Adenosine phosphyorylase activity as distinct from inosine-guanosine phosphorylase activity in Sarcoma 180 cells and rat liver

Role of the phosphorolysis of deoxyadenosine in the cytotoxic effect of the combination of deoxyadenosine and deoxycoformycin on a human colon carcinoma cell line (LoVo)

In LoVo cells, phosphorolytic activity acting on deoxyadenosine plays a major role in the resistance to the cytotoxic effect of the combination of deoxynucleoside with deoxycoformycin. In fact, the observed dependence of toxicity on cell density appears to be related to the metabolic conversion of deoxyadenosine into adenine. The phosphorylation of the deoxynucleoside, which represents the first step towards the formation of the cytotoxic agent dATP, proceeds at a significantly lower rate as compared to the phosphorolysis of deoxyadenosine. The analysis of the levels of deoxyadenosine and its derivatives in the incubation media reveals that the rates of disappearance of deoxyadenosine and of formation of adenine increase in concert with the reduction of the effect on cell survival.

Deoxyadenosine metabolism in a human colon-carcinoma cell line (LoVo) in relation to its cytotoxic effect in combination with deoxycoformycin

We have assessed the intracellular metabolism of 2'-deoxyadenosine in a human colon-carcinoma cell line (LoVo), both in the absence and in the presence of deoxycoformycin, the powerful inhibitor of adenosine deaminase. The combination of 2'-deoxyadenosine and deoxycoformycin has been reported to inhibit the growth of LoVo cells in culture. In this paper we demonstrate that the observed toxic effect is strictly dependent on cell density. In the absence of deoxycoformycin, 2'-deoxyadenosine is primarily deaminated to 2'-deoxyinosine and then converted into hypoxanthine. In the presence of the inhibitor, the deoxynucleoside, in addition to a phosphorylation process, undergoes phosphorolytic cleavage giving rise to adenine. The conversion of 2'-deoxyadenosine to adenine might represent a protective device, emerging when the activity of adenosine deaminase is reduced or inhibited. There is much evidence to indicate that the enzyme catalyzing this process may be distinct from methylthioadenosine phosphorylase and S-adenosyl homocysteine hydrolase, which are the enzymes reported to be responsible for the formation of adenine from 2'-deoxyadenosine in mammals.

Specific adenosine phosphorylase from hepatopancreas of gastropod Helix pomatia

1. Specific adenosine phosphorylase from Helix pomatia hepatopancreas was separated from inosine-guanosine phosphorylase and purified 100-165 times; molecular weights were found to be 71,000 and 90,000, respectively. 2. The enzyme is specific for deoxy- and adenosine; it is inactive for 5'-methylthioadenosine and 5-amino-4-imidazole-carboxyamide riboside. Its sensitivity to several inhibitors differs from that of eucaryotic and bacterial purine nucleoside phosphorylases, and is not identical with the sensitivity of the S. mansoni adenosine-splitting enzyme. 3. H. pomatia adenosine phosphorylase differs in its mol. wt and Km values for P(i), ribose 1P, Ado and Ade from adenosine phosphorylase of B. subtilis.

AdoP assay detection of mycoplasmal contamination in biological media

The AdoP assay has been shown to be reliable in controlling the absence of mycoplasmas in filtered sera. We therefore compared its effectiveness with that of other tests in the detection of animal cell contamination by mycoplasmas.

Adenine and adenosine metabolizing enzymes in cell-free extracts from Euglena gracilis

1. Activities of the following enzymes involved in adenine and adenosine metabolism were found in cell-free extracts from Euglena gracilis: acid phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.2), 5'-methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (EC 2.4.2.-), adenine deaminase (EC 3.5.4.2), adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (EC 2.4.2.7) and adenosine kinase (EC 2.7.1.20). 2. The activities occurred both in heterotrophic and photoautotrophic cells and their levels did not change during light-induced chloroplast development. 3. Neither S-adenosylhomocysteinase (EC 3.3.1.1), 5'-methylthioadenosine nucleosidase (EC 3.2.2.9) and nucleoside phosphotransferase (EC 2.7.1.77) nor adenosine degrading enzymes: adenosine deaminase (EC 3.5.4.4), adenosine nucleosidase (EC 3.2.2.7), and purine-nucleoside (adenosine) phosphorylase (EC 2.4.2.1) were found in the Euglena extracts. 4. Comparison of the adenine and adenosine metabolism in Euglena and in other organisms is comprehensively presented. The metabolism in Euglena gracilis differs from that in higher animals and plants.

Cyclic AMP-adenosine binding protein/S-adenosylhomocysteinase from mouse liver. A fraction of adenosine bound is converted to adenine

1. Adenosine bound to the cyclic AMP-adenosine binding protein/S-adenosylhomocysteinase from mouse liver was partly converted to a product which was identified as adenine in four chromatographic systems. Ribose was formed in equivalent amounts. 2. The time course of the reaction was characterized by an initial burst phase lasting for less than one second followed by a slow progressive phase. The reaction was partly reversed by prolonged incubation, slow denaturation of the protein, dilution of the incubation mixture and removal of adenosine by converting it to inosine by the enzyme adenosine deaminase. 3. Both the ATP-treated (Ueland, P.M. and Døskeland, S.O. (1978) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 185, 195--203) and the non-treated protein were subjected to polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis at pH 8.8. The adenosine-adenine, the cyclic AMP binding activities and the conversion activity comigrated with the main protein band, indicating that these properties reside on the same protein molecule. 4. Adenine generated by hydrolysis of adenosine was mainly bound to the protein as judged by nearly complete reversion of the conversion upon dilution in the presence of excess unlabelled adenine and by Sephadex G-25 chromatography. 5. The conversion of adenosine to inosine by the enzyme adenosine deaminase was decreased in the presence of the binding protein. 6. Adenine formation could also be demonstrated under condition of enzymic formation of S-adenosylhomocysteine, i.e. in the presence of hymocysteine.

Adenine and adenosine are toxic to human lymphoblast mutants defective in purine salvage enzymes

Mutants deficient in adenosine kinase or adenine phosphoribosyltransferase activities were selected from the WI-L2 line of human lymphoblasts. The adenosine kinase-deficient mutant was still as sensitive as its parent to growth inhibition caused by adenosine deaminase was inhibited. Similarly, the adenine phosphoribosyltransferase mutant remained sensitive to growth inhibition caused by adenine. Thus, the toxicity of adenine and adenosine to human lymphoblasts is not mediated by nucleotides to which they may be converted.

Adenosine phosphorylase activity in a mutant HEp-2 cell line contaminated with Mycoplasm hyorhinis

Metabolic studies in HEp-2/MP,MIR cells (an adenosine kinase, hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase negative mutant) indicated the presence of adenosine phosphorylase activity. This activity, unknown in established mammalian cell lines, resulted in the glycosidic cleavage of both adenosine and the antiviral drug arabinosyladenine. The activity was observed readily in the presence or absence of the adenosine deaminase inhibitor conformycin. Isopycnic separation of [3H] thymidine-labeled DNA species in CsCl density gradients resulted in the appearance of two distinct peaks. The heavier peak coincided with [14C]thymidine-labeled marker DNA of human origin, whereas the lighter peak was within the range associated with mycoplasmal DNA. Testing by commercial laboratories confirmed the presence of mycoplasma in HEp-2/MP,MIR cells. The contaminant was identified as Mycoplasma hyorhinis, a porcine mycoplasma. Following gamma-irradiation (3000 rads) to block cellular mitosis, the mucoplasma-contaminated HEp-2/MP,MIR cells were cocultivated with mycoplasma-free wild-type HEp-2 cells which did not exhibit adenosine phosphorylase activity. Following serial cocultivation in a medium designed to favor the survival of the wild-type cells, adenosine phosphorylase activity was found in the previously uninfected cells. Studies of this nature emphasize the need for investigators to carefully monitor their cell lines for mycoplasma.