Inhibition of intracellular esterases by antitumour chloroethylnitrosoureas. Measurement by flow cytometry and correlation with molecular carbamoylation activity

Monitoring of Intracellular Enzyme Kinetic Characteristics of Peripheral Mononuclear Cells in Breast Cancer Patients

A new methodology for the detection of functional response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells against breast cancer (BC) antigens was developed. The method is based on cellular enzymatic activity measurements, using a fluorogenic substrate. We used this method to estimate the kinetic activity of lymphocytes derived from cancer patients and healthy donors. The aim of the study was to determine a possible correlation between the basic characteristics (K(m) and V(max)) of biochemical enzymatic reactions in live peripheral white mononuclear cells and common clinical-pathological characteristics in BC patients. Our method shows that the enzymatic activity, upon interaction with mitogen or tumor antigens, of the peripheral blood cells in BC patients is different from the enzymatic reactions in healthy individuals. This holds true in the early stages, and the difference persists throughout all of the stages of the disease. This difference is manifested, primarily, by an increase in the K(m) values after cell incubation with tumor tissue. It was also demonstrated that higher K(m) values of tumor tissue-activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells are associated with a better prognostic status of the BC patients (lymph node-negative tumors, hormone receptor preservation, and the absence of Her-2/neu protein overexpression). Thus, the present methodology may serve as an additional criterion for prognosis and monitoring, both in BC patients, and in individuals associated with high cancer risk.

Determination of individual cell Michaelis-Menten constants

BACKGROUND

A novel methodology for the measurement and analysis of apparent K(M) (Michaelis-Menten constant) and V(MAX) values of individual cells is suggested. It is based on a mathematical model that considers substrate influx into the cell, its intracellular enzymatic hydrolysis, and the product efflux. The mathematical formulation was approximated linearly in order to analyze intracellular substrate conversion characteristics via Michaelis-Menten theory.

METHODS

Utilizing static cytometry, the time dependence of the fluorescence intensity [FI(t)] emitted from prelocalized and defined FDA stained cells was recorded. This required frequent periodical measurements of the same cells, which are sequentially exposed to various fluorogenic substrate concentrations.

RESULTS

Model simulations correlated with experimental results. Differences in distributions of individual K(M) and V(MAX) values of cells incubated with and without PHA were evident. Average K(M) and V(MAX) values of PHA-stimulated cells increased by 99% and 540%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

This study may provide a tool for assessing intracellular enzymatic activity in individual intact cells under defined physiologic conditions. This may open new vistas in various areas, giving answers to critical questions arising in the field of cell and developmental biology, immunology, oncology, and pharmacology.

Analysis of enzyme kinetics in individual living cells utilizing fluorescence intensity and polarization measurements

BACKGROUND

The Cellscan mark-S (CS-S) scanning cytometer was used for tracing enzymatic reactions in the same individual cells under various physiological conditions over periods of minutes. On-line reagent addition and changes in the experimental conditions (buffers, ions, substrates and inhibitors) were performed.

METHODS

Kinetic events were monitored by fluorescence intensity (FI) and fluorescence polarization (FP) measurements of fluorescein diacetate (FDA) and chloromethyl fluorescein diacetate (CMFDA) intracellular hydrolysis. FP measurements have been used to assess the intracellular marker's mobility restrictions.

RESULTS

Kinetic measurement along 1000 s of FDA labeled individual Jurkat T cells, indicated variation of 65% for FI(t) and approximately 10% for FP(t). While FI increased linearly with time, FP(t) decreased nonlinearly and asymptotically, reaching a constant value. The FP(t) of CMFDA-labeled cells was different from that of FDA-labeled cells. Average cellular Km of 3.9 microM was calculated from individual cell FDA hydrolysis curves.

CONCLUSIONS

(1) Analysis of the reaction kinetics of intracellular enzymes can be refined by using FP measurements of the products of fluorogenic substrates in addition to the FI measurements. (2) Subpopulations or individual cells could be classified according to their reaction rates. (3) A specific dependence of FP(t) on type of enzyme substrate is suggested.

Inhibition of cellular esterases by the antitumour imidazotetrazines mitozolomide and temozolomide: demonstration by flow cytometry and conventional spectrofluorimetry

Using flow cytometry and conventional spectrofluorimetry we have previously shown that chloroethylnitrosoureas (CNUs) can exhibit marked inhibition of cellular enzymes catalysing hydrolysis of fluorescein diacetate (FDA). More potent inhibition was seen for the carbamoylating CNUs, whereas alkylating agents were largely inactive. We now report results obtained with the developmental imidazotetrazines mitozolomide and temozolomide in comparison with BCNU, the novel alkylating agents clomesome and cyclodisone, and the active mitozolomide metabonate MCTIC. Inhibition of EMT6 mouse mammary-tumour esterases was seen for mitozolomide and temozolomide, and activity against purified porcine carboxylesterase was demonstrated. Flow cytometric analysis showed that inhibition occurred across the entire EMT6 cell population, with no evidence of a subpopulation resistant to enzyme inhibition. Inhibitory potency for the imidazotetrazines was much weaker than for BCNU. With EMT6 cells, I50 values from flow cytometry were 9.7 x 10(-3) M and 1.5 x 10(-3) M for mitozolomide and temozolomide compared with 3.7 x 10(-4) M for BCNU. These were higher than the ID50 values for in vitro antitumour activity (MTT assay), 8.5 x 10(-6) M in the case of mitozolomide and 1.2 x 10(-5) M for BCNU, but similar to that of 5.6 x 10(-4) M for the less toxic temozolomide. MCTIC and cyclodisone showed very low activity, but significant inhibition was seen for clomesome. The results are consistent with the view that the imidazotetrazines do not exhibit major carbamoylating ability, although significant effects are seen at cytotoxic concentrations of temozolomide. In addition, the potential for the generation of carbamoylating species at the enzyme active site cannot be ruled out.