Human Concentrative Nucleoside Transporter Research Articles

Identification and Characterization of a Secondary Sodium-Binding Site and the Main Selectivity Determinants in the Human Concentrative Nucleoside Transporter 3.

The family of concentrative Na+/nucleoside cotransporters in humans is constituted by three subtypes, namely, hCNT1, hCNT2, and hCNT3. Besides their different nucleoside selectivity, hCNT1 and hCNT2 have a Na+/nucleoside stoichiometry of 1:1, while for hCNT3 it is 2:1. This distinct stoichiometry of subtype 3 might hint the existence of a secondary sodium-binding site that is not present in the other two subtypes, but to date their three-dimensional structures remain unknown and the residues implicated in Na+ binding are unclear. In this work, we have identified and characterized the Na+ binding sites of hCNT3 by combining molecular modeling and mutagenesis studies. A model of the transporter was obtained by homology modeling, and key residues of two sodium-binding sites were identified and verified with a mutagenesis strategy. The structural model explains the altered sodium-binding properties of the hCNT3C602R polymorphic variant and supports previously generated data identifying the determinant residues of nucleoside selectivity, paving the way to understand how drugs can target this plasma membrane transporter.

Homology Modeling of Human Concentrative Nucleoside Transporters (hCNTs) and Validation by Virtual Screening and Experimental Testing to Identify Novel hCNT1 Inhibitors.

The nucleoside transporter family is an emerging target for cancer, viral and cardiovascular diseases. Due to the difficulty in the expression, isolation and crystallization of membrane proteins, there is a lack of structural information on any of the mammalian and for that matter the human proteins. Thus the objective of this study was to build homology models for the three cloned concentrative nucleoside transporters hCNT1, hCNT2 and hCNT3 and validate them for screening towards the discovery of much needed inhibitors and probes. The recently reported crystal structure of the Vibrio cholerae concentrative nucleoside transporter (vcCNT), has satisfactory similarity to the human CNT orthologues and was thus used as a template to build homology models of all three hCNTs. The Schrödinger modeling suite was used for the exercise. External validation of the homology models was carried out by docking a set of recently reported known hCNT1 nucleoside class inhibitors at the putative binding site using induced fit docking (IDF) methodology with the Glide docking program. Then, the hCNT1 homology model was subsequently used to conduct a virtual screening of a 360,000 compound library, and 172 compounds were obtained and biologically evaluated for hCNT 1, 2 and 3 inhibitory potency and selectivity. Good quality homology models were obtained for all three hCNTs as indicated by interrogation for various structural parameters and also external validated by docking of known inhibitors. The IDF docking results showed good correlations between IDF scores and inhibitory activities; particularly for hCNT1. From the top 0.1% of compounds ranked by virtual screening with the hCNT1 homology model, 172 compounds selected and tested for against hCNT1, hCNT2 and hCNT3, yielded 14 new inhibitors (hits) of (i.e., 8% success rate). The most active compound exhibited an IC50 of 9.05 μM, which shows a greater than 25-fold higher potency than phlorizin the standard CNT inhibitor (IC50 of 250 μM). We successfully undertook homology modeling and validation for all human concentrative nucleoside transporters (hCNT 1, 2 and 3). The proof-of-concept that these models are promising for virtual screening to identify potent and selective inhibitors was also obtained using the hCNT1 model. Thus we identified a novel potent hCNT1 inhibitor that is more potent and more selective than the standard inhibitor phlorizin. The other hCNT1 hits also mostly exhibited selectivity. These homology models should be useful for virtual screening to identify novel hCNT inhibitors, as well as for optimization of hCNT inhibitors.

The predominant role of human concentrative nucleoside transporter 3 in the placental transfer of EK, an antiviral drug

The predominant role of human concentrative nucleoside transporter 3 in the placental transfer of EK, an antiviral drug

The SLC28 (CNT) and SLC29 (ENT) nucleoside transporter families: a 30-year collaborative odyssey.

Specialized nucleoside transporter (NT) proteins are required for passage of nucleosides and hydrophilic nucleoside analogues across biological membranes. Physiologic nucleosides serve as central salvage metabolites in nucleotide biosynthesis, and nucleoside analogues are used as chemotherapeutic agents in the treatment of cancer and antiviral diseases. The nucleoside adenosine modulates numerous cellular events via purino-receptor cell signalling pathways. Human NTs are divided into two structurally unrelated protein families: the SLC28 concentrative nucleoside transporter (CNT) family and the SLC29 equilibrative nucleoside transporter (ENT) family. Human CNTs are inwardly directed Na(+)-dependent nucleoside transporters found predominantly in intestinal and renal epithelial and other specialized cell types. Human ENTs mediate bidirectional fluxes of purine and pyrimidine nucleosides down their concentration gradients and are ubiquitously found in most, possibly all, cell types. Both protein families are evolutionarily old: CNTs are present in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes; ENTs are widely distributed in mammalian, lower vertebrate and other eukaryote species. This mini-review describes a 30-year collaboration with Professor Stephen Baldwin to identify and understand the structures and functions of these physiologically and clinically important transport proteins.

Identification of Adenine and Benzimidazole Nucleosides as Potent Human Concentrative Nucleoside Transporter 2 Inhibitors: Potential Treatment for Hyperuricemia and Gout.

To test the hypothesis that inhibitors of human concentrative nucleoside transporter 2 (hCNT2) suppress increases in serum urate levels derived from dietary purines, we previously identified adenosine derivative 1 as a potent hCNT2 inhibitor (IC50 = 0.64 μM), but further study was hampered due to its poor solubility. Here we describe the results of subsequent research to identify more soluble and more potent hCNT2 inhibitors, leading to the discovery of the benzimidazole nucleoside 22, which is the most potent hCNT2 inhibitor (IC50 = 0.062 μM) reported to date. Compound 22 significantly suppressed the increase in plasma uric acid levels after oral administration of purine nucleosides in rats. Because compound 22 was poorly absorbed orally in rats (F = 0.51%), its pharmacologic action was mostly limited to the gastrointestinal tract. These findings suggest that inhibition of hCNT2 in the gastrointestinal tract can be a promising approach for the treatment of hyperuricemia.

ABCC4, ABCC5 and SLC28A1 Polymorphisms: Host Genome on Responses of Chronic Hepatitis B Patients with Entecavir Treatment

Nucleoside drug transporter polymorphisms play a significant role in patient responses to drugs. The aim was to investigate the effect of multi-drug resistance protein 4, multi-drug resistance protein 5 and human concentrative nucleoside transporter 1 gene polymorphisms on the response to entecavir treatment in chronic hepatitis B patients. A total of 324 chronic HBV treatment-naive Chinese Han patients treated with entecavir 0.5 mg daily for 1 year were enrolled. Patients were divided into a response group and non-response group according to the decline of HBV DNA levels. A multiplex SNaPshot single-base extension method was designed for genotyping. The rs3751333GG genotype of multi-drug resistance protein 4 was significantly different between the response group and non-response group at 6 and 12 months (P=0.005 and P=0.019, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that the rs37751333GG genotype was significantly associated with responses at 6 and 12 months (odds ratio 2.630, 95% CI 1.391, 4.974, P=0.003; odds ratio 2.968, 95% CI 1.416, 6.221, P=0.004). The multi-drug resistance protein 4 variant was significantly associated with HBV DNA level suppression in chronic hepatitis B patients treated with entecavir, and therefore, patients with the rs3751333GG genotype might respond better to entecavir in the Chinese Han population.

Galectin-4 interacts with the drug transporter human concentrative nucleoside transporter 3 to regulate its function.

The intracellular N-terminal domain of the nucleoside and drug transporter human concentrative nucleoside transporter (hCNT)3 was used as bait in a glutathione S-transferase pull-down approach, to identify hCNT3 protein partners, using human colon homogenates as a prey source. Galectin (Gal)-4 was identified as a potential hCNT3 partner in the colon. The biochemical validation of the Gal-4-hCNT3 interaction was verified by targeted pull-down assays and coimmunoprecipitation experiments in HT-29 cells, which endogenously express hCNT3 and Gal-4. Furthermore, Gal-4 was shown to colocalize with hCNT3 in HT-29 cells. The biologic significance of this interaction was obtained from experiments in which Gal-4 was knocked down, showing that this protein is a regulator of hCNT3 trafficking and retention at the cell membrane, reducing its plasma membrane location by 70%. Conversely, the addition of Gal-4 increased hCNT3 location at the plasma membrane by 77%, thereby demonstrating that this lectin modulates hCNT3 function in colonic cells. The integrity of this partnership may be clinically relevant, because hCNT3 may be responsible for the translocation of thiopurines, such as 6-mercaptopurine, a front-line treatment in inflammatory bowel disease. The expression of Gal-4 and hCNT3 proteins is not impaired in inflamed colon from patients with Crohn's disease, thereby anticipating the integrity of this system for drug targeting.

Cytidine Deaminase as a Molecular Predictor of Gemcitabine Response in Patients with Biliary Tract Cancer

Objective: Gemcitabine-based chemotherapy is regarded as the standard treatment for biliary tract cancer (BTC). Potential biomarkers for gemcitabine response include the activities of cytidine deaminase (CDA), human equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (hENT1), deoxycytidine kinase (DCK), and ribonucleotide reductase M1 (RRM1). Here, we investigated whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in their encoding genes were associated with the efficacy of gemcitabine chemotherapy in treating BTC. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 11 SNPs in the CDA, hENT1, DCK, human concentrative nucleoside transporter 3 (hCNT3), and RRM1 genes in 80 patients with unresectable, metastatic, or recurrent BTC who were treated with gemcitabine plus cisplatin. Results: After the results were adjusted for clinical predictors, the variant allele of rs1048977 in the CDA gene was associated with tumor response in a dominant model (OR, 0.23; 95% CI, 0.06-0.93; p = 0.039). No significant association was detected between the 11 SNPs and grade 3/4 toxicity. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the polymorphism of CDA may be a potential predictive marker for the efficacy of gemcitabine-based chemotherapy in patients with BTC.

Selective Phosphorylation of South and North-Cytidine and Adenosine Methanocarba-Nucleosides by Human Nucleoside and Nucleotide Kinases Correlates with Their Growth Inhibitory Effects on Cultured Cells

Here bicyclo[3.1.0]hexane locked deoxycytidine (S-MCdC, N-MCdC), and deoxyadenosine analogs (S-MCdA and N-MCdA) were examined as substrates for purified preparations of human deoxynucleoside kinases: dCK, dGK, TK2, TK1, the ribonucleoside kinase UCK2, two NMP kinases (CMPK1, TMPK) and a NDP kinase.dCK can be important for the first step of phosphorylation of S-MCdC in cells, but S-MCdCMP was not a substrate for CMPK1, TMPK, or NDPK.dCK and dGK had a preference for the S-MCdA whereas N-MCdA was not a substrate for dCK, TK1, UCK2, TK2, dGK nucleoside kinases. The cell growth experiments suggested that N-MCdC and S-MCdA could be activated in cells by cellular kinases so that a triphosphate metabolite was formed.List of abbreviations: ddC, 2′, 3′-didioxycytosine, Zalcitabine; 3TC, β-L-(-)-2′,3′-dideoxy-3′-thiacytidine, Lamivudine; CdA, 2-cloro-2′-deoxyadenosine, Cladribine; AraA, 9-β-D-arabinofuranosyladenine; hCNT 1–3, human Concentrative Nucleoside Transporter type 1, 2 and 3; hENT 1–4, human Equilibrative Nucleoside Transporter type 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Fluorescent Nucleoside Derivatives as a Tool for the Detection of Concentrative Nucleoside Transporter Activity Using Confocal Microscopy and Flow Cytometry

The abundance and function of transporter proteins at the plasma membrane are likely to be crucial in drug responsiveness. Functional detection of human concentrative nucleoside transporters (hCNTs) is of interest for predicting drug sensitivity because of their ability to transport most nucleoside-derived drugs. In the present study, two fluorescent nucleoside analogues, uridine-furan and etheno-cytidine, were evaluated as tools to study in vivo nucleoside transporter-related functions. These two molecules showed high affinity interactions with hCNT1 and hCNT3 and were shown to be substrates of both transporters. Both fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry experiments showed that uridine-furan uptake was better suited for distinguishing cells that express hCNT1 or hCNT3. These data highlight the usefulness of fluorescent nucleoside derivatives, as long as they fulfill the requirements of confocal microscopy and flow cytometry, for in vivo analysis of hCNT-related function.

Identification of 8-aminoadenosine derivatives as a new class of human concentrative nucleoside transporter 2 inhibitors.

Purine-rich foods have long been suspected as a major cause of hyperuricemia. We hypothesized that inhibition of human concentrative nucleoside transporter 2 (hCNT2) would suppress increases in serum urate levels derived from dietary purines. To test this hypothesis, the development of potent hCNT2 inhibitors was required. By modifying adenosine, an hCNT2 substrate, we successfully identified 8-aminoadenosine derivatives as a new class of hCNT2 inhibitors. Compound 12 moderately inhibited hCNT2 (IC50 = 52 ± 3.8 μM), and subsequent structure-activity relationship studies led to the discovery of compound 48 (IC50 = 0.64 ± 0.19 μM). Here we describe significant findings about structural requirements of 8-aminoadenosine derivatives for exhibiting potent hCNT2 inhibitory activity.

Inhibition of nucleoside transporters by tyrosine kinase inhibitors and its effects on chemotherapy efficacy

Nucleoside transporters (NTs) are essential for transport of physiologic nucleosides and anticancer nucleoside analogues. There are 7 NTs 5 of which play roles in cellular membrane transport namely human equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (hENT1), hENT2, human concentrative nucleoside transporter 1 (hCNT1), hCNT2, and hCNT3. Several studies have demonstrated roles for hENT1 in gemcitabine activity in pancreatic cancer where tumors that have low hENT1 levels have poor response to gemcitabine compared to tumors with high hENT1 levels. Many clinical trial studies with tyrosine kinase inhibitors and a nucleoside analogue backbone have failed or been disappointing. Our group has discovered a possible explanation for the disappointing results of combination regimens consisting of a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) and a nucleoside analogue. We have found that TKIs have an unappreciated pharmacologic effect in that TKIs are potent NT inhibitors. The NT inhibitory properties may mean that it will be difficult to combine some TKIs with anticancer nucleoside drugs. Careful attention to scheduling the TKI and nucleoside may allow successful combinations of some TKIs and nucleoside anticancer drugs but for some other TKIs due to their long half-lives it may be impossible to successfully schedule them with nucleosides.

Defective hCNT1 transport contributes to gemcitabine chemoresistance in ovarian cancer subtypes: Overcoming transport defects using a nanoparticle approach

Nucleoside analogs are used as chemotherapeutic options for the treatment of platinum-resistant ovarian cancers. Human concentrative nucleoside transporter 1 (hCNT1) is implicated in sensitizing solid tumors to nucleoside analogs although its role in determining drug efficacy in ovarian cancers remains unclear. Here we examined the functional expression of hCNT1 and compared its contributions toward gemcitabine efficacy in histological subtypes of ovarian cancer. Radioactivity analysis identified hCNT1-mediated 3H-gemcitabine transport in ovarian cancer cells to be significantly reduced compared with that of normal ovarian surface epithelial cells. Biochemical and immunocytochemical analysis identified that unlike normal ovarian cells which expressed high levels of hCNT1 at the apical cell surface, the transporter was either diminished in expression and/or mislocalized in cell lines of various subtypes of ovarian cancer. Retroviral expression of hCNT1 selectively rescued gemcitabine transport in cell lines representing serous, teratocarcinoma, and endometrioid subtypes, but not clear cell carcinoma (CCC). In addition, exogenous hCNT1 predominantly accumulated in intracytoplasmic vesicles in CCC suggesting defective cellular trafficking of hCNT1 as a contributing factor to transport deficiency. Despite diminution of hCNT1 transport in the majority of ovarian cancers and apparent trafficking defects with CCC, the chemotherapeutic efficacy of gemcitabine was broadly enhanced in all subtypes when delivered via engineered nanoparticles (NPs). Additionally, by bypassing the transport requirement, the delivery of a gemcitabine-cisplatin combination in NP formulation increased their synergistic interactions. These findings uncover hCNT1 as a putative determinant for nucleoside analog chemoresistance in ovarian cancer and may help rationalize drug selection and delivery strategies for various histological subtypes of ovarian cancer.

Ribavirin uptake into human hepatocyte HHL5 cells is enhanced by interferon-α via up-regulation of the human concentrative nucleoside transporter (hCNT2).

Ribavirin is a broad spectrum antiviral that increases the response rate in chronic hepatitis C patients when administered in combination with IFNα. Ribavirin is a purine nucleoside derivative, transported into hepatocytes by nucleoside transporters. hCNT2 is the best candidate to mediate ribavirin uptake into hepatocytes due to its high-affinity for purines and its capacity to concentrate its substrates intracellularly. The aim of this study was to determine whether hCNT2 function is under IFNα modulation. IFNα treatment of the nontransformed human hepatocyte-derived cell line HHL5 induced a rapid and transient increase in hCNT2 activity after cytokine addition. hCNT2 activity up-regulation was associated with increased ribavirin accumulation into cells. This increase was consistent with the translocation of hCNT2-containing vesicles to the plasma membrane via a mechanism requiring ERK 1/2 and ROCK activation and cytoskeleton integrity. Longer treatments with IFNα induced transcriptional activation of the hCNT2-encoding gene (SLC28A2), resulting in a sustained increase in hCNT2-related activity. These observations are proof of concept for at least one of the putative mechanisms underlying the synergistic responses induced by combination therapy with IFNα and ribavirin.

Erlotinib, Gefitinib, and Vandetanib Inhibit Human Nucleoside Transporters and Protect Cancer Cells from Gemcitabine Cytotoxicity

Combinations of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) with gemcitabine have been attempted with little added benefit to patients. We hypothesized that TKIs designed to bind to ATP-binding pockets of growth factor receptors also bind to transporter proteins that recognize nucleosides. TKI inhibition of uridine transport was studied with recombinant human (h) equilibrative (E) and concentrative (C) nucleoside transporters (hENT, hCNT) produced individually in yeast. TKIs effects on uridine transport, gemcitabine accumulation, regulation of hENT1 activity, and cell viability in the presence or absence of gemcitabine were evaluated in human pancreatic and lung cancer cell lines. Erlotinib, gefitinib and vandetanib inhibited [(3)H]uridine transport in yeast and [(3)H]uridine and [(3)H]gemcitabine uptake in the four cell lines. Treatment of cell lines with erlotinib, gefitinib, or vandetanib for 24 hours reduced hENT1 activity which was reversed by subsequent incubation in drug-free media for 24 hours. Greater cytotoxicity was observed when gemcitabine was administered before erlotinib, gefitinib, or vandetanib than when administered together and synergy, evaluated using the CalcuSyn Software, was observed in three cell lines resulting in combination indices under 0.6 at 50% reduction of cell growth. Vandetanib inhibited hENT1, hENT2, hCNT1, hCNT2, and hCNT3, whereas erlotinib inhibited hENT1 and hCNT3 and gefitinib inhibited hENT1 and hCNT1. The potential for reduced accumulation of nucleoside chemotherapy drugs in tumor tissues due to inhibition of hENTs and/or hCNTs by TKIs indicates that pharmacokinetic properties of these agents must be considered when scheduling TKIs and nucleoside chemotherapy in combination.

Novel leukemic cell lines resistant to clofarabine by mechanisms of decreased active metabolite and increased antiapoptosis

Clofarabine (CAFdA) is incorporated into leukemic cells by human equilibrative nucleoside transporters (hENT) 1 and 2 and human concentrative nucleoside transporter (hCNT) 3. CAFdA is then phosphorylated to the active metabolite CAFdA triphosphate (CAFdATP) by deoxycytidine kinase (dCK) and deoxyguanosine kinase (dGK). Two novel CAFdA-resistant variants were established and their mechanism of resistance was elucidated. The two variants (HL/CAFdA20, HL/CAFdA80) were 20-fold and 80-fold more CAFdA-resistant than HL-60, respectively. mRNA levels of hENT1, hENT2 and hCNT3 were 53.9, 41.8 and 17.7% in HL/CAFdA20, and 30.8, 13.9 and 7.9% in HL/CAFdA80, respectively, compared with HL-60. Thus, the total nucleoside transport capacity of CAFdA was reduced in both variants. dCK protein levels were 1/2 in HL/CAFdA20 and 1/8 in HL/CAFdA80 of that of HL-60. dGK protein levels were 1/2 and 1/3, respectively. CAFdATP production after 4-h incubation with 10 μM CAFdA was 20 pmol/10(7) cells in HL/CAFdA20 and 3 pmol/10(7) cells in HL/CAFdA80 compared with 63 pmol/10(7) cells in HL-60. The decreased CAFdATP production attenuated drug incorporation into both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA. In addition, the two variants were resistant to CAFdA-induced apoptosis due to Bcl2 overexpression and decreased Bim. A Bcl2 inhibitor, ABT737, acted synergistically with CAFdA to inhibit the growth with combination index values of 0.27 in HL/CAFdA20 and 0.23 in HL/CAFdA80, compared with 0.65 in HL-60. Thus, the mechanism of resistance primarily included not only reduced CAFdATP production, but also increased antiapoptosis. The combination of CAFdA and ABT737 may be effective against CAFdA resistance.

Human Concentrative Nucleoside Transporter 3 Transfection with Ultrasound and Microbubbles in Nucleoside Transport Deficient HEK293 Cells Greatly Increases Gemcitabine Uptake

Gemcitabine is a hydrophilic clinical anticancer drug that requires nucleoside transporters to cross plasma membranes and enter cells. Pancreatic adenocarcinomas with low levels of nucleoside transporters are generally resistant to gemcitabine and are currently a clinical problem. We tested whether transfection of human concentrative nucleoside transporter 3 (hCNT3) using ultrasound and lipid stabilized microbubbles could increase gemcitabine uptake and sensitivity in HEK293 cells made nucleoside transport deficient by pharmacologic treatment with dilazep. To our knowledge, no published data exists regarding the utility of using hCNT3 as a therapeutic gene to reverse gemcitabine resistance. Our ultrasound transfection system - capable of transfection of cell cultures, mouse muscle and xenograft CEM/araC tumors - increased hCNT3 mRNA and 3H-gemcitabine uptake by >2,000– and 3,400–fold, respectively, in dilazep-treated HEK293 cells. Interestingly, HEK293 cells with both functional human equilibrative nucleoside transporters and hCNT3 displayed 5% of 3H-gemcitabine uptake observed in cells with only functional hCNT3, suggesting that equilibrative nucleoside transporters caused significant efflux of 3H-gemcitabine. Efflux assays confirmed that dilazep could inhibit the majority of 3H-gemcitabine efflux from HEK293 cells, suggesting that hENTs were responsible for the majority of efflux from the tested cells. Oocyte uptake transport assays were also performed and provided support for our hypothesis. Gemcitabine uptake and efflux assays were also performed on pancreatic cancer AsPC-1 and MIA PaCa-2 cells with similar results to that of HEK293 cells. Using the MTS proliferation assay, dilazep-treated HEK293 cells demonstrated 13-fold greater resistance to gemcitabine compared to dilazep-untreated HEK293 cells and this resistance could be reversed by transfection of hCNT3 cDNA. We propose that transfection of hCNT3 cDNA using ultrasound and microbubbles may be a method to reverse gemcitabine resistance in pancreatic tumors that have little nucleoside transport activity which are resistant to almost all current anticancer therapies.

Transport of A1Adenosine Receptor Agonist Tecadenoson by Human and Mouse Nucleoside Transporters: Evidence for Blood-Brain Barrier Transport by Murine Equilibrative Nucleoside Transporter 1 mENT1

The high density of A1 adenosine receptors in the brain results in significant potential for central nervous system (CNS)-related adverse effects with A1 agonists. Tecadenoson is a selective A1 adenosine receptor agonist with close similarity to adenosine. We studied the binding and transmembrane transport of tecadenoson by recombinant human equilibrative nucleoside transporters (hENTs) hENT1 and hENT2, and human concentrative nucleoside transporters (hCNTs) hCNT1, hCNT2, and hCNT3 in vitro and by mouse mENT1 in vivo. Binding affinities of the five recombinant human nucleoside transporters for tecadenoson differed (hENT1 > hCNT1 > hCNT3 > hENT2 > hCNT2), and tecadenoson was transported largely by hENT1. Pretreatment of mice with a phosphorylated prodrug of nitrobenzylmercaptopurine riboside, an inhibitor of mENT1, significantly decreased brain exposure to tecadenoson compared with that of the untreated (control) group, suggesting involvement of mENT1 in transport of tecadenoson across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). In summary, ENT1 was shown to mediate the transport of tecadenoson in vitro with recombinant and native human protein and in vivo with mice. The micromolar apparent Km value of tecadenoson for transport by native hENT1 in cultured cells suggests that hENT1 will not be saturated at clinically relevant (i.e., nanomolar) concentrations of tecadenoson, and that hENT1-mediated passage across the BBB may contribute to the adverse CNS effects observed in clinical trials. In contrast, in cases in which a CNS effect is desired, the present results illustrate that synthetic A1 agonists that are transported by hENT1 could be used to target CNS disorders because of enhanced delivery to the brain.

Establishment of Novel Leukemic Cell Lines Resistant to Clofarabine by Dual Mechanisms of Decreased Active Metabolite and Increased Antiapoptotic Factor

Abstract 1356Clofarabine(2-Chloro-9-(2-deoxy-2-fluoro-β-D-arabinofuranosyl)adenine,2-chloro-2’-arabino-fluoro-2’-deoxyadenosine, CAFdA) is a relatively new purine nucleoside analog. Upon administration, CAFdA is incorporated into leukemic cells by human Equilibrative Nucleoside Transporters (hENT) 1 and 2, and human Concentrative Nucleoside Transporter (hCNT) 3. Inside the cell, the agent is phosphorylated to CAFdA monophosphate by cytosolic deoxycytidine kinase (dCK) and mitochondrial deoxyguanosine kinase (dGK), and then to an intracellular active metabolite CAFdA triphosphate (CAFdATP). CAFdATP inhibits ribonucleotide reductase and is incorporated into DNA, thereby terminating DNA synthesis as an antimetabolite. Moreover, CAFdA induces apoptosis via direct mitochondrial damage. Clinical studies suggest that CAFdA is effective against both acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). CAFdA therapy should be optimized based on the mechanistic understanding, because pharmacological determinants that correlate to the drug sensitivity may predict clinical efficacy of CAFdA as biological surrogate markers. Here, we have established two novel leukemic cell line variants that were resistant to CAFdA, and elucidated the mechanism of the drug resistance. The study focused on factors that were involved in the intracellular CAFdATP production and in the induction of apoptosis.To develop resistant variants, HL-60 cells were treated with escalating concentrations of CAFdA with the initial concentration at 1/100 of the concentration that inhibited 50% cell growth. After 7 months of the repeated passage, one cell line resistant to CAFdA (HL/CAFdA20) was cloned by the limiting dilution method. A part of this clone was further maintained with the drug for the subsequent 4 months to develop another variant (HL/CAFdA80). The 2 variants were 20- and 80-fold more CAFdA-resistant than HL-60 cells, respectively. They were cross-resistant to similar nucleoside analogs such as cladribine, gemcitabine, and cytarabine. Compared with HL-60 cell line, mRNA levels of the transporters (hENT1, hENT2, hCNT3) and protein levels of kinases (dCK, dGK), and the subsequent production of intracellular CAFdATP were all reduced in both CAFdA-resistant variants. Real time RT-PCR demonstrated that mRNA levels of hENT1, hENT2, and hCNT3 were 53.9%, 41.8%, 18.3% in HL/CAFdA20 cells, and 30.8%, 41.6%, 31.5% in HL/CAFdA80 cells, respectively, compared to the parental cells. The values of the initial uptake of CAFdA into the cell at 40 seconds after administration of tritiated CAFdA are 0.2 pmol/107cells in HL/CAFdA20 cells, and 0.1 pmol/107cells in HL/CAFdA80 cells, compared with 0.6 pmol/107 cells in parental HL60 cells. Western blotting revealed that protein levels of kinases were also reduced in these resistant variants with the greater reduction in HL/CAFdA80 cells. The subsequent production of CAFdATP after 4-h incubation with 10 μM CAFdA was 20 pmpl/107 cells in HL/CAFdA20 cells, 3 pmol/107cells in HL/CAFdA80 cells, and 63 pmol/107cells in HL-60 cells. The decreased CAFdATP production led to the attenuated incorporation of the drug into both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA. Concerning apoptosis, antiapoptotic Bcl2 protein overexpressed in the 2 resistant variants. The two variants were resistant to mitochondria-related apoptosis induced by CAFdA, in part due to the enhanced Bcl2 expression. A Bcl2 inhibitor ABT737 synergized the cytotoxic effect and the growth inhibition effect of CAFdA in both variants and HL-60, but the synergism was more profound in the resistant cell lines. The Combination Index values were 0.27 in HL/CAFdA20 cells, and 0.21 in HL/CAFdA80 cells, compared with 0.63 in HL-60 cells. This suggested the contribution of the enhanced Bcl2 protein to the mechanism of drug resistance.In conclusion, the mechanism of cellular resistance to CAFdA in the 2 variants was multifactorial, but primarily includes the reduced CAFdATP production and the increased antiapoptotic factor. It is noted that the decreased dGK level and Bcl2 overexpression were not reported previously in the context of CAFdA resistance. We suggest combination of CAFdA and ABT737 might be effective to CAFdA resistant and refractory leukemia. (This work was supported by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan. No.23501307) Disclosures:No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract 1882: Gemcitabine pathway SNPs are associated with its PK parameters in patients with solid tumors

Abstract Gemcitabine (2′, 2′-difluoro 2′-deoxycytidine, dFdC) is a cytotoxic pyrimidine antimetabolite used as first-line chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of a wide range of solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. It is as a pro-drug that undergoes cellular uptake through transporters like human equilibrative nucleoside transporter (hENT1/SLC29A1) and human concentrative nucleoside transporters (hCNT1/SLC28A1 and hCNT3/SLC28A3) followed by extensive intracellular phosphorylation by kinases like deoxycytidine kinase (DCK) and cytidine monophosphate kinase (CMPK) to its active diphosphorylated (dFdCDP) and triphosphorylated (dFdCTP) forms. Gemcitabine is primarily inactivated via deamination to its less potent metabolite 2′, 2′-difluorodeoxyuridine (dFdU) by cytidine deaminase (CDA). High inter-patient variability in response to gemcitabine treatment has been a major concern in gemcitabine chemotherapy. However, association of pharmacogenomics with gemcitabine pharmacokinetics (PK) has not been extensively studied so far. In the present study, therefore, we investigated association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within genes involved in gemcitabine transport/metabolic pathway and pharmacokinetic parameter estimates for gemcitabine and metabolites in patients diagnosed with solid tumors. Pharmacokinetic blood sampling (n=40) was as follows: pre-infusion, 5, 15, 30, 45 min, and 1, 1.25, 1.5, 2, 6, 24, 48 and 72 hours after the end of gemcitabine infusion. Gemcitabine and dFdU concentrations in plasma and intracellular dFdCTP levels in PBMCs were measured using HPLC-UV and LC MS/MS. A total of 86 SNPs in 14 genes viz. CDA, CMPK, CTPS, DCK, DCTD, NME1, NME2, NME3, NME4, NT5C2, NT5C3, SLC28A1, SLC28A3, and SLC29A1 were genotyped using Sequenom-based assays. Pharmacogenomic association was evaluated using Wilcoxon rank-sum test and Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance by ranks (p≤0.05). SNPs in 5′ nucleotidase genes- rs1163075, rs1926029, rs11598702 and rs1712517 in NT5C2 and rs3750117 in NT5C3 were associated with gemcitabine elimination clearance. SNPs in CDA- rs1048977 and rs4655226 were associated with dFdU clearance. SNPs in CTPS- rs4430318, rs61780437 and rs1044457 were strongly associated with higher dFdCTP formation clearance. Additionally, CDA, DCTD, SLC28A1, SLC28A3 and SLC29A1 SNPs were also associated with dFdCTP formation clearance. The results from our study indicate pharmacogenomic association between gemcitabine pharmacokinetic pathway SNPs and PK parameters. Presence of these SNPs could impact outcomes for patients receiving gemcitabine therapy. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1882. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-1882