Decreased purine synthesis during amino acid starvation of human lymphoblasts

Metabolic interaction between amino acid deprivation and cisplatin synergistically reduces phosphoribosyl-pyrophosphate and augments cisplatin cytotoxicity

Cisplatin is a mainstay of cancer chemotherapy. It forms DNA adducts, thereby activating poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARPs) to initiate DNA repair. The PARP substrate NAD⁺ is synthesized from 5-phosphoribose-1-pyrophosphate (PRPP), and we found that treating cells for 6 h with cisplatin reduced intracellular PRPP availability. The decrease in PRPP was likely from (1) increased PRPP consumption, because cisplatin increased protein PARylation and PARP1 shRNA knock-down returned PRPP towards normal, and (2) decreased intracellular phosphate, which down-regulated PRPP synthetase activity. Depriving cells of a single essential amino acid decreased PRPP synthetase activity with a half-life of ~ 8 h, and combining cisplatin and amino acid deprivation synergistically reduced intracellular PRPP. PRPP is a rate-limiting substrate for purine nucleotide synthesis, and cisplatin inhibited de novo purine synthesis and DNA synthesis, with amino acid deprivation augmenting cisplatin’s effects. Amino acid deprivation enhanced cisplatin’s cytotoxicity, increasing cellular apoptosis and DNA strand breaks in vitro, and intermittent deprivation of lysine combined with a sub-therapeutic dose of cisplatin inhibited growth of ectopic hepatomas in mice. Augmentation of cisplatin’s biochemical and cytotoxic effects by amino acid deprivation suggest that intermittent deprivation of an essential amino acid could allow dose reduction of cisplatin; this could reduce the drug’s side effects, and allow its use in cisplatin-resistant tumors.

CCI52 sensitizes tumors to 6-mercaptopurine and inhibits MYCN-amplified tumor growth

The antimetabolite 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) is an important component in the treatment of specific cancer subtypes, however, the development of drug resistance and dose-limiting toxicities can limit its effectiveness. The therapeutic activity of 6-MP requires cellular uptake, enzymatic conversion to thio-GMP and incorporation of thio-GTP into RNA and DNA, as well as inhibition of de novo purine synthesis by methyl-thio-IMP. Mechanisms that prevent 6-MP entry into the cell, prevent 6-MP metabolism or deplete thiopurine intermediates, can all lead to 6-MP resistance. We previously conducted a high-throughput screen for inhibitors of the multidrug transporter MRP4 using 6-MP sensitivity as the readout. In addition to MRP4-specific inhibitors, we identified a compound, CCI52, that sensitized cell lines to 6-MP independent of this transporter. CCI52 and its more stable analogue CCI52-14 also function as effective chemosensitizers in vivo, substantially extending survival in a transgenic mouse cancer model treated with 6-MP. Chemosensitization was associated with an increase in thio-IMP, suggesting that CCI52 functions directly on 6-MP uptake or metabolism. In addition to its chemosensitizing effects, CCI52 and CCI52-14 inhibited the growth of MYCN-amplified high-risk neuroblastoma cell lines and delayed tumor progression in a MYCN-driven, transgenic mouse model of neuroblastoma. These multifunctional inhibitors may be useful for the further development of anticancer agents and as tools to better understand 6-MP metabolism.

Protein and nucleotide biosynthesis are coupled by a single rate-limiting enzyme, PRPS2, to drive cancer

Cancer cells must integrate multiple biosynthetic demands to drive indefinite proliferation. How these key cellular processes, such as metabolism and protein synthesis, crosstalk to fuel cancer cell growth is unknown. Here, we uncover the mechanism by which the Myc oncogene coordinates the production of the two most abundant classes of cellular macromolecules, proteins, and nucleic acids in cancer cells. We find that a single rate-limiting enzyme, phosphoribosyl-pyrophosphate synthetase 2 (PRPS2), promotes increased nucleotide biosynthesis in Myc-transformed cells. Remarkably, Prps2 couples protein and nucleotide biosynthesis through a specialized cis-regulatory element within the Prps2 5' UTR, which is controlled by the oncogene and translation initiation factor eIF4E downstream Myc activation. We demonstrate with a Prps2 knockout mouse that the nexus between protein and nucleotide biosynthesis controlled by PRPS2 is crucial for Myc-driven tumorigenesis. Together, these studies identify a translationally anchored anabolic circuit critical for cancer cell survival and an unexpected vulnerability for "undruggable" oncogenes, such as Myc. PAPERFLICK:

Akt phosphorylation and regulation of transketolase is a nodal point for amino acid control of purine synthesis

The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway integrates environmental clues to regulate cell growth and survival. We showed previously that depriving cells of a single essential amino acid rapidly and reversibly arrests purine synthesis. Here we demonstrate that amino acids via mammalian target of rapamycin 2 and IκB kinase regulate Akt activity and Akt association and phosphorylation of transketolase (TKT), a key enzyme of the nonoxidative pentose phosphate pathway (PPP). Akt phosphorylates TKT on Thr382, markedly enhancing enzyme activity and increasing carbon flow through the nonoxidative PPP, thereby increasing purine synthesis. Mice fed a lysine-deficient diet for 2 days show decreased Akt activity, TKT activity, and purine synthesis in multiple organs. These results provide a mechanism whereby Akt coordinates amino acid availability with glucose utilization, purine synthesis, and RNA and DNA synthesis.

Cell cycle regulation of purine synthesis by phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate and inorganic phosphate

Cells must increase synthesis of purine nucleotides/deoxynucleotides before or during S-phase. We found that rates of purine synthesis via the de novo and salvage pathways increased 5.0- and 3.3-fold respectively, as cells progressed from mid-G1-phase to early S-phase. The increased purine synthesis could be attributed to a 3.2-fold increase in intracellular PRPP (5-phosphoribosyl-α-1-pyrophosphate), a rate-limiting substrate for de novo and salvage purine synthesis. PRPP can be produced by the oxidative and non-oxidative pentose phosphate pathways, and we found a 3.1-fold increase in flow through the non-oxidative pathway, with no change in oxidative pathway activity. Non-oxidative pentose phosphate pathway enzymes showed no change in activity, but PRPP synthetase is regulated by phosphate, and we found that phosphate uptake and total intracellular phosphate concentration increased significantly between mid-G1-phase and early S-phase. Over the same time period, PRPP synthetase activity increased 2.5-fold when assayed in the absence of added phosphate, making enzyme activity dependent on cellular phosphate at the time of extraction. We conclude that purine synthesis increases as cells progress from G1- to S-phase, and that the increase is from heightened PRPP synthetase activity due to increased intracellular phosphate.

Prolonged fasting increases purine recycling in post-weaned northern elephant seals

Northern elephant seals are naturally adapted to prolonged periods (1-2 months) of absolute food and water deprivation (fasting). In terrestrial mammals, food deprivation stimulates ATP degradation and decreases ATP synthesis, resulting in the accumulation of purines (ATP degradation byproducts). Hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HGPRT) salvages ATP by recycling the purine degradation products derived from xanthine oxidase (XO) metabolism, which also promotes oxidant production. The contributions of HGPRT to purine recycling during prolonged food deprivation in marine mammals are not well defined. In the present study we cloned and characterized the complete and partial cDNA sequences that encode for HGPRT and xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR) in northern elephant seals. We also measured XO protein expression and circulating activity, along with xanthine and hypoxanthine plasma content in fasting northern elephant seal pups. Blood, adipose and muscle tissue samples were collected from animals after 1, 3, 5 and 7 weeks of their natural post-weaning fast. The complete HGPRT and partial XOR cDNA sequences are 771 and 345 bp long and encode proteins of 218 and 115 amino acids, respectively, with conserved domains important for their function and regulation. XOR mRNA and XO protein expression increased 3-fold and 1.7-fold with fasting, respectively, whereas HGPRT mRNA (4-fold) and protein (2-fold) expression increased after 7 weeks in adipose tissue and muscle. Plasma xanthine (3-fold) and hypoxanthine (2.5-fold) levels, and XO (1.7- to 20-fold) and HGPRT (1.5- to 1.7-fold) activities increased during the last 2 weeks of fasting. Results suggest that prolonged fasting in elephant seal pups is associated with increased capacity to recycle purines, which may contribute to ameliorating oxidant production and enhancing the supply of ATP, both of which would be beneficial during prolonged food deprivation and appear to be adaptive in this species.

Microtubule-assisted mechanism for functional metabolic macromolecular complex formation

Evidence has been presented for a metabolic multienzyme complex, the purinosome, that participates in de novo purine biosynthesis to form clusters in the cytoplasm of living cells under purine-depleted conditions. Here we identified, using fluorescent live cell imaging, that a microtubule network appears to physically control the spatial distribution of purinosomes in the cytoplasm. Application of a cell-based assay measuring the rate of de novo purine biosynthesis confirmed that the metabolic activity of purinosomes was significantly suppressed in the absence of microtubules. Collectively, we propose a microtubule-assisted mechanism for functional purinosome formation in HeLa cells.

Dietary Na+ inhibits the open probability of the epithelial sodium channel in the kidney by enhancing apical P2Y2-receptor tone

Apical release of ATP and UTP can activate P2Y(2) receptors in the aldosterone-sensitive distal nephron (ASDN) and inhibit the open probability (P(o)) of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC). Little is known, however, about the regulation and physiological relevance of this system. Patch-clamp studies in freshly isolated ASDN provide evidence that increased dietary Na(+) intake in wild-type mice lowers ENaC P(o), consistent with a contribution to Na(+) homeostasis, and is associated with increased urinary concentrations of UTP and the ATP hydrolytic product, ADP. Genetic deletion of P2Y(2) receptors in mice (P2Y(2)(-/-); littermates to wild-type mice) or inhibition of apical P2Y-receptor activation in wild-type mice prevents dietary Na(+)-induced lowering of ENaC P(o). Although they lack suppression of ENaC P(o) by dietary NaCl, P2Y(2)(-/-) mice do not exhibit NaCl-sensitive blood pressure, perhaps as a consequence of compensatory down-regulation of aldosterone levels. Consistent with this hypothesis, clamping mineralocorticoid activity at high levels unmasks greater ENaC activity and NaCl sensitivity of blood pressure in P2Y(2)(-/-) mice. The studies indicate a key role of the apical ATP/UTP-P2Y(2)-receptor system in the inhibition of ENaC P(o) in the ASDN in response to an increase in Na(+) intake, thereby contributing to NaCl homeostasis and blood pressure regulation.

Nitric Oxide Scavenging by the Cobalamin Precursor Cobinamide

Nitric oxide (NO) is an important signaling molecule, and a number of NO synthesis inhibitors and scavengers have been developed to allow study of NO functions and to reduce excess NO levels in disease states. We showed previously that cobinamide, a cobalamin (vitamin B12) precursor, binds NO with high affinity, and we now evaluated the potential of cobinamide as a NO scavenger in biologic systems. We found that cobinamide reversed NO-stimulated fluid secretion in Drosophila Malpighian tubules, both when applied in the form of a NO donor and when produced intracellularly by nitricoxide synthase. Moreover, feeding flies cobinamide markedly attenuated subsequent NO-induced increases in tubular fluid secretion. Cobinamide was taken up efficiently by cultured rodent cells and prevented NO-induced phosphorylation of the vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein VASP both when NO was provided to the cells and when NO was generated intracellularly. Cobinamide appeared to act via scavenging NO because it reduced nitrite and nitrate concentrations in both the fly and mammalian cell systems, and it did not interfere with cGMP-induced phosphorylation of VASP. In rodent and human cells, cobinamide exhibited toxicity at concentrations > or =50 microM with toxicity completely prevented by providing equimolar amounts of cobalamin. Combining cobalamin with cobinamide had no effect on the ability of cobinamide to scavenge NO. Cobinamide did not inhibit the in vitro activity of either of the two mammalian cobalamin-dependent enzymes, methionine synthase or methylmalonyl-coenzyme A mutase; however, it did inhibit the in vivo activities of the enzymes in the absence, but not presence, of cobalamin, suggesting that cobinamide toxicity was secondary to interference with cobalamin metabolism. As part of these studies, we developed a facile method for producing and purifying cobinamide. We conclude that cobinamide is an effective intra- and extracellular NO scavenger whose modest toxicity can be eliminated by cobalamin.

Nitric oxide inhibits mammalian methylmalonyl-CoA mutase

Methylmalonyl-CoA mutase is a key enzyme in intermediary metabolism, and children deficient in enzyme activity have severe metabolic acidosis. We found that nitric oxide (NO) inhibits methylmalonyl-CoA mutase activity in rodent cell extracts. The inhibition of enzyme activity occurred within minutes and was not prevented by thiols, suggesting that enzyme inhibition was not occurring via NO reaction with cysteine residues to form nitrosothiol groups. Enzyme inhibition was dependent on the presence of substrate, implying that NO was reacting with cobalamin(II) (Cbl(II)) and/or the deoxyadenosyl radical (.CH(2)-Ado), both of which are generated from the co-factor of the enzyme, 5'-deoxyadenosyl-cobalamin (AdoCbl), on substrate binding. Consistent with this hypothesis was the finding that high micromolar concentrations (> or =600 microm) of oxygen also inhibited enzyme activity. To study the mechanism of NO reaction with AdoCbl, we simulated the enzymatic reaction by photolyzing AdoCbl, and found that even at low NO concentrations, NO reacted with both the generated Cbl(II) and .CH(2)-Ado indicating that NO could effectively compete with the back formation of AdoCbl. Thus, NO inhibition of methylmalonyl-CoA mutase appeared to be from the reaction of NO with both AdoCbl intermediates (Cbl(II) and .CH(2)-Ado) generated during the enzymatic reaction. The inhibition of methylmalonyl-CoA mutase by NO was likely of physiological relevance because a NO donor inhibited enzyme activity in intact cells, and scavenging NO from cells or inhibiting cellular NO synthesis increased methylmalonyl-CoA mutase activity when measured subsequently in cell extracts.

Feedback inhibition of amidophosphoribosyltransferase regulates the rate of cell growth via purine nucleotide, DNA, and protein syntheses

To clarify the contributions of amidophosphoribosyltransferase (ATase) and its feedback regulation to the rates of purine de novo synthesis, DNA synthesis, protein synthesis, and cell growth, mutated human ATase (mhATase) resistant to feedback inhibition by purine ribonucleotides was engineered by site-directed mutagenesis and expressed in CHO ade (-)A cells (an ATase-deficient cell line of Chinese hamster ovary fibroblasts) and in transgenic mice (mhATase-Tg mice). In Chinese hamster ovary transfectants with mhATase, the following parameters were examined: ATase activity and its subunit structure, the metabolic rates of de novo and salvage pathways, DNA and protein synthesis rates, and the rate of cell growth. In mhATase-Tg mice, ATase activity in the liver and spleen, the metabolic rate of the de novo pathway in the liver, serum uric acid concentration, urinary excretion of purine derivatives, and T lymphocyte proliferation by phytohemagglutinin were examined. We concluded the following. 1) ATase and its feedback inhibition regulate not only the rate of purine de novo synthesis but also DNA and protein synthesis rates and the rate of cell growth in cultured fibroblasts. 2) Suppression of the de novo pathway by the salvage pathway is mainly due to the feedback inhibition of ATase by purine ribonucleotides produced via the salvage pathway, whereas the suppression of the salvage pathway by the de novo pathway is due to consumption of 5-phosphoribosyl 1-pyrophosphate by the de novo pathway. 3) The feedback inhibition of ATase is more important for the regulation of the de novo pathway than that of 5-phosphoribosyl 1-pyrophosphate synthetase. 4) ATase superactivity leads to hyperuricemia and an increased bromodeoxyuridine incorporation in T lymphocytes stimulated by phytohemagglutinin.

Nitric oxide inhibits methionine synthase activity in vivo and disrupts carbon flow through the folate pathway

Many of nitric oxide's biological effects are mediated via NO binding to the iron in heme-containing proteins. Cobalamin (vitamin B(12)) is structurally similar to heme and is a cofactor for methionine synthase, a key enzyme in folate metabolism. NO inhibits methionine synthase activity in vitro, but data concerning NO binding to cobalamin are controversial. We now show spectroscopically that NO reacts with all three valency states of cobalamin and that NO's inhibition of methionine synthase activity most likely involves its reaction with monovalent cobalamin. By following incorporation of the methyl moiety of [(14)C]methyltetrahydrofolic acid into protein, we show that NO inhibits methionine synthase activity in vivo, in cultured mammalian cells. The inhibition of methionine synthase activity disrupted carbon flow through the folate pathway as measured by decreased incorporation of [(14)C]formate into methionine, serine, and purine nucleotides. Homocysteine, but not cysteine, attenuated NO's inhibition of purine synthesis, providing further evidence that NO was acting through methionine synthase inhibition. NO's effect was observed both when NO donors were added to cells and when NO was produced physiologically in co-culture experiments. Treating cells with an NO synthase inhibitor increased formate incorporation into methionine, serine, and purines and methyl-tetrahydrofolate incorporation into protein. Thus, physiological concentrations of NO appear to regulate carbon flow through the folate pathway.

Induction of tumor cell differentiation

It is proposed that cell proliferation with reduced individual cell growth (total protein accumulation) is necessary, but not sufficient, for cell differentiation. These conditions may facilitate transcription and accumulation of histones H1 and/or H1o relative to the core histones. This may have a critical role in cell differentiation.

Amidophosphoribosyltransferase limits the rate of cell growth-linked de novo purine biosynthesis in the presence of constant capacity of salvage purine biosynthesis

Factors controlling relative flux rates of the de novo and salvage pathways of purine nucleotide biosynthesis during animal cell growth are not fully understood. To examine the relative role of each pathway for cell growth, three cell lines including CHO K1 (a wild-type Chinese hamster ovary fibroblast cell line), CHO ade -A (an auxotrophic cell line deficient of amidophosphoribosyltransferase (ATase), a presumed rate-limiting enzyme of the de novo pathway), and CHO ade -A transfected with human ATase cDNA (-A+hATase) resulting in 30-350% of the ATase activity of CHO K1, were cultured in purine-rich or purine-free media. Based on the enzyme activities of ATase and hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase, the metabolic rate of the de novo and salvage pathways, the rate of cell growth (growth rate) in three cell lines under various culture conditions, and the effect of hypoxanthine infusion on the metabolic rate of the de novo pathway in rat liver, we concluded the following. 1) In -A+hATase transfectants, ATase activity limits the rate of the de novo pathway, which is closely linked with the growth rate. 2) Purine nucleotides are synthesized preferentially by the salvage pathway as long as hypoxanthine, the most essential source of purine salvage, can be utilized, which was confirmed in rat liver in vivo by hypoxanthine infusion. The preferential usage of the salvage pathway results in sparing the energy expenditure required for de novo synthesis. 3) The regulatory capacity of the de novo pathway (about 200%) was larger than that of the salvage pathway (about 20%) with constant hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase activity.

Regulation of purine biosynthesis in G1 phase-arrested mammalian cells

The effects of G1 phase growth arrest on purine biosynthesis were studied in cultured S49 T lymphoma cells. Incubations of wildtype S49 cells for 18 hr with dibutyryl cyclic AMP or forskolin, two agents which induced G1 arrest, reduced the rates of purine biosynthesis by 95%. Time course and concentration dependence studies indicated that the decrease in rates of purine biosynthesis correlated with the extent of G1 phase arrest. Similar studies with somatic cell mutants deficient in some component of cyclic AMP action or metabolism indicated that the depression in purine synthetic rates required G1 arrest and did not result from cell death. Rates of RNA and DNA synthesis were also markedly diminished in the growth arrested cells. Measurements of purine rates in the presence of azaserine indicated that the block in purine biosynthesis was prior to the formation of phosphoribosylformylglycinamide. Additionally, the activities of adenylosuccinate synthetase and IMP dehydrogenase were diminished in G1 arrested cells. The levels of all controlling enzymes, substrates, and cofactors, however, were not diminished in G1 arrested cells. Despite diminished rates of purine biosynthesis, the amounts of intracellular nucleotides in G1 cells were equivalent to those in exponentially growing cells. However, the concentrations of intracellular nucleotides were 30-50% higher in the growth arrested cells. These results suggested that perturbations in the consumption of nucleotides via inhibition of nucleic acid synthesis have profound effects on the purine pathway and indicated the importance of feedback inhibition by nucleotides in the regulation of purine synthesis in situ.

Antifolate-induced misincorporation of deoxyuridine monophosphate into DNA by cells from patients with the fragile X syndrome

The fragile site at Xq27 is expressed in vitro under conditions that lead to decreased intracellular thymidine triphosphate concentration, a condition which has also been shown to promote the misincorporation into DNA of deoxyuridine monophosphate (dUMP) in place of thymidine. We tested for increased whole-cell misincorporation of dUMP as a possible molecular mechanism for the expression of the fragile X abnormality. Neither deoxyuridine triphosphatase nor uracil-DNA-glycosylase, the two enzymes that normally prevent the accumulation of dUMP in DNA, was deficient in fragile X syndrome cells. Misincorporation of dUMP occurred in comparably low levels in both normal and fragile X syndrome lymphoblasts. Although these results provide strong evidence against generalized misincorporation of dUMP in fragile X syndrome cells, a substantial real difference present at Xq27 might not be detected in these studies of whole cells containing the diploid chromosome complement.

One-carbon metabolism in lectin-activated human lymphocytes

Serine is an essential amino acid for the lectin-mediated transformation of human peripheral blood lymphocytes due to the inability of this cell to synthesize sufficient quantities via either the phosphorylated pathway or by reversal of the serine hydroxymethyltransferase reaction to meet the metabolic demands. The level of intracellular serine is tightly regulated, and the culture medium concentration for optimum cellular transformation falls within a relatively narrow range. The three-carbon atom of serine is the major source of one-carbon units required for purine and pyrimidine nucleotide biosynthesis, but the key effect of both serine deprivation and of high medium serine levels would appear to be on protein synthesis. Although an alternative source of one-carbon units, as provided by high levels of formate in the culture medium, can partially reverse the effects of serine deprivation, the only other demonstrable source of one-carbon units, tryptophan, requires serine for its incorporation and subsequent metabolism. Methionine is also essential for lymphocyte transformation and is involved in the synthesis of a small amount of phosphatidylcholine, although most of this phospholipid is provided by choline and lysophosphatidylcholine from the serum-supplemented culture medium.

Modulation of plasma cyst(e)ine by cisplatin

Some types of human malignant cells are cyst(e)ine auxotrophs. In 8 cancer patients given 10 courses of treatment cisplatin caused a mean (+/- S.D.) 83 +/- 17% decrease in plasma cyst(e)ine when measured before and 6 hr after drug infusion. The magnitude of the decrease correlated with peak plasma cisplatin concentration, and serial measurements demonstrated that in some patients plasma cyst(e)ine was still decreasing at 6 hr. The mean 6-hr plasma cyst(e)ine was low enough (9 +/- 9 microM) to prevent the proliferation of human promyelocytic (HL-60) cells in culture.