Folylpoly-gamma-glutamates as cosubstrates of 10-formyltetrahydrofolate:5'-phosphoribosyl-5-amino-4-imidazolecarboxamide formyltransferase.

N10-Formyltetrahydropteroylpoly-gamma-glutamates (N10-formyl-H4PteGlun) having n = 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 glutamyl residues have been tested as cosubstrates of the purine biosynthesis enzyme 10-formyltetrahydrofolate:5'-phosphoribosyl-5-amino-4-imidazolecarboxamide formyltransferase (AICAR transformylase) of chicken liver. The cosubstrates were synthesized by solid-phase synthesis, reduced catalytically, and formylated; a purified enzyme preparation was used and assayed spectrophotometrically following the deltaOD at 298 nm resulting from conversion of the formylated folate to the free tetrahydro form. Km values and Vm values determined at saturating concentrations of AICAR and at 25 and 150 mM KC1 were used to calculate the relative specificity constants Vm/Km for the N10-formyl-H4PteGlun. At physiologic [K+] (150 mM) they were 1.0, 52, 250, 93, 120, and 59 and at the lower (25 mM) [K+] the relative specificity constants were 1.0, 64, 78,34, 48, and 37 for n = 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, respectively. The poly-gamma-glutamates are clearly the preferred cosubstrates, particularly when tested at physiologic [K+]. The maximal relative specificity constant observed with N10-formyl-H4PteGlu4 supports the hypothesis that regulation of certain pathways of one-carbon metabolism may operate via alterations of the poly-gamma-glutamyl chain length. No inhibition by the unnatural (d) isomers of the N10-formyl-H4PteGlun was observed.     

Studies on the Accumulation of 5(4)-Amino-4(5)-imidazolecarboxamide Riboside by Escherichia coli

The acculnulation of 5 (4) -amino-4 (5) -imidazolecarboxamide riboside (AICA-R) in the culture medium of sulfonamide-inhibited Escherichia coli, and E. coli-like bacteria was studied. E. coli strain Band 32 strains of E. coli-like bacteria accumulated more than 50 μmoles of AICA-R in test tube scale experiments, and one of E. coli-like bacteria accumulated 358 μmoles. E. coli B-96 (purine-requiring mutant) had ability to accumulate AICA-R in the glucose-salt medium containing purine bases, especially xanthine. The addition of glycine alone or together with glutamic acid to the glucose-salt medium increased the accumulation of AICA-R by sulfadiazine-inhibited E. coli strain B. The accumulation was considerably increased by the addition of polypeptone or casein hydrolysate.

AICA-R accumulated during sulfadiazine bacteriostasis of E. coli strain B was purified and crystallized according to the procedure of Greenberg and Spilman, and light amber colored crystals were obtained.     

Studies on the Accumulation of 5(4)-Amino-4(5)-imidazolecarboxamide by Escherichia coli in a Shaking Culture

In the previous paper the author reported that 5(4)-amino-4(5) -imidazolecarboxamide (AICA) was accumulated in peptone medium by Escherichia coli strain B grown as a shaking culture in the absence of sulfonamide inhibitor and glucose. It appeared from the further investigations that l-tryptophan would not replace peptone for the accumulation. However, it was found that indole produced from l-tryptophan by E. coli gave pink color by the Bratton nad Marshall method. In order to eliminate the effect of indole, the procedure by petroleum-ether treatment was applied and it was ascertained that E. coli had an ability to accumulate AICA and AICA-riboside in the peptone or L-tryptophan medium without glucose and sulfonamide inhibitor. But the concentrations of AICA and AICA-riboside measured by the above procedure were smaller than those determined by the Bratton and Marshall method which measured indole produced by the bacteria at the same time.     

5-Amino-4-imidazolecarboxamide riboside (Z-riboside) metabolism in eukaryotic cells

Metabolites of 5-amino-4-imidazolecarboxamide riboside (Z-riboside) have potential roles in the regulation of cellular metabolism and as pharmacological agents in several pathological situations. Before studying Z-riboside metabolism it was necessary to develop methods for identifying and quantitating 5(4)-amino-4(5)-imidazolecarboxamide metabolites. These studies utilized Chinese hamster ovary fibroblast auxotrophic mutants to identify and isolate compounds relevant to Z-riboside metabolism by a combination of high performance liquid chromatographic procedures. In order to study Z-riboside metabolism wild-type and mutant cells were cultured in Z-riboside. This ribosyl precursor to a purine de novo intermediate does not undergo any detectable phosphorolysis but rather is phosphorylated by adenosine kinase in an unregulated manner. This results in the intracellular accumulation of 5-amino-4-imidazolecarboxamide ribotide (ZMP), the levels of which control flow from Z-riboside to the following metabolites: 1) IMP and other purine nucleotides, 2) 5-amino-4-imidazole-N-succinocarboxamide ribotide (sZMP), and 3) 5-amino-4-imidazolecarboxamide riboside 5'-triphosphate (ZTP). At low ZMP concentrations, the predominant metabolic fate is IMP. Initially, IMP enters the adenylate and guanylate pools, but subsequently is hydrolyzed to inosine and this phosphorolyzed to hypoxanthine. At intermediate ZMP concentrations there is net retrograde flux through the bifunctional enzyme adenylosuccinate AMP lyase resulting in sZMP synthesis and antegrade flux leads to the accumulation of adenylosuccinate. At high ZMP concentrations, ZTP accumulates. In addition to these effects on purine metabolism, pyrimidine nucleotide pools are depleted when ZMP accumulates. These results are discussed in relation to the regulation of purine nucleotide synthesis and the use of Z-riboside as a pharmacological intervention in pathophysiological situations.     

Protein kinase inhibitors block the stimulation of the AMP-activated protein kinase by 5-amino-4-imidazolecarboxamide riboside

The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is the central component of a protein kinase cascade that plays a major role in energy sensing. AMPK is activated pharmacologically by 5-amino-4-imidazolecarboxamide (AICA) riboside monophosphate (ZMP), which mimics the effects of AMP on the AMPK cascade. Here we show that uptake of AICA riboside into cells, mediated by the adenosine transport system, is blocked by a number of protein kinase inhibitors. Under these conditions, ZMP does not accumulate to sufficient levels to stimulate AMPK. Our results demonstrate that careful interpretation is required when using AICA riboside in conjunction with protein kinase inhibitors to investigate the physiological role of AMPK.     

Purine deoxynucleosides and adenosine dialdehyde decrease 5-amino-4-imidazolecarboxamide (Z-base)-dependent purine nucleotide synthesis in cultured T and B lymphoblasts.

Deoxyadenosine (dAdo) and deoxyguanosine (dGuo) decrease methionine synthesis from homocysteine in cultured lymphoblasts; because of the possible trapping of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate this could lead to decreased purine nucleotide synthesis. Since purine deoxynucleosides could also inhibit purine synthesis de novo at an early step not involving folate metabolism, we measured in azaserine-treated cells 5-amino-4-imidazolecarboxamide (Z-base)-dependent purine nucleotide synthesis using [14C]formate. In the T lymphoblasts, Z-base-dependent purine nucleotide synthesis was decreased 26% by 0.3 microM-dAdo, 21% by 1 microM-dGuo and 28% by 1 microM-adenosine dialdehyde, a potent S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase inhibitor; homocysteine fully reversed the inhibitions. The B lymphoblasts were considerably less sensitive to the deoxynucleoside-induced decrease in Z-base-dependent purine nucleotide synthesis, with 100 microM-dAdo required for significant inhibition and no inhibition by dGuo at this concentration; homocysteine partly reversed the inhibition by dAdo. The observed decrease in Z-base-dependent purine nucleotide synthesis could not be attributed either to dUMP depletion changing the folate pools or to decreased ATP availability because dUrd was without effect and during the experimental period the intracellular ATP concentration did not change significantly. Cells with 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase deficiency were relatively resistant to inhibition of Z-base-dependent purine nucleotide synthesis by dAdo and adenosine dialdehyde. Our results suggest that deoxynucleosides decrease purine nucleotide synthesis by trapping 5-methyltetrahydrofolate.