Uridine Phosphorylase Research Articles

Profiles of pyrimidine biosynthesis, salvage and degradation in disks of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tubers.

In order to obtain general metabolic profiles of pyrimidine ribo- and deoxyribonucleotides in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) plants, the in situ metabolic fate of various (14)C-labelled precursors in disks from growing potato tubers was investigated. The activities of key enzymes in potato tuber extracts were also studied. The following results were obtained. Of the intermediates in de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis, [(14)C]carbamoylaspartate was converted to orotic acid and [2-(14)C]orotic acid was metabolized to nucleotides and RNA. UMP synthase, a bifunctional enzyme with activities of orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (EC 2.4.2.10) and orotidine 5'-monophosphate decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.23), exhibited high activity. The rates of uptake of pyrimidine ribo- and deoxyribonucleosides by the disks were high, in the range 2.0-2.8 nmol (g FW)(-1) h(-1). The pyrimidine ribonucleosides, uridine and cytidine, were salvaged exclusively to nucleotides, by uridine/cytidine kinase (EC 2.7.1.48) and non-specific nucleoside phosphotransferase (EC 2.7.1.77). Cytidine was also salvaged after conversion to uridine by cytidine deaminase (EC 3.5.4.5) and the presence of this enzyme was demonstrated in cell-free tuber extracts. Deoxycytidine, a deoxyribonucleoside, was efficiently salvaged. Since deoxycytidine kinase (EC 2.7.1.74) activity was extremely low, non-specific nucleoside phosphotransferase (EC 2.7.1.77) probably participates in deoxycytidine salvage. Thymidine, which is another pyrimidine deoxyribonucleoside, was degraded and was not a good precursor for nucleotide synthesis. Virtually all the thymidine 5'-monophosphate synthesis from thymidine appeared to be catalyzed by phosphotransferase activity, since little thymidine kinase (EC 2.7.1.21) activity was detected. Of the pyrimidine bases, uracil, but not cytosine, was salvaged for nucleotide synthesis. Since uridine phosphorylase (EC 2.4.2.3) activity was not detected, uracil phosphoribosyltransferase (EC 2.4.2.9) seems to play the major role in uracil salvage. Uracil was degraded by the reductive pathway via beta-ureidopropionate, but cytosine was not degraded. The activities of the cytosine-metabolizing enzymes observed in other organisms, pyrimidine nucleoside phosphorylase (EC 2.4.2.2) and cytosine deaminase (EC 3.5.4.1), were not detected in potato tuber extracts. Operation of the de novo synthesis of deoxyribonucleotides via ribonucleotide reductase and of the salvage pathway of deoxycytidine was demonstrated via the incorporation of radioactivity from both [2-(14)C]cytidine and [2-(14)C]deoxycytidine into DNA. A novel pathway converting deoxycytidine to uracil nucleotides was found and deoxycytidine deaminase (EC 3.5.4.14), an enzyme that may participate in this pathway, was detected in the tuber extracts.

Targeted deletion of both thymidine phosphorylase and uridine phosphorylase and consequent disorders in mice.

Thymidine phosphorylase (TP) regulates intracellular and plasma thymidine levels. TP deficiency is hypothesized to (i) increase levels of thymidine in plasma, (ii) lead to mitochondrial DNA alterations, and (iii) cause mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalomyopathy (MNGIE). In order to elucidate the physiological roles of TP, we generated mice deficient in the TP gene. Although TP activity in the liver was inhibited in these mice, it was fully maintained in the small intestine. Murine uridine phosphorylase (UP), unlike human UP, cleaves thymidine, as well as uridine. We therefore generated TP-UP double-knockout (TP(-/-) UP(-/-)) mice. TP activities were inhibited in TP(-/-) UP(-/-) mice, and the level of thymidine in the plasma of TP(-/-) UP(-/-) mice was higher than for TP(-/-) mice. Unexpectedly, we could not observe alterations of mitochondrial DNA or pathological changes in the muscles of the TP(-/-) UP(-/-) mice, even when these mice were fed thymidine for 7 months. However, we did find hyperintense lesions on magnetic resonance T(2) maps in the brain and axonal edema by electron microscopic study of the brain in TP(-/-) UP(-/-) mice. These findings suggested that the inhibition of TP activity caused the elevation of pyrimidine levels in plasma and consequent axonal swelling in the brains of mice. Since lesions in the brain do not appear to be due to mitochondrial alterations and pathological changes in the muscle were not found, this model will provide further insights into the causes of MNGIE.

Chemo-Enzymatic Synthesis of 3-Deoxy-β-D-ribofuranosyl Purines

9-(3-Deoxy-β-D-erythro-pentofuranosyl)-2,6-diaminopurine (6) was synthesized by an enzymatic transglycosylation of 2,6-diaminopurine (2) with 3′-deoxycytidine (1) as a donor of 3-deoxy-D-erythro-pentofuranose moiety. This transformation comprises i) deamination of 1 to 3′-deoxyuridine (3) under the action of whole cell (E. coli BM-11) cytidine deaminase (CDase), ii) the phosphorolytic cleavage of 3 by uridine phosphorylase (UPase) giving rise to the formation of uracil (4) and 3-deoxy-α-D-erythro-pentofuranose-1-O-phosphate (5), and iii) coupling of the latter with 2 catalyzed by whole cell (E. coli BMT-4D/1A) purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNPase). Deamination of 6 by adenosine deaminase (ADase) gave 3′-deoxyguanosine (7). Treatment of 6 with NaNO2 afforded 9-(3-deoxy-β-D-erythro-pentofuranosyl)-2-amino-6-oxopurine (3′-deoxyisoguanosine; 8). Schiemann reaction of 6 (HF/HBF4+NaNO2) gave 9-(3-deoxy-β-D-erythro-pentofuranosyl)-2-fluoroadenine (9).

Uridine phosphorylase is a potential prognostic factor in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Uridine phosphorylase (UPase) catalyzes the reversible phosphorolysis of uridine to uracil. The expression levels and the enzymatic activity of UPase are reported to be higher in human solid tumors than in adjacent normal tissues. However, to the authors' knowledge the clinical significance of UPase expression as determined by immunohistochemical analysis has not been demonstrated in human malignancies. The authors prepared the antibody against UPase, examined the staining of UPase in 72 cases of oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) with immunohistochemical analysis using the antibody, and analyzed its relation to clinical and pathologic factors. UPase stained mainly within the invasive edges of tumors and macrophages. UPase-positive staining was observed in 56 of the 72 tumors (77.8%). High staining of UPase (defined as > 50% of cells in a tumor biopsy that are positive for UPase) in primary tumors frequently was associated with the presence of metastasis to lymph nodes (P = 0.007 by the Fischer exact test) and with lower overall survival (P = 0.03 by the log-rank test). The high rate of UPase staining in biopsies from patients with oral SCC may be a prognostic marker for these individuals.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae URH1 (encoding uridine-cytidine N-ribohydrolase): functional complementation by a nucleoside hydrolase from a protozoan parasite and by a mammalian uridine phosphorylase.

Nucleoside hydrolases catalyze the cleavage of N-glycosidic bonds in nucleosides, yielding ribose and the respective bases. While nucleoside hydrolase activity has not been detected in mammalian cells, many protozoan parasites rely on nucleoside hydrolase activity for salvage of purines and/or pyrimidines from their hosts. In contrast, uridine phosphorylase is the key enzyme of pyrimidine salvage in mammalian hosts and many other organisms. We show here that the open reading frame (ORF) YDR400w of Saccharomyces cerevisiae carries the gene encoding uridine hydrolase (URH1). Disruption of this gene in a conditionally pyrimidine-auxotrophic S. cerevisiae strain, which is also deficient in uridine kinase (urk1), leads to the inability of the mutant to utilize uridine as the sole source of pyrimidines. Protein extracts of strains overexpressing YDR400w show increased hydrolase activity only with uridine and cytidine, but no activity with inosine, adenosine, guanosine, and thymidine as substrates, demonstrating that ORF YDR400w encodes a uridine-cytidine N-ribohydrolase. Expression of a homologous cDNA from a protozoan parasite (Crithidia fasciculata) in a ura3 urk1 urh1 mutant is sufficient to restore growth on uridine. Growth can also be restored by expression of a human uridine phosphorylase cDNA. Yeast strains expressing protozoan N-ribohydrolases or host phosphorylases could therefore become useful tools in drug screens for specific inhibitors.

Overexpression of Escherichia coli genes encoding nucleoside phosphorylases in the pET/Bl21(DE3) system yields active recombinant enzymes.

The Escherichia coli genes encoding purine nucleoside phosphorylase, uridine phosphorylase, and thymidine phosphorylase were cloned into pET plasmids to generate highly effective E. coli BL21(DE3) strains producing each of these enzymes. Optimum conditions for biosynthesis of each enzyme as a soluble protein with intact biological activity were found. The crude preparations are approximately 80% pure and can be used immediately for enzymatic transglycosylation. The enzyme preparations were purified to homogeneity by two steps including fractional precipitation with ammonium sulfate and subsequent chromatography on Sephadex G-100 and DEAE-Sephacel.

Transition State Analogue Inhibitors of Purine Nucleoside Phosphorylase from Plasmodium falciparum

Immucillins are logically designed transition-state analogue inhibitors of mammalian purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) that induce purine-less death of Plasmodium falciparum in cultured erythrocytes (Kicska, G. A., Tyler, P. C., Evans, G. B., Furneaux, R. H., Schramm, V. L., and Kim, K. (2002) J. Biol. Chem. 277, 3226-3231). PNP is present at high levels in human erythrocytes and in P. falciparum, but the Plasmodium enzyme has not been characterized. A search of the P. falciparum genome data base yielded an open reading frame similar to the PNP from Escherichia coli. PNP from P. falciparum (P. falciparum PNP) was cloned, overexpressed in E. coli, purified, and characterized. The primary amino acid sequence has 26% identity with E. coli PNP, has 20% identity with human PNP, and is phylogenetically unique among known PNPs with equal genetic distance between PNPs and uridine phosphorylases. Recombinant P. falciparum PNP is catalytically active for inosine and guanosine but is less active for uridine. The immucillins are powerful inhibitors of P. falciparum PNP. Immucillin-H is a slow onset tight binding inhibitor with a K(i)* value of 0.6 nm. Eight related immucillins are also powerful inhibitors with dissociation constants from 0.9 to 20 nm. The K(m)/K(i)* value for immucillin-H is 9000, making this inhibitor the most powerful yet reported for P. falciparum PNP. The PNP from P. falciparum differs from the human enzyme by a lower K(m) for inosine, decreased preference for deoxyguanosine, and reduced affinity for the immucillins, with the exception of 5'-deoxy-immucillin-H. These properties of P. falciparum PNP are consistent with a metabolic role in purine salvage and provide an explanation for the antibiotic effect of the immucillins on P. falciparum cultured in human erythrocytes.

Catabolism of Pyrimidine Nucleotides in the Deep-sea Tube WormRiftia pachyptila

The present study describes the distribution and properties of enzymes of the catabolic pathway of pyrimidine nucleotides in Riftia pachyptila, a tubeworm living around deep-sea hydrothermal vents and known to be involved in a highly specialized symbiotic association with a bacterium. The catabolic enzymes, 5'-nucleotidase, uridine phosphorylase, and uracil reductase, are present in all tissues of the worm, whereas none of these enzymatic activities were found in the symbiotic bacteria. The 5'-nucleotidase activity was particularly high in the trophosome, the symbiont-harboring tissue. These results suggest that the production of nucleosides in the trophosome may represent an alternative source of carbon and nitrogen for R. pachyptila, because these nucleosides can be delivered to other parts of the worm. This process would complement the source of carbon and nitrogen from organic metabolites provided by the bacterial assimilatory pathways. The localization of the enzymes participating in catabolism, 5'-nucleotidase and uridine phosphorylase, and of the enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of pyrimidine nucleotides, aspartate transcarbamylase and dihydroorotase, shows a non-homogeneous distribution of these enzymes in the trophosome. The catabolic enzymes 5'-nucleotidase and uridine phosphorylase activities increase from the center of the trophosome to its periphery. In contrast, the anabolic enzymes aspartate transcarbamylase and dihydroorotase activities decrease from the center toward the periphery of the trophosome. We propose a general scheme of anatomical and physiological organization of the metabolic pathways of the pyrimidine nucleotides in R. pachyptila and its bacterial endosymbiont.

Expression of uridine and thymidine phosphorylase genes in human breast carcinoma.

Uridine phosphorylase (UPase) and an angiogenic enzyme, thymidine phosphorylase (dThdPase) are involved in degradation of the pyrimidine nucleosides through phosphorolysis. The expression levels of UPase and dThdPase are higher in human solid tumors including breast carcinomas than in normal tissues. To clarify the correlation between the expression levels of UPase and dThdPase genes and the clinicopathological factors, mRNA levels of these enzymes were examined by RT-PCR in 43 breast carcinomas. UPase gene expression was not correlated with dThdPase gene expression (regression coefficient R = 0.032). Although the expression level of the dThdPase gene was correlated with angiogenesis, detected by immunostaining endothelial cells (R = 0.66), that of UPase gene was not (R = 0.044). These results suggest that UPase does not have a strong angiogenic activity. The UPase gene expression levels in tumors of patients who relapsed were significantly higher than in those from patients who did not (p = 0.039). Although the expression levels of neither UPase or dThdPase were associated with age, pT, pN, pM, estrogen or progesterone receptor positivity, the patients with the higher levels of UPase gene expression had worse survival (p = 0.0038) than those with lower levels. In contrast, the expression of dThdPase gene was not related to relapse or survival of these patients with breast carcinoma. Our findings suggest that the expression level of UPase gene may be an independent prognostic marker in human breast carcinoma.

Novel 6-substituted uracil analogs as inhibitors of the angiogenic actions of thymidine phosphorylase

Thymidine phosphorylase (TP) catalyzes the reversible phosphorolysis of thymidine and other pyrimidine 2′-deoxyribonucleosides. In addition, TP has been shown to possess angiogenic activity in a number of in vitro and in vivo assays, and its angiogenic activity has been linked to its catalytic activity. A series of 5- and 6-substituted uracil derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their abilities to inhibit TP activity. Among the most active compounds was a 6-amino-substituted uracil analog, 6-(2-aminoethyl)amino-5-chlorouracil (AEAC), which was a competitive inhibitor with a K i of 165 nM. The inhibitory activity of AEAC was selective for TP, as it did not inhibit purine nucleoside phosphorylase or uridine phosphorylase at concentrations up to 1 mM. Human recombinant TP induced human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) migration in a modified Boyden chamber assay in vitro, and this action could be abrogated by the TP inhibitors. The actions of the inhibitors were specific for TP, as they had no effect on the chemotactic actions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). HUVEC migration was also induced when TP-transfected human colon and breast carcinoma cells were co-cultured in the Boyden chamber assay in place of the purified angiogenic factors, and a TP inhibitor blocked the tumor cell-mediated migration almost completely. These studies suggest that inhibitors of TP may be useful in pathological conditions that are dependent upon TP-driven angiogenesis.

Enhancement of the bioavailability of oral uridine by coadministration of 5-(phenylthio)acyclouridine, a uridine phosphorylase inhibitor: implications for uridine rescue regimens in chemotherapy.

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the effectiveness of oral 5-(phenylthio)acyclouridine (PTAU) in improving the oral bioavailability of uridine. PTAU is a new potent and specific inhibitor of uridine phosphorylase (UrdPase, EC 2.4.2.3), the enzyme responsible for uridine catabolism. This compound was designed as a lipophilic inhibitor in order to facilitate its access to the liver and intestine, the main organs involved in uridine catabolism. PTAU is not toxic to mice and is fully absorbed after oral administration (100% oral bioavailability). PTAU was administered orally to mice alone or with uridine. The plasma levels of PTAU as well as those of uridine and its catabolite uracil were measured using HPLC, and pharmacokinetic analysis was performed. Co-administration of PTAU with uridine elevated the concentration of plasma uridine in a dose-dependent manner over that resulting from the administration of the same dose of uridine alone, and reduced the clearance of uridine as well as the peak plasma concentration (Cmax) and area under the curve (AUC) of plasma uracil. Coadministration of PTAU at 30, 45 and 60 mg/kg improved the low oral bioavailability (7.7%) of uridine administered at 1320 mg/kg by 4.3-, 5.9- and 9.9-fold, respectively, and reduced the AUC of plasma uracil (1227.8 micromol x h/l) by 5.7-, 6.8- and 8.2-fold, respectively. Similar results were observed when PTAU was coadministered with lower doses of uridine. Oral PTAU at 30, 45 and 60 mg/kg improved the oral bioavailability of 330 mg/kg uridine by 1.8-, 2.6- and 2.8-fold, and that of 660 mg/kg uridine by 2.2-, 2.6- and 3.2-fold, respectively. The effectiveness of PTAU in improving the oral bioavailability of uridine could be useful in the rescue or protection from host toxicities of various chemotherapeutic pyrimidine analogues as well as in the management of medical disorders that are remedied by administration of uridine.

Thymidylate synthase (TS) and ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) may be involved in acquired resistance to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in human cancer xenografts in vivo

A human tumour sub-line resistant to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) was established by once a day and every 5, with at least 50 administrations of 5-FU to KM12C human colorectal xenografts in nude mice. KM12C tumours treated with 5-FU showed less sensitivity to 5-FU with an inhibition rate (IR) of 7.9%, while non-treated tumours were highly sensitive to 5-FU with an IR of 81.8%. To clarify the mechanism of 5-FU-resistance, the activities of various enzymes and gene expressions involved in the metabolism of 5-FU in both parental and 5-FU-treated KM12C tumours were measured. A 2- to 3-fold increase in thymidylate synthase (TS) activity and 4- to 5-fold decrease in ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) activity were observed in 5-FU-resistant KM12C tumours, while the activities of orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (OPRT) thymidine and uridine phosphorylases (TP,UP) and thymidine kinase (TK) were not markedly changed as a consequence of repeated treatment of KM12C tumours with 5-FU. The expression of TS mRNA was also amplified in accordance with the increased TS activity in a 5-FU-treated tumour sub-line (KM12C/5-FU) compared with that in parental tumours, but changed expressions of both RNR-R1 and RNA-R2 mRNA could not be detected in the 5-FU-resistant tumour sub-line compared with the parental tumours, suggesting possible post-transcriptional regulation of RNR. Moreover, RNR, in addition to TS and OPRT, seemed to be related to the inherent insensitivity to 5-FU in human cancer xenografts. From these results, it may be concluded that RNR activity is one of the acquired or inherent resistant factors, including TS, to 5-FU in human cancer xenografts in vivo.

Modulation of the pharmacokinetics of endogenous plasma uridine by 5-(phenylthio)acyclouridine, a uridine phosphorylase inhibitor: implications for chemotherapy.

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the ability of oral PTAU, 5-(phenylthio)acyclouridine, to increase the concentration of endogenous plasma uridine. PTAU is a new potent and specific inhibitor of uridine phosphorylase (UrdPase, EC 2.4.2.3), the enzyme responsible for uridine catabolism. This compound was designed as a lipophilic inhibitor in order to facilitate its access to the liver and intestine, the main organs involved in uridine catabolism. PTAU was administered to mice orally and parenterally. The plasma levels of PTAU as well as those of uridine and its catabolite uracil were measured by HPLC, and pharmacokinetic analysis was performed. PTAU was fully adsorbed after oral administration (over 100% oral bioavailability) and no PTAU metabolites were detected. PTAU administered orally had no apparent toxicity at doses up to 120 mg/kg per day for 5 days. Parenteral administration of PTAU at 30, 45 and 60 mg/kg increased the concentration of endogenous plasma uridine (1.8 +/- 0.2 microM) by approximately six-, seven-, and nine-fold, respectively. Plasma uridine concentration remained higher than control values until 8 h after PTAU administration. Similar results were obtained following oral administration of PTAU. The baseline concentrations of endogenous plasma uridine were increased by approximately six-, seven- and ten-fold by oral administration of PTAU at 30, 45 and 60 mg/kg, respectively, and remained higher than the controls until 8 h after PTAU administration. PTAU did not alter the concentration of endogenous plasma uracil. The effectiveness of the PTAU in elevating and sustaining high plasma uridine concentrations may be useful in rescuing or protecting the host from toxicities of various chemotherapeutic pyrimidine analogues as well as in the management of medical disorders that respond to the administration of uridine.

Fluoropyrimidine sensitivity of human MCF-7 breast cancer cells stably transfected with human uridine phosphorylase.

The relationship between uridine phosphorylase (UP) expression level in cancer cells and the tumour sensitivity to fluoropyrimidines is unclear. In this study, we found that UP overexpression by gene transfer, and the subsequent efficient metabolic activation of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) by the ribonucleotide pathway, does not increase the fluoropyrimidine sensitivity of MCF-7 human cancer cells. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer.com

Activation pathways of 5-fluorouracil in rat organs and in PC12 cells

Activation of the pyrimidine analogue 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) to the ribonucleotide level may occur through one of the following three pathways: 1) the 5-phosphoribosyl 1-pyrophosphate (PRPP)-mediated direct transfer of ribose 5-phosphate to 5-FU as catalysed by orotate phosphoribosyltransferase; 2) the ribose 1-phosphate (Rib1-P)-mediated addition of ribose by uridine phosphorylase, followed by the action of uridine kinase; and 3) the 2′-deoxyribose 1-phosphate (deoxyRib1-P)-mediated addition of deoxyribose, thought to be catalysed by thymidine phosphorylase, followed by the action of thymidine kinase. Many of the conclusions as to the precise pathways by which normal tissues and different cell lines activate uracil are indirectly derived from drug interactions affecting the availability of the substrates of the three pathways, or from measurement of activities of the enzymes metabolising 5-FU in normal tissues and tumours. In previous papers (Cappiello et al. Biochim Biophys Acta 1998;1425:273–81; Mascia et al. Biochim Biophys Acta 1999;1472:93–8), we assessed the molecular mechanisms by which the natural base uracil is salvaged in vitro to uracil ribonucleotides and deoxyribonucleotides in rat liver and brain. In this paper, we investigated the pathways of 5-FU activation to cytotoxic ribonucleotide and deoxyribonucleotide levels in normal rat tissues and PC12 cell extracts. The results clearly showed that normal rat tissues activated 5-FU mainly via the Rib1-P pathway, and to a lesser extent via the PRPP pathway. The deoxyRib1-P pathway was absent. PC12 cells activated 5-FU mainly via the PRPP pathway and to a lesser extent by the other two pathways.

Uridine Phosphorylase Association with Vimentin: INTRACELLULAR DISTRIBUTION AND LOCALIZATION

Uridine phosphorylase (UPase), a key enzyme in the pyrimidine salvage pathway, is associated with the intermediate filament protein vimentin, in NIH 3T3 fibroblasts and colon 26 cells. Affinity chromatography was utilized to purify UPase from colon 26 and NIH 3T3 cells using the uridine phosphorylase inhibitor 5'-amino benzylacyclouridine linked to an agarose matrix. Vimentin copurification with UPase was confirmed using both Western blot analysis and MALDI-MS methods. Separation of cytosolic proteins using gel filtration chromatography yields a high molecular weight complex containing UPase and vimentin. Purified recombinant UPase and recombinant vimentin were shown to bind in vitro with an affinity of 120 pm and a stoichiometry of 1:2. Immunofluorescence techniques confirm that UPase is associated with vimentin in both NIH 3T3 and colon 26 cells and that depolymerization of the microtubule system using nocodazole results in UPase remaining associated with the collapsed intermediate filament, vimentin. Our data demonstrate that UPase is associated with both the soluble and insoluble pools of vimentin. Approximately 60-70% of the total UPase exists in the cytosol as a soluble protein. Sequential extraction of NIH 3T3 or colon 26 cells liberates an additional 30-40% UPase activity associated with a detergent extractable fraction. All pools of UPase have been shown to possess enzymatic activity. We demonstrate for the first time that UPase is associated with vimentin and the existence of an enzymatically active cytoskeleton-associated UPase.

Protein Engineering of Uridine Phosphorylase from Escherichia coliK-12. II. A Comparative Study of the Properties of Hybrid and Mutant Forms of Uridine Phosphorylases

Genes for hybrid uridine phosphorylases (UPases) consisting of fragments of amino acid sequences of UPases from Escherichiacoliand Salmonellatyphimuriumwere constructed. Producing strains of the corresponding proteins were genetically engineered. Mutant forms of the E.coliK-12 UPase were produced by site-directed mutagenesis. A comparative study of the enzyme properties of the mutant and hybrid forms of bacterial UPases was performed. It was shown that Asp27 rather than Asp5 and Asp29 residues of the EcoliUPase forms part of the active site of the protein. A scheme of the involvement of Asp27 in the binding of inorganic phosphate is proposed.

Large Scale Gene Expression Analysis of Cholesterol-loaded Macrophages

We conducted large scale gene expression analysis of the response of macrophages to exposure to oxidized low density lipoprotein (Ox-LDL). Much of the vessel wall lesion of atherosclerosis is composed of macrophages that have become engorged with cholesterol. These resulting "foam cells" contribute to the progression of vascular disease through several pathways. As a potential model of foam cell formation, we treated THP-1 cells with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate to differentiate them into a macrophage-like phenotype and subsequently treated them with oxidized low density lipoprotein for various time periods. RNA from Ox-LDL treated and time-matched control untreated cells was hybridized to microarrays containing 9808 human genes. 268 genes were found to be at least 2-fold regulated at one or more time points. These regulation patterns were classified into seven clusters of expression profiles. The data is discussed in terms of the overall pattern of gene expression, the thematic classification of the responding genes, and the clustering of functional groups in distinct expression patterns. The magnitude and the temporal patterns of gene expression identified known and novel molecular components of the cellular response that are implicated in the growth, survival, migratory, inflammatory, and matrix remodeling activity of vessel wall macrophages. In particular, the role of nuclear receptors in mediating the gene expression modulation by Ox-LDL is highlighted.

Uracil salvage pathway in PC12 cells

The salvage anabolism of uracil to pyrimidine ribonucleosides and ribonucleotides was investigated in PC12 cells. Pyrimidine base phosphoribosyl transferase is absent in PC12 cells. As a consequence any uracil or cytosine salvage must be a 5-phosphoribosyl 1-pyrophosphate-independent process. When PC12 cell extracts were incubated with ribose 1-phosphate, ATP and uracil they can readily catalyze the synthesis of uracil nucleotides, through a salvage pathway in which the ribose moiety of ribose 1-phosphate is transferred to uracil via uridine phosphorylase (acting anabolically), with subsequent uridine phosphorylation. This pathway is similar to that previously described by us in rat liver and brain extracts (Cappiello et al., Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1425 (1998) 273; Mascia et al., Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1472 (1999) 93). We show using intact PC12 cells that they can readily take up uracil from the external medium. The analysis of intracellular metabolites reveals that uracil taken up is salvaged into uracil nucleotides, with uridine as an intermediate. We propose that the ribose 1-phosphate-dependent uracil salvage shown by our in vitro studies, using tissues or cellular extracts, might also be operative in intact cells. Our results must be taken into consideration for the comprehension of novel chemotherapeutics’ influence on pyrimidine neuronal metabolism.

Establishment and characterization of 5-fluorouracil-resistant gastric cancer cells

Two 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-resistant cell lines from a Korean gastric cancer cell line were established by incubation of the cells with increasing concentration of 5-FU, and the resultant cell lines showed an over 800-fold increased resistance to 5-FU. To identify the mechanism of 5-FU resistance, the expressions of genes involved in 5-FU metabolism were examined by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Expressions of orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (OPRT), thymidine phosphorylase (TP), and uridine phosphorylase (UP) were significantly downregulated in these cell lines, resulting in low incorporation of 5-FU into nucleic acids. In contrast, an increased expression of thymidine kinase (TK) was observed in 5-FU-resistant cells. These results strongly indicate that blocking of 5-FU incorporation into nucleic acids and TK overexpression may play a major role in 5-FU resistance in these cells. Interestingly, these cell lines showed cross-resistance to paclitaxel, cisplatin, and doxorubicin, suggesting that other factors such as HSP27 and Mn-SOD could be also involved in the mechanism of multidrug resistance in these cell lines.