some but not all transformant lines. Induction of the segregants was suppressed almost completely by cycloheximide and partially by caffeine. Thymidylate stress did not, however, induce mutations, as determined by measuring resistance to ouabain or 6-thioguanine. Thymidylate synthase-negative segregants were also induced by other means such as bromodeoxyuridine treatment and X-ray irradiation. In each of the synthase-negative segregants induced by thymidylate stress, a DNA segment including almost the whole coding region of the transferred human thymidylate synthase gene was deleted in a very specific manner, as shown by Southern blot analysis with a human Alu sequence and a human thymidylate synthase cDNA as probes. In the segregants that emerged spontaneously at low frequency, the entire transferred genetic marker was lost. In the segregants induced by X-ray irradiation, structural alterations of the genetic marker were random. These results show that thymidylate stress is a physiological factor that provokes the instability of this exogenously incorporated DNA in some specific manner and produces nonrandom genetic recombination in mammalian cells.

Cell-cycle-directed regulation of thymidylate synthase messenger RNA in human diploid fibroblasts stimulated to proliferate

Human diploid fibroblasts were synchronized in the resting phase by incubation in medium containing a low level of serum and then stimulated to proliferate by adding a high concentration of serum. DNA replication started 12 hours after addition of serum, and reached a maximum after 24 hours. Thymidylate synthase activity was very low in resting cells, but began to increase 12 hours after growth stimulation and thereafter continued to increase. Thymidylate synthase mRNA in the growing cells was compared with that in resting cells, using cloned human thymidylate synthase cDNA as a probe. Results showed that the mRNA content as a percentage of total RNA began to increase six hours after stimulation, reaching a level about 14 times that in unstimulated cells after 24 hours. However, the mRNA content relative to poly(A)+ RNA had increased two- to fourfold by 24 hours after growth stimulation. Transcription of the thymidylate synthase gene, determined by hybridizing labelled nascent transcripts obtained in isolated nuclei to immobilized human thymidylate synthase cDNA, was similar in the nuclei of resting and of growth-stimulated cells. These results show that the increase in thymidylate synthase mRNA in growth-stimulated cells is caused by an increase in post-transcriptional events.

Carbocyclic inosine as a potent anti-leishmanial agent: the metabolism and selective cytotoxic effects of carbocyclic inosine in promastigotes of Leishmania tropica and Leishmania donovani

Carbocyclic inosine is a potent inhibitor for the growth of the promastigote form of Leishmania tropica and Leishmania donovani. In culture, the EC50 values of carbocyclic inosine are 8.3 X 10(-8) and 1.3 X 10(-7) M for the promastigotes of L. tropica and L. donovani, respectively. On the other hand, it is less toxic towards mouse mammary tumor FM3A cells: the EC50 value is 2.7 X 10(-4) M. Carbocyclic inosine is metabolized by Leishmania promastigotes to give carbocyclic adenosine-5'-triphosphate (aristeromycin-5'-triphosphate) and carbocyclic guanosine-5'-triphosphate. This metabolic conversion provides a mechanism for the parasite-selective toxicity of carbocyclic inosine.

Murine mammary FM3A carcinoma cells transformed with the herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase gene are highly sensitive to the growth-inhibitory properties of (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine and related compounds

Murine mammary carcinoma (FM3A TK-/HSV-1 TK+) cells, which are thymidine kinase (TK)-deficient but have been transformed with the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) TK gene are inhibited in their growth by (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine (BVDU), (E)-5-(2-iodovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine (IVDU) and (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxycytidine (BVDC) at 0.5, 0.5 and 0.8 ng/ml, respectively; i.e., a concentration 5000 to 20 000-fold lower than that required to inhibit the growth of the corresponding wild-type FM3A/0 cells. Hence, transformation of tumor cells with the HSV-1 TK gene makes them particularly sensitive to the cytostatic action of BVDU and related compounds.

Assignment of human gene encoding thymidylate synthase to chromosome 18 using interspecific cell hybrids between thymidylate synthase-negative mouse mutant cells and human diploid fibroblasts

We have constructed interspecific somatic cell hybrids between a thymidine-auxotrophic mutant cell line of mouse FM3A cells that lacks thymidylate synthase and human diploid fibroblasts derived from a male patient with fragile X-linked mental retardation. Twenty primary hybrid clones were isolated independently, all of which exhibited the thymidine-prototrophic phenotype. Segregation of the hybrid cells in nonselective culture conditions gave rise to thymidine-auxotrophic hybrid clones. Both electrophoretic assay of thymidylate synthase activity and karyotype analysis of the segregants revealed a strong correlation between the expression of the human form of the enzyme and the presence of human chromosome 18. Thus, it is concluded that the functional gene for human thymidylate synthase, designated TS, is located on this chromosome.

Thymidine-requiring mutants of Dictyostelium discoideum

Two thymidine auxotrophs of Dictyostelium discoideum were isolated which improve the efficiency of in vivo DNA-specific radiolabeling. Mutant HPS400 lacked detectable thymidylate synthetase activity, required 50 micrograms of thymidine per ml, and incorporated sixfold more [3H]thymidine into nuclear DNA than did a wild-type strain. Either dTMP or exogenously provided DNA also permitted growth of this strain. The second mutant, HPS401, was isolated from HPS400 and also lacked thymidylate synthetase activity, but required only 4 micrograms of thymidine per ml for normal growth and incorporated 55 times more thymidine label than did a control strain. Incorporation of the thymidine analog 5'-bromodeoxyuridine was also markedly increased in the mutants. Catalytic properties of the thymidylate synthetase of D. discoideum investigated in cell extracts were consistent with those observed for this enzyme in other organisms. These strains should facilitate studies of DNA replication and repair in D. discoideum which require short-term labeling, DNA of high specific activity, or elevated levels of substitution in DNA by thymidine analogs.

Thymineless death and genetic events in mammalian cells

Thymidylate synthase-negative mutants of cultured mouse FM3A cells were immediately committed to cell death upon thymidine deprivation especially when the cells were synchronized in the S-phase. Thymidine deprivation induced single strand breaks in parental DNA strands, as measured by alkaline sucrose gradient sedimentation, giving rise to two peaks, one with large and the other with short fragments. Increase in the short DNA fragments paralleled that of thymineless death. Thymidine deprivation also accumulated double strand DNA fragments as determined by a method of neutral filter elution, and their extent paralleled that of cell death. Double-strand DNA eluted through the filter sedimented as a single peak both in a neutral and in an alkaline sucrose gradient that coincided with that of the above short DNA fragments. Therefore, the double strand breaks seemed to occur in some defined portions of the genome and in some specific manners in contrast to those induced by X-ray, which occurred rather randomly. Cycloheximide blocked thymineless death and accumulation of the double stranded DNA fragments in parallel. The double strand breaks induced by thymidine starvation were not repaired, but instead advanced on subsequent incubation of the cells in growth medium containing thymidine. Cytogenetically, thymidine deprivation induced chromosome aberrations such as chromatid breaks, chromatid interchanges, and chromosome fragmentation. Also, 5-bromodeoxyuridine deprivation induced sister chromatid exchange. Thymidylate stress also induced loss of a stably integrated human gene in mouse cells, possibly by DNA rearrangements, under the conditions where no point mutations were induced.

A possible role for deoxyribonucleotide pool imbalances in carcinogenesis

Thymine nucleotide pool alterations, produced by attack on non-DNA primary targets, induce a variety of chromosome and chromatid aberrations. Specifically, in lower eukaryotes, thymidylate deprivation and excess are recombinagenic and dTMP depletion also produces DNA strand breakage. In higher eukaryotes, imbalances in thymine nucleotide pools provoke chromosome breaks and rearrangements, and inhibition of thymidylate biosynthesis causes morphological and oncogenic transformation in vitro. Thus, chromosomal rearrangements induced by dTMP deprivation may be the critical changes that lead to oncogenic transformation in response to thymine nucleotide depletion.

Thymidine-requiring mutants of Dictyostelium discoideum

Two thymidine auxotrophs of Dictyostelium discoideum were isolated which improve the efficiency of in vivo DNA-specific radiolabeling. Mutant HPS400 lacked detectable thymidylate synthetase activity, required 50 micrograms of thymidine per ml, and incorporated sixfold more [3H]thymidine into nuclear DNA than did a wild-type strain. Either dTMP or exogenously provided DNA also permitted growth of this strain. The second mutant, HPS401, was isolated from HPS400 and also lacked thymidylate synthetase activity, but required only 4 micrograms of thymidine per ml for normal growth and incorporated 55 times more thymidine label than did a control strain. Incorporation of the thymidine analog 5'-bromodeoxyuridine was also markedly increased in the mutants. Catalytic properties of the thymidylate synthetase of D. discoideum investigated in cell extracts were consistent with those observed for this enzyme in other organisms. These strains should facilitate studies of DNA replication and repair in D. discoideum which require short-term labeling, DNA of high specific activity, or elevated levels of substitution in DNA by thymidine analogs.

3'-Deoxyinosine as an anti-leishmanial agent: the metabolism and cytotoxic effects of 3'-deoxyinosine in Leishmania tropica promastigotes

3'-Deoxyinosine is a potent inhibitor for growth of the promastigote form of Leishmania tropica. In culture, EC50 value is 4.43 X 10(-7) M for the promastigote. On the other hand, it is less toxic towards mouse mammary tumor FM3A cells: EC50 value is 1.25 X 10(-4) M. 3'-Deoxyinosine is metabolized by Leishmania promastigote to give 3'-deoxyinosine-5'-monophosphate and 3'-deoxyadenosine(cordycepin)-5'-mono-, di-, and triphosphates. This metabolic conversion provides a mechanism for the parasite-selective toxicity of 3'-deoxyinosine: Leishmania can aminate the 6-position of 3'-deoxyinosine residue, thereby converting a less toxic nucleoside into the cordycepin nucleotides that are known to be highly toxic to cells.

Mutants of Chinese hamster cells deficient in thymidylate synthetase

Stable mutants of Chinese hamster V79 cells deficient in thymidylate synthetase (TS; E.C. 2.1.1.45) have been selected from cultures grown in medium supplemented with folinic acid, aminopterin, and thymidine (FAT). After chemical mutagenesis, the frequency of colonies resistant to the "FAT" medium increased more than 100-fold over the spontaneous frequency. The optimal expression time of the mutant phenotype was 5-7 days after mutagen treatment. The recovery of FAT-resistant colonies in the selective medium was not affected by the presence of wild-type cells at a density below 9,000 cells per cm2. All 21 mutants tested exhibited thymidine auxotrophy; neither folinic acid nor deoxyuridine could support mutant cell growth. There was no detectable TS activity in all 11 mutants so far examined and only about 50% of wild-type activity in three prototrophic revertants, as measured by whole-cell and cell-free enzyme assays. The apparent Michaelis-Menten constant (Km) for deoxyuridine-5'-monophosphate and inhibition constant (Ki) for 5-fluoro-deoxyuridine-5'-monophosphate, measured by whole-cell enzyme assay, appear to be similar for the wild-type and revertant cell lines. Using 5-fluoro-[6-3H]-2'-deoxyuridine 5'-monophosphate as active site titrant, the relative amounts of TS in crude cell extract from the parental, revertant, and mutant cells were shown to exist in a 1:0.5:0 ratio. Furthermore, the enzymes from two revertants were more heat labile than that of V79 cells. These properties, taken together, suggest that the FAT-resistant, thymidine auxotrophic phenotype may be the result of a structural gene mutation at the TS locus. The availability of such a mutant facilitates studies on thymidylate stress in relation to DNA metabolism, cell growth, and mutagenesis.

Thymidylate synthetase-positive and -negative murine mammary FM3A carcinoma cells as a useful system for detecting thymidylate synthetase inhibitors

The murine mammary FM3A/O and the thymidylate (dTMP) synthetase-deficient FM3A/TS- carcinoma cell lines can be considered as a novel and useful test system for the detection of nucleoside analogues which are directly aimed at the thymidylate synthetase. These compounds should be inhibitory for FM3A/O but not for FM3A/TS- cells, and their inhibitory effects on FM3A/O cell growth should be readily reversed by exogenous dThd within the concentration range of 5-20 microM.

Thymidylate synthetase-deficient mouse FM3A mammary carcinoma cell line as a tool for studying the thymidine salvage pathway and the incorporation of thymidine analogues into host cell DNA

A thymidylate (dTMP) synthetase-deficient murine mammary carcinoma cell line (FM3A/TS-), auxotrophic for thymidine (dThd), proved extremely useful for studying the dependence of cell growth on the exogenous supply of dThd, the relation between cell growth and DNA synthesis, and the ability of a series of 25 5-substituted 2'-deoxyuridines (dUrd) to substitute for dThd in sustaining cell growth. FM3A/TS-cells did not proliferate unless dThd was supplied to the cell culture medium. The 5-halogenated dUrd derivatives 5-chloro-dUrd, 5-bromo-dUrd and 5-iodo-d Urd also sustained FM3A/TS- cell growth. The extents of incorporation of [methyl-3H]dThd and 5-iodo-[6-3H]dUrd into DNA were closely correlated with their stimulatory effects on FM3A/TS- cell growth. This suggests that the stimulatory effects of the dUrd analogues on the growth rate of FM3A/TS- cells may be considered as evidence for their incorporation into host cell DNA. Based on this premise it is postulated that, in addition to 5-chloro-dUrd, 5-bromo-dUrd, 5-iodo-dUrd and dThd itself, the following dThd analogues are also incorporated into FM3A/TS- cell DNA (in order of the extent to which they are incorporated): 5-hydroxy-dUrd greater than 5-propynyloxy-dUrd greater than 5-ethyl-dUrd greater than 5-ethynyl-dUrd approximately 5-vinyl-dUrd. Thus, the dTMP synthetase-deficient FM3A/TS- cell line represents a unique system to dissociate the de novo and salvage pathways of dTMP biosynthesis and to distinguish those dUrd analogues that are incorporated into DNA from those that are not.