Analysis of purine ribonucleotides and deoxyribonucleotides in cell extracts by high-performance liquid chromatography

Pyrazolopyrimidine metabolism in parasitic protozoa

The pyrazolopyrimidines are purine analogs that are cytotoxic toward and metabolized by several genera of parasitic protozoa, including the Leishmania and the Trypanosoma. Examples of pyrazolopyrimidines that are selectively metabolized by these parasites include allopurinol, allopurinol riboside, 4-thiopurinol, 4-thiopurinol riboside, and formycin B. These pathogenic protozoa are capable of efficient conversion of the pyrazolopyrimidines to the nucleotide level. The pyrazolopyrimidine metabolites which are isomers of inosine monophosphate are subsequently aminated and incorporated as the adenylate analog into RNA. Mammalian cells are incapable of these metabolic transformations. The sulfur containing pyrazolopyrimidines, however, are neither aminated nor incorporated into nucleic acid. The selective metabolism of the pyrazolopyrimidines by the intracellular metabolic machinery of the parasites of the Trypanosomatidae family offers a rational approach to the chemotherapy of the diseases caused by these pathogenic hemoflagellates.

Inosine-5'-monophosphate dehydrogenase: regulation of expression and role in cellular proliferation and T lymphocyte activation

Guanine nucleotide synthesis is essential for the maintenance of normal cell growth and function, as well as for cellular transformation and immune responses. The expression of two genes encoding human inosine-5'-monophosphate dehyrogenase (IMPDH) type I and type II results in the translation of catalytically indistinguishable enzymes that control the rate-limiting step in the de novo synthesis of guanine nucleotides. Cellular IMPDH activity is increased more than 10-fold in activated peripheral blood T lymphocytes and is attributable to the increased expression of both the type I and type II enzymes. In contrast, abrogation of cellular IMPDH activity by selective inhibitors prevents T lymphocyte activation and establishes a requirement for elevated IMPDH activity in T lymphocytic responses. In order to assess the molecular mechanisms governing the expression of the IMPDH type I and type II genes in resting and activated peripheral blood T lymphocytes, we have cloned the human IMPDH type I and type II genes and characterized their genomic organization and their respective 5'-flanking regions. Both genes contain 14 highly conserved exons that vary in size from 49 to 207 base pairs. However, the intron structures are completely divergent, resulting in disparities in gene length (18 kilobases for type I and 5.8 kilobases for type II). In addition, the 5'-regulatory sequences are highly divergent; expression of the IMPDH type I gene is controlled by three distinct promoters in a tissue specific manner while the type II gene is regulated by a single promoter and closely flanked in the 5' region by a gene of unknown function. The conservation of the IMPDH type I and type II coding sequence in the presence of highly divergent 5'-regulatory sequences points to a multifactorial control of enzyme expression and suggests that tissue-specific and/or developmentally specific regulation of expression may be important. Delineation of these regulatory mechanisms will aid in the elucidation of the signaling events that ultimately lead to the synthesis of guanine nucleotides required for cellular entry into S phase and the initiation of DNA replication.

Two conformationally vicinal thiols at the active site of Leishmania donovani adenosine kinase

Inactivation of adenosine kinase (Adk) from Leishmania donovani correlates with the modification of two conformationally vicinal cysteine residues. In contrast, Adk from hamster liver, despite being sensitive to monothiol-blocking reagents, was insensitive to dithiol modifiers. Inactivation kinetics and substrate-protection studies along with double-modification experiments successively with N-ethylmaleimide in the presence of Ado and sodium m-arsenite-2,3-dimercaptopropanol or diazenedicarboxylic acid bis-N,N'-dimethylamide supported assignment of the two thiols at the Ado-binding site. Cystine bridge formation impaired the ability of the modified enzyme to bind to the substrate. Tryptophan fluorescence of the enzyme was quenched after modification by dithiol-blocking reagents with concomitant loss of activity. However, treatment of the enzyme with methylmethanethiosulphonate (MMTS) led to complete inactivation without a marked change in protein fluorescence. Ado protected both fluorescence and catalytic activity against inactivation by both MMTS and dithiol-blocking reagents. Stern-Volmer quenching analysis of the native and Ado-complexed enzyme suggested that, of the four tryptophan residues, at least one is located at or near the active site. Furthermore quenching constants of native, Ado-complexed and dithiol-modified enzyme in the presence of either acrylamide or KI indicated spatial proximity of tryptophan and two cysteine residues within the hydrophobic domain of the Ado-binding site. Taken together the results suggest important function(s) for the cysteine residue(s). A schematic model is proposed to explain the inactivation of the enzyme by both monothiol- and dithiol-blocking reagents.

Metabolism of nicotinamide mononucleotide in beef liver

Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) is not only an intermediate for the biosynthesis but also a degradation product of pyridine cofactors in animal tissues. Among the animal tissues tested, the highest NMN catabolizing activity was detected in beef liver (5.6 mumol/min/g tissue). This activity was 16 times higher than the NAD hydrolysis catalyzed by the liver NAD glycohydrolase. As a result of enzymatic analysis of the NMN splitting process, two types of enzyme responsible for this catabolism were partially purified and identified as a membrane-bound 5'-nucleotidase and a cytoplasmic nicotinamide riboside (NR) phosphorylase. No specific NMN glycohydrolase could be found in contrast to results observed in bacterial systems. The 5'-nucleotidase and NR phosphorylase constitute an obligatory process of the pyridine nucleotide cycle. The dephosphorylation and phosphorolysis catalyzed suggest that these enzymes could serve as an important mechanism for salvaging the ribose and nicotinamide moieties of NMN and pyridine nucleotides in the cell and a process that could be regulated at the mononucleotide level by this "NMN cycle" rather than by a NAD glycohydrolase cycle. In addition to the enzymatic properties of these enzymes, a regulatory mechanism by nucleotides such as ATP was also demonstrated.

High-performance liquid chromatographic profiling of nucleic acid components in physiological samples

The papers reviewed represent recent progress in HPLC profiling of nucleic acid components in physiological samples. Each method was designed for a particular application and possesses certain inherent advantages and/or disadvantages. Many methods are simply modifications of previous procedures. Although some methodologies appear to be superior to others, there is no "best" method for universal usage. The analyst must use the procedure which is best suited for the particular application at hand. This review is meant to be a starting point for the chromatographer who is comparing and evaluating HPLC methods for a given application.

Compartmentation of guanine nucleotide precursors for DNA synthesis

We have studied the kinetics of guanine incorporation into DNA in mouse T-lymphoma (S-49) mutant cells [PNPase (purine-nucleoside phosphorylase)- and HGPRTase (hypoxanthine: guanine phosphoribosyltransferase)-deficient] that are incapable of converting dGuo (deoxyguanosine) to Gua (guanine) ribonucleotides. Of the two possible pathways for an exogenous guanine source to reach DNA, firstly: dGuo----dGMP----dGDP----dGTP and secondly: Gua----GMP----GDP----dGDP----dGTP only the second pathway was found to be functional in providing guanine for DNA replication, although deoxyguanosine readily produced toxic cellular dGTP levels via the first pathway. The functional guanine-nucleotide-precursor pools for DNA are rather small; further, the depletion of the small GMP pool, but not that of GDP, GTP and dGTP, correlated well with the inhibition of DNA synthesis by mycophenolic acid, an IMP dehydrogenase inhibitor. These results support the hypothesis that guanine-nucleotide incorporation into DNA is highly compartmentalized and that a small functional guanine-nucleotide pool, e.g., the GMP pool, may serve a crucial role in limiting the availability of DNA precursor substrate.

Characterization of a mutant Leishmania donovani deficient in adenosine kinase activity

From a mutagenized population of wildtype Leishmania donovani promastigotes, a clonal cell line, TUBA2, was isolated by virtue of its ability to survive and grow in 20 microM tubercidin (7-deazaadenosine). The TUBA2 clone was also 1000-fold less sensitive than the parental line to growth inhibition by formycin A, another cytotoxic adenosine analog. Parental and mutant cells, however, were equally sensitive to growth inhibition by formycin B, allopurinol riboside, and 6-thioguanosine. Mutant cell extracts, unlike those prepared from wildtype cells, did not phosphorylate radiolabelled adenosine, tubercidin, or formycin A. Intact adenosine kinase-deficient cells did not accumulate exogenous tubercidin or formycin A but incorporated [14C]adenosine at rates 25% of those found for parental cells. The uptake data suggest that adenosine kinase plays an important role in the metabolism of adenosine but indicate alternative metabolic pathways for this nucleoside. The metabolism of adenosine to the nucleotide level in TUBA2 cells appears to be initiated via deribosylation to adenine. Significant amounts of both adenosine hydrolytic and adenosine phosphorylytic activities have been detected in L. donovani promastigotes. Furthermore, L. donovani extracts could slowly catalyze the deamination of formycin A. The isolation and characterization of adenosine kinase-deficient cells has provided considerable insight into the function of the purine pathway in L. donovani.

Ribonucleotide reductase activity in intact mammalian cells: stimulation of enzyme activity by MgCl2, dithiothreitol, and several nucleotides

An intact cell assay system based on Tween-80 permeabilization was used to investigate ribonucleotide reductase activity in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Dithiothreitol, a reducing agent, is required for optimum activity. Analysis of dithiothreitol stimulation of CDP and ADP reductions indicated that in both cases the reducing agent served only to increase the reaction rate without altering the affinity of the enzyme for substrates. Magnesium chloride significantly stimulated the reduction of CDP but not ADP; this elevation in CDP reduction was due to an increase in both the affinity of the enzyme for substrate and the Vmax. In addition to ATP and dGTP, well-known activators of CDP and ADP reductase activities, it was found that dCTP and GTP were also able to activate CDP and ADP reductase activities, respectively. For the dCTP-activated reaction the Vmax was 0.158 nmol dCDP formed 5 X 10(6) cells-1 h-1 and the Km was 0.033 mM CDP, while for the GTP-activated reduction a Vmax of 0.667 nmol dADP formed 5 X 10(6) cells(-1) h-1 and Km of 0.20 mM ADP were observed. Kinetic analysis revealed that dCTP, dGTP, and GTP stimulate ribonucleotide reduction solely by increasing the affinity of the enzyme for substrate without affecting the Vmax of the respective reactions. ATP behaves in a different manner as it stimulates CDP reduction by altering both the affinity of the enzyme for substrate and the Vmax. Cellular concentrations of ribo- and deoxyribonucleoside di- and triphosphate pools were measured to help evaluate the relative physiological importance of the nucleotide activators. These determinations, along with the reaction kinetic studies, strongly imply that ATP is a much more important regulator of CDP reduction that dCTP, whereas GTP may serve as well or better than dGTP as the in vivo activator of ADP reduction.

Phosphorylation of acyclovir diphosphate by cellular enzymes

Acyclovir diphosphate (acyclo-GDP) is a metabolite of the antiviral drug acyclovir [9-(2-hydroxyethoxymethyl)guanine]. Seven enzymes capable of catalyzing the phosphorylation of GDP and dGDP (nucleoside diphosphate kinase, pyruvate kinase, creatine kinase, phosphoglycerate kinase, succinyl-CoA synthetase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and adenylosuccinate synthetase) also catalyzed the phosphorylation of acyclo-GDP. In general, acyclo-GDP had a lower V'max and a higher K'm than either GDP or dGDP. None of these enzymes showed significantly higher rates of phosphorylation with GDP or acyclo-GDP in herpes simplex virus-infected Vero cells as compared to uninfected Vero cells. The contribution of each enzyme to the phosphorylation of acyclo-GDP in vivo was estimated from the kinetic data from the partially purified enzymes, the level of each enzyme in Vero cells, and the physiological concentrations of both substrates and inhibitors. The relative order of estimated rates of acyclo-GDP phosphorylation in Vero cells was phosphoglycerate kinase much greater than pyruvate kinase greater than phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase greater than nucleoside diphosphate kinase greater than succinyl-CoA synthetase greater than creatine kinase greater than adenylosuccinate synthetase. The calculated potential for acyclo-GDP phosphorylation by these enzymes was adequate to account for the amounts of acyclo-GTP formed in cell culture.

Rapid and reliable method for the analysis of nucleotide pools by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

A rapid and reliable protocol for the simultaneous separation of ribo-, deoxyribo- and cyclic nucleotides has been developed using high-performance liquid chromatography on a C18 microBondapak column and isocratic elution with ammonium phosphate buffer 0.2 m, pH 5.1). Resolution of deoxyribonucleotides has been confirmed by performing resolution before and after periodate oxidation. The general order of elution is ribonucleotides, deoxyribonucleotides and cyclic nucleotides. While periodate oxidation improved the clarity of separation of deoxyribonucleotides by eliminating ribonucleotides, incorporation of methanol in the eluent shortened the retention time of cyclic nucleotides. The application of this method to a complex biological system is reported.