Phosphoribosylpyrophosphate Levels Research Articles

Combination of raltitrexed with other cytotoxic agents: rationale and preclinical observations

Agents for use in combination therapy should be effective as monotherapy in the tumour type of interest, have different mechanisms of action or pharmacology, and preferably non-overlapping toxicity profiles. Raltitrexed is effective as monotherapy in a number of tumour types, but it is hoped that combining it with other cytotoxic agents will lead to enhanced efficacy. Raltitrexed and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) are specific and non-specific inhibitors, respectively, of thymidylate synthase, a critical enzyme in the de novo synthesis of DNA. Preclinical studies have indicated that raltitrexed and 5-FU have an incompletely overlapping spectrum of antitumour activity and may have additive or synergistic effects on colon carcinoma cells. These interactions are schedule-dependent (raltitrexed should precede 5-FU). Pre-treatment of colon carcinoma cells with raltitrexed has also been shown to increase intracellular levels of phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate resulting in increased incorporation of 5-FU nucleotides into RNA. Raltitrexed has a different mechanism of action from two other new agents active in colorectal cancer, irinotecan and oxaliplatin, and tumours are therefore not necessarily cross-resistant. Short pre-exposure of colon carcinoma cells to the irinotecan active metabolite, 7-ethyl-10-hydroxy-camptothecin (SN-38), prior to exposure to raltitrexed has consistently resulted in synergistic cell kill, whereas the reverse sequence is antagonistic. Preliminary results indicate that equitoxic doses of raltitrexed and cisplatin, or oxaliplatin, are antagonistic in two colon carcinoma cell lines. However, because there are major difficulties in translating preclinical drug combination results to the clinical setting, these results should be interpreted with caution. ©

Reduced activity of anabolizing enzymes in 5-fluorouracil-resistant human stomach cancer cells.

The mechanism of resistance to 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU) was studied with NUGC‐3/5FU/L, a human stomach cancer cell line which had acquired resistance as a consequence of repeated 5‐day exposures to stepwise‐increasing concentrations of 5‐FU in vitro. NUGC‐3/5FU/L was 200‐fold and over 16‐fold resistant to 96‐h and 1‐h exposures to 5‐FU, respectively. NUGC‐3/5FU/L incorporated less 5‐FU into RNA, indicating resistance to the RNA‐directed action of 5‐FU. On the other hand, NUGC‐3/5FU/L also showed resistance to in situ thymidylate synthase (TS) inhibition by 5‐FU. Polymerase chain reaction‐single‐strand conformation polymorphism analysis of TS cDNA and a FdUMP ligand binding assay showed that quantitative and qualitative alterations of TS are not responsible for this resistance. In contrast, the ability to metabolize 5‐FU to its active metabolites, FUTP and FdUMP, was reduced in NUGC‐3/5FU/L. We found that not only the activities of uridine phosphorylase/kinase and orotate phosphoribosyl‐transferase (OPRT), but also the level of phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate, a cosubstrate for OPRT, were significantly lower in NUGC‐3/5FU/L than in the parent NUGC‐3. These results indicated that resistance to 5‐FU in NUGC‐3/5FU/L is due to reduced activities of 5‐FU‐anabolizing enzymes, but not to an alteration of TS. 2′‐Deoxyinosine effectively enhanced TS inhibition by 5‐FU in the resistant cells, thus markedly sensitizing them to 5‐FU.

Leucovorin enhances cytotoxicity of trimetrexate/fluorouracil, but not methotrexate/fluorouracil, in CCRF-CEM cells.

Increased response rates in studies of patients with colon cancer have indicated that the cytotoxic effects of fluorouracil (5-FU) are potentiated by leucovorin (LV) and by methotrexate (MTX). However, preliminary studies using a sequential combination of MTX, LV, and 5-FU showed no additional potentiation. We hypothesized that the lack of additional cell kill with this combination could be due to competition of LV with MTX for cellular uptake and reduced folate polyglutamylation. We have tested this possibility by comparing the cytotoxicity of drug combinations containing MTX with that of drug combinations containing trimetrexate (TMTX), an antifolate that does not compete with LV for uptake or polyglutamylation. Human lymphocytic leukemia CCRF-CEM cells were exposed to MTX or TMTX for 24 hours and to 5-FU during the last 4 hours of antifolate exposure. LV was administered 30 minutes before 5-FU. After 20 hours of exposure to TMTX or MTX, intracellular levels of phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate were elevated to a similar degree, and these levels did not decrease after a 30-minute exposure to LV. No additional cell kill was observed when LV was added to the MTX/5-FU combination, but cytotoxicity was enhanced when LV was added to the TMTX/5-FU combination. This study supports the hypothesis that the lack of additional cell kill when high-dose LV is added to the MTX/5-FU combination may be due to competition of MTX with LV for cellular uptake and/or competition of MTX or its polyglutamates with polyglutamylation of reduced folates. Inasmuch as TMTX does not compete with LV and reduced folates for uptake and polyglutamylation, the synergy obtained with the combination of TMTX plus 5-FU and high-dose LV further supports this hypothesis.

Regulation of Glucose Metabolism in Livers and Kidneys of NOD Mice

Measurements were made of the levels of metabolic intermediates and activities of enzymes of the glycolytic route, pentose phosphate pathway, and polyol pathway in livers and kidneys of NOD mice. A 34% decrease in UDP-glucose, a 40% decrease in glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) and fructose-6-phosphate, and a 75% decrease in fructose-2,6-bisphosphate (F2,6P) were found in the livers of NOD mice. The fall in the level of F2,6P (the important regulator of glycolysis) is accompanied by a 20% reduction in the activity of phosphofructokinase. These changes are in agreement with previously reported liver depletion of glycogen and reduced synthesis of proteins and nucleic acids in the diabetic state. In the kidney, the increase in hexokinase activity is consistent with increased levels of G6P and glycogen content of kidney in diabetes. The decreased level of phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate was reported to be a regulator of kidney growth in the initial period of diabetes but can still be found in NOD mice 6 wk after development of hyperglycemia. The reported changes are similar to those seen in alloxan- or streptozocin-induced diabetic animals, but certain changes are more marked in NOD mice, especially those directed to increase nucleic acid and protein synthesis in the diabetic kidney.

PrsB is an allele of the Salmonella typhimurium prsA gene: characterization of a mutant phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase

The Salmonella typhimurium prsB mutation was previously mapped at 45 min on the chromosome, and a prsB strain was reported to produce undetectable levels of phosphoribosylpyrophosphate (PRPP) synthetase activity and very low levels of immunologically cross-reactive protein in vitro (N.K. Pandey and R.L. Switzer, J. Gen. Microbiol, 128:1863-1871, 1982). We have shown by P22-mediated transduction that the prsB gene is actually an allele of prsA, the structural gene for PRPP synthetase, which maps at 35 min. The prsB (renamed prs-100) mutant produces about 20% of the activity and 100% of the cross-reactive material of wild-type strains. prs-100 mutant strains are temperature sensitive, as is the mutant PRPP synthetase in vitro. The prs-100 mutation is a C-to-T transition which results in replacement of Arg-78 in the mature wild-type enzyme by Cys. The mutant PRPP synthetase was purified to greater than 98% purity. It possessed elevated Michaelis constants for both ATP and ribose-5-phosphate, a reduced maximal velocity, and reduced sensitivity to the allosteric inhibitor ADP. The mutant enzyme had altered physical properties and was susceptible to specific cleavage at the Arg-101-to-Ser-102 bond in vivo. It appears that the mutation alters the enzyme's kinetic properties through substantial structural alterations rather than by specific perturbation of substrate binding or catalysis.

Regulation of nicotinamide–adenine dinucleotide synthesis in erythrocytes of patients with hypoxanthine–guanine phosphoribosyltransferase deficiency and a patient with phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase superactivity

1. The synthesis of nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide from nicotinamide and nicotinic acid was compared over different time scales at both physiological (0.7 mumol/l) and high (0.2-3 mmol/l) substrate concentrations in erythrocytes from three patients with hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase, EC 2.4.2.8) deficiency (including one Lesch-Nyhan patient) and from one patient with phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase superactivity. The above disorders are associated with grossly altered erythrocyte nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide levels. 2. At the physiological substrate concentration and incubation times up to 2 h, nicotinamide proved the most efficient nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide precursor for erythrocytes from both patients and control subjects. The conversion of nicotinamide to its mononucleotide, but not further metabolism, was impaired in phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase-mutant cells. The Lesch-Nyhan and phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase-mutant cells were unusual in that both showed no further stimulation of nucleotide synthesis at 18 mmol/l Pi compared with 1 mmol/l. 3. At the high substrate concentrations, using 18 mmol/l Pi, nicotinamide was a poor precursor in all instances. Using nicotinic acid, nucleotide formation was 30-fold that from nicotinamide, reaching its maximum at 0.2 mmol/l. Conversion of nicotinic acid to nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide in the phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase-mutant cells was again grossly impaired. 4. There was no evidence for increased nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide breakdown in the phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase-mutant cells under any of the above conditions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Modified phosphoribosylpyrophosphate (PRPP) radioenzymatic assay: Increased sensitivity, technical simplification and new applications

Phosphoribosylpyrophosphate in amounts as low as 25 pmol could be reliably and economically measured with a CO 2-releasing radioenzymatic assay when appropriate technical modifications were introduced. The concentration of commercially available phosphoribosylpyrophosphate used for reference standards was ascertained by a method based on the utilization of phosphoribosylpyrophosphate by hypoxanthine catalyzed by hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase from red blood cell lysates. The addition of inorganic phosphate increased intracellular phosphoribosylpyrophosphate levels in HL-60 cell lysates and can be used to amplify low levels of phosphoribosylpyrophosphate. This phosphoribosylpyrophosphate assay amplified by inorganic phosphate has been developed to assay perturbations in the purine biosynthetic nucleotide pathway in response to various chemotherapeutic agents, such as anti-folates, or as a result of folate deficiency.

Expression of a novel high-affinity purine nucleobase transport function in mutant mammalian T lymphoblasts.

The single nucleoside transport function of mouse S49 lymphoblasts also transports purine bases (B. Aronow and B. Ullman, J. Biol. Chem. 261:2014-2019, 1986). This transport of purine bases by S49 cells is sensitive to inhibition by dipyridamole (DPA) and 4-nitrobenzylthioinosine, two potent inhibitors of nucleoside transport. Therefore, wild-type S49 cells cannot salvage low hypoxanthine concentrations in the presence of 10 microM DPA and 11 microM azaserine; the latter is a potent inhibitor of purine biosynthesis. Among a mutagenized wild-type population, a cell line, JPA2, was isolated which could proliferate in 50 microM hypoxanthine-11 microM azaserine-10 microM DPA. The basis for the survival of JPA2 cells under these selective conditions was expression of a unique, high-affinity purine nucleobase transport function not present in wild-type cells. JPA2 cells could transport 5 microM concentrations of hypoxanthine, guanine, and adenine 15- to 30-fold more efficiently than parental cells did. Kinetic analyses revealed that the affinity of the JPA2 transporter for all three purine bases was much greater than that of the wild-type nucleobase transport system. Moreover, nucleobase transport in JPA2 cells, unlike that in parental cells, was insensitive to inhibition by DPA, 4-nitrobenzylthioinosine, sulfhydryl reagents, and nucleosides. No alterations in nucleoside transport capability, phosphoribosylpyrophosphate levels, or purine phosphoribosyltransferase enzymes were detected in JPA2 cells. Thus, JPA2 cells express a novel nucleobase transport capability which can be distinguished from the nucleoside transport function by multiple biochemical parameters.

Expression of a novel high-affinity purine nucleobase transport function in mutant mammalian T lymphoblasts.

The single nucleoside transport function of mouse S49 lymphoblasts also transports purine bases (B. Aronow and B. Ullman, J. Biol. Chem. 261:2014-2019, 1986). This transport of purine bases by S49 cells is sensitive to inhibition by dipyridamole (DPA) and 4-nitrobenzylthioinosine, two potent inhibitors of nucleoside transport. Therefore, wild-type S49 cells cannot salvage low hypoxanthine concentrations in the presence of 10 microM DPA and 11 microM azaserine; the latter is a potent inhibitor of purine biosynthesis. Among a mutagenized wild-type population, a cell line, JPA2, was isolated which could proliferate in 50 microM hypoxanthine-11 microM azaserine-10 microM DPA. The basis for the survival of JPA2 cells under these selective conditions was expression of a unique, high-affinity purine nucleobase transport function not present in wild-type cells. JPA2 cells could transport 5 microM concentrations of hypoxanthine, guanine, and adenine 15- to 30-fold more efficiently than parental cells did. Kinetic analyses revealed that the affinity of the JPA2 transporter for all three purine bases was much greater than that of the wild-type nucleobase transport system. Moreover, nucleobase transport in JPA2 cells, unlike that in parental cells, was insensitive to inhibition by DPA, 4-nitrobenzylthioinosine, sulfhydryl reagents, and nucleosides. No alterations in nucleoside transport capability, phosphoribosylpyrophosphate levels, or purine phosphoribosyltransferase enzymes were detected in JPA2 cells. Thus, JPA2 cells express a novel nucleobase transport capability which can be distinguished from the nucleoside transport function by multiple biochemical parameters.

The regulation of hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl transferase activity through transfer of PRPP by metabolic cooperation

We have developed a method of relating changes in hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HGPRTase) activity to the rate of phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate (PRPP) synthesis in isolated cell lines and in co-cultures of different cell lines. Using this approach, we have determined the response of the HGPRTase activity of communication-competent and communication-incompetent cells to changes in PRPP content. The HGPRTase activity of HGPRT + communication-competent NS cells responds to changes of their own PRPP level, as well as to changes of the PRPP level of HGPRT − cells with which they are co-cultured. In contrast, the HGPRTase activity of the HGPRT +, but communication-incompetent L 929 cells responds to changes of their own PRPP content but not to changes of the PRPP content of the cocultured HGPRT − cells. These and other experiments show that PRPP is freely exchangeable between communication-competent cells and that the intracellular activity of HGPRTase in one cell can be regulated by changes in the levels of its substrate in another cell through metabolic cooperation. The results also indicate that HGPRTase normally functions at a small fraction of its total activity, and that this can be greatly increased by raising the intracellular PRPP levels. Furthermore, it is found that when communication-competent cells establish intercellular communication, they share a common pool of PRPP and of purine nucleotides. This approach can be used as the basis of a biochemical method for the quantitation of metabolic cooperation between cells.

Fluctuations in phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate levels in monolayer tumor cell lines: Effects of drugs

The concentration of PRPP (phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate) measured in tumor cells grown in monolayer showed a large variation with the various harvesting methods examined, including trypsinization. This variation could be reduced by a 1-h incubation of trypsinized cells as a suspension in Dulbecco's medium. After this preincubation these cell suspensions were suitable for the study of modulation of PRPP. One μM methotrexate caused a 2–3-fold increase and 1 mM N-phosphonoacetyl-L-aspartate a slight increase, but inosine and deoxyinosine drastically reduced PRPP concentrations. 5-Fluorouracil had no effect. This study demonstrates that metabolic parameters such as PRPP concentrations can be studied conveniently in suspensions of cells which are commonly cultivated as monolayers.

Phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate, pool size and tissue levels as a determinant of 5-fluorouracil response in murine colonic adenocarcinomas

The antitumor activity of 5-fluorouracil (FUra) in four murine colonie adenocarcinomas was correlated with the basal pool sizes of phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate (PRPP). Mice inoculated with 20–30 mg fragments of murine colonic adenocarcinomas 26 and 38 (FUra-sensitive), and 51 and 11A (FUra-resistant), were treated approximately 2 weeks later with FUra (200 mg/kg, i.p.). In mice bearing adenocarcinomas 26 and 38, intravenous administrations on days 3, 10 and 17 of the highest nontoxic dose of 73 mg/kg produced a tumor growth delay of 14.8 and 11.8 days respectively. In contrast, mice bearing colonic adenocarcinomas 51 and 11A, treated with the same dose schedule of FUra, demonstrated a tumor growth delay of 5 and 5.4 days respectively. The basal levels of PRPP in FUra-sensitive tumors 26 and 38 were 8.7 and 4.0 μM, whereas those in FUra-resistant tumors 11A and 51 were 2.4 and 2.8 μM respectively. Two hours after i.p. injection of FUra (200 mg/kg), FUra-sensitive tumors (26 and 38) showed a substantial reduction in basal levels of PRPP to 1.30 and 2.80μM respectively; FUra-resistant tumors (51 and 11A) demonstrated a significantly smaller decrease in basal pool size levels. At 24 hr there was a full restitution of intratumoral PRPP to the previous basal levels. Four hours following i.p. injection of FUra at 200 mg/kg, the group of enzymes which could perturb PRPP pool size were assayed, namely PRPP synthetase (EC 2.7.6.1), hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (EC 2.4.2.8), adenine phosphoribosyl transferase (EC 2.4.2.7), and orotate phosphoribosyl transferase (EC 2.4.2.10). The specific activity of PRPP synthetase in the FUra-sensitive line (colon tumor 26) was 3-fold higher than in the FUra-resistant tumors examined (colon 51 and 11A); moreover, only in the sensitive line was the specific activity of orotate phosphoribosyl transferase increased significantly following treatment with FUra. Thus, these data suggest that measurement of the basal intratumoral PRPP levels, together with the determination of specific activities of PRPP synthetase and oratate phosphoribosyl transferase, should be tested for its potential clinical application as a means of selecting patients with gastrointestinal and breast carcinomas to be treated with FUra.

Ribose-enhanced myocardial recovery following ischemia in the isolated working rat heart

Recovery for myocardial adenosine triphosphate (ATP) following moderate periods of ischemic is dependent upon the availability of adenosine monophosphate (AMP) and diphosphate (ADP) for rephosphorylation. Recovery of AMP and ADP levels following ischemia is, in turn, determined by the rates of salvage and de novo adenine nucleotide synthesis. Phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate (PRPP) availability is rate limiting in both salvage and de novo adenine nucleotide synthesis. Parenteral ribose infusions in rats have been documented to elevate myocardial PRPP levels with resultant enhancement of adenine nucleotide synthesis. In this study postischemic recovery of myocardial function and ATP levels in isolated, working rat hearts given ribose infusions before and after ischemia was compared with recovery in control hearts subjected to the same protocol without ribose administration. The mean percent of functional recovery in control hearts following 15 minutes of warm ischemia reached values of 56.7 +/- 4.1%, 63.5% +/- 4.3%, 65.9% +/- 4.6%, and 70.5% +/- 4.7% at 2, 5, 10, and 15 minutes of work following ischemia. Hearts perfused with ribose demonstrated improved mean percent return of function at similar intervals of postischemic work with values of 67.9% +/- 4.2%, 73.7% +/- 3.7%, 81.0% +/- 3.5% (* = p less than 0.02 versus control) *and 85.4% +/- 3.3%, *respectively. Determinations of myocardial ATP levels (mumoles/gm of dry weight) made at the end of 15 minutes of postischemic work were significantly higher (p less than 0.02) in the ribose-treated hearts (18.9 +/- 0.7) than in controls (16.3 +/- 0.6). Infusion of ribose before and after ischemia is a biochemically logical method of improving postischemic myocardial ATP and functional recovery by manipulation of adenine nucleotide synthetic pathways.

Effect of renal failure on erythrocyte purine nucleotide, nucleoside and base concentrations and some related enzyme activities.

1. We have studied purine metabolism in renal failure using high-pressure liquid chromatography to determine metabolite concentrations in erythrocytes and plasma, and microradiochemical assays of enzyme activity in erythrocytes. 2. The mean activities of some of the enzymes involved in purine metabolism were raised in renal failure. Significant elevations of adenylate kinase (EC 2.7.4.3), purine nucleoside phosphorylase (EC 2.4.2.1), hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (EC 2.4.2.8) and adenosine deaminase (EC 3.5.4.4) but not of adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (EC 2.4.2.7) and ribosephosphate pyrophosphokinase (phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase; EC 2.7.6.1) activities were demonstrated. However, there was an overlap between results from patients with renal failure and normal (control) subjects. Erythrocyte phosphoribosylpyrophosphate levels were also unchanged. 3. Erythrocyte nucleotide concentrations especially those of inosine were raised in renal failure. 4. The plasma inosine was reduced in renal failure. 5. The significance of these changes is discussed.

Enzymes of Purine Biosynthesis and Catabolism in Glycine max

During the period examined from 12 to 63 days after planting, the ureides, allantoin and allantoic acid, were the predominant nitrogenous solutes in the xylem exudate of soybeans (Glycine max [L.]) growing solely on symbiotically fixed nitrogen, accounting for approximately 60% and greater than 95% of the total nitrogen in the xylem exudate before and after the onset of active nitrogen fixation, respectively. For plants between 18 and 49 days of age, the apparent rate of ureide export estimated from concentrations of ureides in xylem exudate collected over a period of one hour was closely related to the rate of nitrogen fixation estimated from measurements of C(2)H(2) reduction by nodulated root systems. After this time, the apparent rate of ureide export per plant continued to increase, reaching a maximum value at day 63 of 12 micromoles per plant per hour, even though the rate of C(2)H(2) reduction per plant declined approximately four-fold. The most probable pathway for the biosynthesis of ureides involves the catabolism of purines. The levels of phosphoribosylpyrophosphate (PRPP) synthetase, which catalyzes the formation of the PRPP required for purine synthesis, increased in parallel with the rates of nitrogen fixation (C(2)H(2)) from day 18 reaching a maximum value of 13.9 micromoles per plant per hour at day 49, and then both activities declined rapidly. During the period of active nitrogen fixation the ratio of PRPP synthesis estimated from measurements of PRPP synthetase activity in cell-free extracts to the apparent rate of ureide export was between 1 and 2. The activities of the enzymes of purine catabolism, xanthine dehydrogenase, uricase, and allantoinase, increased in parallel with the increases in nodule mass and the export of ureides with maximum activities of 13, 119, and 79 micromoles per plant per hour, corresponding with apparent rates of ureide export in the range of 9.5 to 11.9 micromoles per plant per hour. These results demonstrate that there is a close association between nitrogen fixation, PRPP synthetase activity, and ureide export in soybeans and support the proposal that recently-fixed nitrogen is utilized in the de novo synthesis of purines which are subsequently catabolized to produce the ureides.

Increase of phosphoribosylpyrophosphate levels in cultured L1210 leukemia cells exposed to methotrexate.

MTX‡ is a folic acid analog that binds to the enzyme dihydro-folate reductase and inhibits its activity depleting the cells of reduced folates. It blocks the synthesis of dTMP from dUMP and de novo purine biosynthesis by decreasing the availability of reduced folates1. MTX effects on cell metabolism can be reversed not only by folinic acid (5-formyltetrahydrofolic acid) but also by either TdR alone or TdR plus a purine base or nucleoside2–6 which provide for nucleotide synthesis through salvage pathways. Purine bases are converted to nucleotides by phosphoribosyltransferases in the presence of PRPP as the phosphoribosyl donor and TdR phosphorylation to dTMP by TdR kinase requires ATP. MTX has been demonstrated to cause a rapid decrease of intracellular ATP levels, which could restrict the cellular utilization of TdR7 . The purpose of our study was to evaluate the effect of MTX on the intracellular levels of PRPP in order to assess the availability of PRPP for purine salvage during MTX treatment.KeywordsFolinic AcidPurine BaseEhrlich Ascites Carcinoma CellPurine BiosynthesisL12l0 CellThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

Increased phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase activity in fibroblasts of hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase deficient patients

An increased activity of phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase at physiological levels of inorganic phosphate is demonstrated in extracts of skin fibroblast cultures derived from a patient with Lesch-Nyhan syndrome. This eccessive response of the phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase at physiological levels of inorganic phosphate results in increased levels of phosphoribosylpyrophosphate and thus contributes to purine overproduction characteristic of this disorder. The level of enzyme response in skin fibroblast extracts from the carrier mother was between activity of the patient and normals, further suggesting the x-linkage of human phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase.

Purine and pyrimidine nucleotide concentrations in cells with decreased hypoxanthine-guanine-phosphoribosyltransferase (HGPRT) activity.

1. In order to investigate the role of purine ribonucleotides in the regulation of de novo purine synthesis in living human cells deficient in HGPRT, intracellular ribonucleotide concentrations have been measured in HGPRT lymphoblasts, fibroblasts and erythrocytes and in appropriate HGPRT controls by high pressure liquid chromatography. 2. Purine Purine ribonucleotide concentrations were not reduced in HGPRT cells, supporting the hypothesis that accelerated purine biosynthesis de novo results from increased availability of PP-ribose-P and not from altered feedback regulation by purine ribonucleotides in HGPRT deficient cells. 3. Striking increases in intracellular concentrations of some pyrimidine nucleotides and nucleotide sugars were detected in HGPRT lymphoblasts and erythrocytes, but not in fibroblasts. 4. The possibiiity that this abnormality of pyrimidine metabolism might result from coordinate regulation of purine and pyrimidine synthesis de novo by PP-ribose-P was not substantiated by measurements of rates of pyrimidine synthesis and experimental elevation of intracellular concentrations of PP-ribose-P following incubation of cells with inorganic phosphate.

Incorporation of hypoxanthine by PHA-stimulated HPRT-deficient lymphocytes

Phytohemagglutinin (PHA) markedly stimulates 3H-hypoxanthine incorporation by lymphocytes of normal subjects as revealed by radioautography. There is no corresponding increase in activity of hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) in lysates but the level of phosphoribosylpyrophosphate (PRPP), the cosubstrate for the reaction, is higher. Lymphocytes from a patient with partial HPRT deficiency responded to PHA as did the normals, whereas the response in Lesch-Nyhan (LN) subjects was variable. PHA-stimulated lymphocytes from two LN patients showed some increase in 3H-hypoxanthine incorporation, while two others failed to respond. The observations provide further evidence of genetic heterogeneity among LN patients.