Activity of acid deoxyribonuclease towards diastereoisomers of thymidyl 3'-(4-nitrophenyl phosphorothioate). Stereochemistry of transnucleotidylation reaction

The (Rp)- and (Sp)-diastereoisomers of thymidyl 3'-(4-nitrophenyl phosphorothioate) (1) were found to act as unusual substrates for acid deoxyribonuclease (DNase II). Instead of the expected thymidine 3'-phosphorothioate, the product resulting from the reaction of (Rp)-1 catalyzed by DNase II was identified as (Sp, Rp)-thymidyl (3'-5')thymidyl phosphorothioate 3'-(4-nitrophenyl phosphorothioate), while that from (Sp)-1 has been recognized as a 10:1 mixture of (Sp, Rp)-thymidyl (3'-5')thymidyl phosphorothioate 5'-(4-nitrophenyl phosphorothioate) and (Rp, Sp)-thymidyl (3'-5')-thymidyl phosphorothioate 3'-(4-nitrophenyl phosphorothioate), respectively. Both types of transnucleotidylations were found to occur with retention of configuration at phosphorus. Stereochemical results may be interpreted in terms of two step mechanisms involving the formation of the intermediate, covalent substrate enzyme complexes.     

Inhibition of glycogenolysis in isolated rat hepatocytes by the Rp diastereomer of adenosine cyclic 3',5'-phosphorothioate

The diastereomeric forms of adenosine cyclic 3',5'-phosphorothioate, Rp cAMPS and Sp cAMPS, were studied in isolated hepatocytes from fed rats for their ability to interact with the intracellular cAMP-dependent protein kinase and to affect the phosphorylase kinase-phosphorylase glycogenolytic cascade. Incubation of the cells with increasing concentrations of Sp cAMPS produced a concentration-dependent activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase with a concomitant increase in the glycogenolytic rate. Half-maximal and maximal velocities of glycogenolysis were reached at 8 X 10(-7) and 1 X 10(-5) M Sp cAMPS, respectively. Incubation of the cells with 10(-9) to 10(-4) M Rp cAMPS had no effect on basal glucose production or on cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity. Incubation of the cells simultaneously with 3 X 10(-6) M Sp cAMPS and increasing concentrations of Rp cAMPS produced half-maximal inhibition of glycogenolysis at 1 X 10(-5) M Rp cAMPS and maximal inhibition at 1 X 10(-4) M. The concentrations of Sp cAMPS required for half-maximal and maximal activation of glycogenolysis were increased 10-fold when 1 X 10(-5) M Rp cAMPS was present. These data imply that Sp cAMPS is a cAMP-agonist while Rp cAMPS is a cAMP-antagonist.     

The First Stereocontrolled Synthesis of Thiooligoribonucleotide: (RpRp)- and (SpSp)-UpsUpsU

Abstract

An approach to the stereocontrolled synthesis of P-homochiral thiooligoribonucleotide: (Rp,Rp)- and (Sp,Sp)-diastereomers of uridinylyl′(3′, 5′)uridinylyl(3′,5′)uridine di (0,0-phosphorothioate) (9) is decribed. The influence of 2′-protection on the efficiency and stereochemistry of the coupling reaction is discussed.     

Phospholipids chiral at phosphorus. Dramatic effects of phosphorus chirality on the deuterium NMR properties of the choline head group of phospholipids in the liquid crystalline phase

To probe the motional and conformational properties of the choline head group of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-thiophosphocholine (DPPsC), the Rp, Sp, and Rp + Sp isomers of [alpha-D2]DPPsC, [beta-D2]DPPsC, and [delta-D9]DPPsC in the subgel, gel, and liquid crystalline phases were investigated with deuterium NMR, and the results were compared with those of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) labeled at the same positions. In the subgel phase (5 degrees C) all isomers of [alpha-D2]DPPsC and [beta-D2]DPPsC displayed amorphous line shapes characteristic of a restricted and disordered motional environment, whereas [delta-D9]DPPsC showed narrower and symmetric line shapes indicating substantial motions. For all three labeled positions the apparent line width of the Rp isomer is larger than those of Sp and Rp + Sp isomers, and the amorphous line shape of the Rp isomer also persists at 25 and 35 degrees C, which confirm the previous observation that the Rp isomer is unusually stable in the subgel phase and suggest that the Rp isomer is more rigid than the other isomers in the choline head group. In the gel phase (25 and 35 degrees C) narrower and symmetric line shapes were observed for Sp and Rp + Sp isomers, and the apparent line widths were comparable to those of DPPC. In the liquid crystalline phase there are dramatic differences between the spectra of DPPC and different isomers of DPPsC.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Stereoselective synthesis of P-homochiral oligo(thymidine methanephosphonates).

An approach to the stereoselective synthesis of P-homochiral oligo(thymidine methanephosphonates) is described. Fully protected (Rp)- and (Sp)-diastereomers of MMTrTPMeTAC (3) were prepared in the stereospecific reaction of P-chiral nucleotide component 5'-O-monomethoxytritylthymidine 3'-O-[O-(4-nitrophenyl)methanephosphonate] (1) and 3'-O-acetylthmydine (2) bearing activated 5'-hydroxyl function. Deprotection of the 5'-OH group in 3 and subsequent stepwise reactions of activated 5'-OH oligonucleotide components with (Rp)- or (Sp)- isomers of 1 gave the trinucleotide MMTrTPMeTPMeTAC (4) and, subsequently, the tetranucleotide MMTrTPMeTPMeTPMeTAC (5) possessing all (Rp)- or all (Sp)- configurations at their internucleotide methanephosphonate P-atoms.     

P alpha-chiral phosphorothioate analogues of bis(5''-adenosyl)tetraphosphate (Ap4A); their enzymatic synthesis and degradation.

Synthesis of Sp and Rp diastereomers of Ap4A alpha S has been characterized in two enzymatic systems, the lysyl-tRNA synthetase from Escherichia coli and the Ap4A alpha, beta-phosphorylase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The synthetase was able to use both (Sp)ATP alpha S and (Rp)ATP alpha S as acceptors of adenylate thus yielding corresponding monothioanalogues of Ap4A,(Sp) Ap4A alpha S and (Rp)Ap4A alpha S. No dithiophosphate analogue was formed. Relative synthetase velocities of the formation of Ap4A,(Sp) Ap4A alpha S and (Rp)Ap4A alpha S were 1:0.38:0.15, and the computed Km values for (Sp)ATP alpha S and (Rp)ATP alpha S were 0.48 and 1.34 mM, respectively. The yeast Ap4A phosphorylase synthesized (Sp)Ap4A alpha S and (Rp)Ap4A alpha S using adenosine 5'-phosphosulfate (APS) as source of adenylate. The adenylate was accepted by corresponding thioanalogues of ATP. In that system, relative velocities of Ap4A, (Sp)Ap4A alpha S and (Rp)Ap4A alpha S formation were 1:0.15:0.60. The two isomeric phosphorothioate analogues of Ap4A were tested as substrates for the following specific Ap4A-degrading enzymes: (asymmetrical) Ap4A hydrolase (EC 3.6.1.17) from yellow lupin (Lupinus luteus) seeds hydrolyzed each of the analogues to AMP and the corresponding isomer of ATP alpha S; (symmetrical) Ap4A hydrolase (EC 3.6.1.41) from E. coli produced ADP and the corresponding diastereomer of ADP alpha S; and Ap4A phosphorylase (EC 2.7.7.53) from S. cerevisiae cleaved the Rp isomer only at the unmodified end yielding ADP and (Rp)ATP alpha S whereas the Sp isomer was degraded non-specifically yielding a mixture of ADP, (Sp)ADP alpha S, ATP and (Sp)ATP alpha S. For all the Ap4A-degrading enzymes, the Rp isomer of Ap4A alpha S appeared to be a better substrate than its Sp counterpart; stereoselectivity of the three enzymes for the Ap4A alpha S diastereomers is 51, 6 and 2.5, respectively. Basic kinetic parameters of the degradation reactions are presented and structural requirements of the Ap4A-metabolizing enzymes with respect to the potential substrates modified at the Ap4A-P alpha are discussed.     

Inhibition of cGMP-dependent protein kinase by (Rp)-guanosine 3',5'-monophosphorothioates

The activation of the cGMP-dependent protein kinase and cAMP-dependent protein kinase by the diastereomers of guanosine 3',5'-monophosphorothioate, (Sp)-cGMPS and (Rp)-cGMPS, and 8-chloroguanosine 3',5'-monophosphorothioate, (Sp)-8-Cl-cGMPS and (Rp)-8-Cl-cGMPS, was investigated using the peptide Kemptide as substrate. The (Sp)-diastereomers, which have an axial exocyclic sulfur atom, bound to the cGMP-dependent protein kinase and stimulated its phosphotransferase activity. In contrast, the (Rp)-isomers, which have an equatorial exocyclic sulfur atom, bound to the enzyme without stimulation of its activity. (Rp)-cGMPS and (Rp)-8-Cl-cGMPS antagonized the activation of the cGMP-dependent protein kinase with a Ki of 20 microM and 1.5 microM, respectively. (Rp)-cGMPS also antagonized the activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase with a Ki of 20 microM. In contrast, (Rp)-8-cGMPS ws a weak inhibitor of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase with a Ki of 100 microM. (Rp)-8-Cl-cGMPS appears to be a rather selective inhibitor of the cGMP-dependent protein kinase and may be a useful tool for studying the role of cGMP in broken and intact cell systems.     

Enzymatic synthesis of the cAMP antagonist (Rp)-adenosine 3',5'-monophosphorothioate on a preparative scale

(Rp)-Adenosine 3',5'-monophosphorothioate ((Rp)-cAMPS) is a highly specific antagonist of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase from eukaryotic cells and is a very poor substrate for phosphodiesterases. It is therefore a useful tool for investigating the role of cAMP as a second messenger in a variety of biological systems. Taking advantage of stereospecific inversion of configuration around the alpha-phosphate during the adenylate cyclase reaction, we have developed a method for the preparative enzymatic synthesis of the Rp diastereomer of adenosine 3',5'-monophosphorothioate ((Rp)-cAMPS) from the Sp diastereomer of adenosine 5'-O-(1-thiotriphosphate) ((Sp)-ATP alpha S). The adenylate cyclase from Bordetella pertussis, partially purified by calmodulin affinity chromatography, cyclizes (Sp)-ATP alpha S approximately 40-fold more slowly than ATP, but binds (Sp)-ATP alpha S with about 10-fold higher affinity than ATP. The triethylammonium salt of the reaction product can be purified by elution from a gravity flow reversed-phase C18 column with a linear gradient of increasing concentrations of methanol. Yields of the pure (Rp)-cAMPS product of a synthesis with 2 mg of substrate are about 75%.     

Synthesis of d(GC) and d(CG) octamers containing alternating phosphorothioate linkages: effect of the phosphorothioate group on the B-Z transition

The synthesis of four oligonucleotides containing alternating phosphorothioate groups, (Rp)-and (Sp)-d[G(p(S)CpG)3p(S)C] and (Rp)- and (Sp)-d[C(p(S)GpC)p(S)G], by the phosphite approach is described. Silica gel to which 2'(3')-O-acetyluridine and 5'-succinyl groups were bound served as support for oligomer synthesis. The syntheses were carried out by dimer addition with presynthesized diastereomerically pure dinucleoside phosphorothioates as building blocks. The products were characterized by 31P NMR, nuclease P1 digestion, and oxidation to the corresponding all-phosphate-containing oligomers. The ability of each oligomer to adopt the Z conformation under high-salt conditions was screened for by circular dichroism spectroscopy. Both (Rp)-d[G(p(S)CpG)3p(S)C] and (Sp)-d[C(p(S)GpC)3p(S)G] are capable of forming Z-type structures at high NaCl concentrations. In the case of (Rp)-d[G(p(S)CpG)3p(S)C] where a phosphorothioate of the Rp configuration occurs 5' to a deoxycytidine residue, the B----Z transition is potentiated in comparison to the unmodified oligomer. (Sp)-d[G(p(S)CpG)3p(S)C] and (Rp)-d[C(p(S)GpC)3p(S)G] retain the B conformation even at high NaCl concentration.     

Nonionic analogs of oligonucleotide duplexes. Calculations using a molecular mechanics methods of the effect of configuration at the asymmetrical phosphorus atom in phosphonic and triester derivatives of d(TpCH3)6, d(TpOEt)6 on the structure and stability of their complexes with dA6

Molecular mechanical calculations of the optimal structure and relative stability of duplexes of dA6 with non-ionic oligonucleotide analogs of the methylphosphonate d(TpCH3)6 and phosphotriester d(TpOEt)6 have been carried out. Duplexes of dA6 and non-ionic oligonucleotide analogs with Rp enantiomeric configuration of modified phosphorous groups in d(TpCH3) and Sp in d(TpOEt) turned out to be more stable than those with second enantiomeric configurations Sp and Rp, respectively. The main factors of energetic selectivity between Sp and Rp stereoisomers have been found to be steric strains and electrostatic interaction between asymmetric modified phosphate groups and the d-ribose 5' end. NOE generated distances between protons of alkyl substitute and d-ribose H2", H3' have been analysed. The results of the calculations are in agreement with experimental observations.     

The interaction of phosphorothioate analogues of ATP with phosphomevalonate kinase. Kinetic and 31P NMR studies

The diastereomers of adenosine 5'-O-(1-thiotriphosphate) (ATP alpha S), adenosine 5'-O-(2-thiotriphosphate) (ATP beta S), and adenosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (ATP gamma S) could act as substrates for phosphomevalonate kinase in the presence of Mg2+ and Cd2+ as activating divalent metal cations. The Sp diastereomer of ATP alpha S was the preferred substrate regardless of the metal ion used, consistent with the metal ion not binding to the alpha-phosphate. With ATP beta S, the Sp diastereomer was the preferred substrate with Mg2+, and the Rp diastereomer was the preferred substrate with Cd2+. The reversal of specificity establishes that the metal is chelated through the beta-phosphate in the active site of the phosphomevalonate kinase reaction. A comparison of the Vmax values as a function of substitution of oxygen by sulfur showed the order for Mg2+ to be: ATP greater than ATP alpha S(Sp) greater than ATP alpha S(Rp) greater than ATP beta S(Sp) greater than ATP gamma S greater than ATP beta S(Rp). With Cd2+ as the activating metal ion, the order was: ATP greater than ATP alpha S(Sp) greater than ATP alpha S(Rp) greater than ATP beta S(Rp) greater than ATP gamma S greater than ATP beta S(Sp). It is concluded that the chelate structure of metal ATP substrate in the phosphomevalonate kinase reaction is the delta, beta, gamma-bidentate complex. 31P NMR measurements and radioassay with [2-14C] phosphomevalonate were used to measure the equilibrium of the reaction catalyzed by phosphomevalonate kinase with ATP and phosphorothioate analogues of ATP as the phosphoryl group donor. The order as a phosphate donor as determined by both methods in the phosphomevalonate kinase reaction is ATP beta S greater than ATP alpha S greater than ATP greater than ATP gamma S. Except for ATP gamma S, the equilibrium is shifted in the direction of formation of ADP alpha S and ADP beta S relative to ADP formation. Thus, ATP beta S rather than ATP would be effective for the synthesis of diphosphomevalonate. The phosphomevalonate kinase reaction could also be used to synthesize mevalonate 5-(2-thiodiphosphate) using ATP gamma S as the phosphoryl group donor.     

Methylphosphonate Modified DNA Hairpin Loops

Abstract

We synthesized and analyzed DNA hairpin molecules with methylphosphonate linkages of defined stereochemistry in the loop region. Dinucleotide building blocks ApA and TpT (p indicating methylphosphonate linkage with either Rp or Sp configuration) were synthesized, separated into the diastereomers, and incorporated at three positions of the tetraloops 5′-CGCAAAAGCG-3′ and 5′-CGCTTTTGCG-3′. The oligonucleotides were analyzed for their melting behavior. With a Tm of 67.5°C the molecule 5′-CGCAAApAGCG-3′ with a Sp configurated methylphosphonate is distinctly more stable than the Rp configurated one (Tm = 60.5 °C) and the unmodified oligonucleotide (Tm = 64.5 °C). In contrast to double helical DNA where the substitution of a phosphorodiester by a Sp configurated methylphosphonate results in a lower Tm, in DNA hairpin the introduction of Sp and Rp methylphosphonates at specific positions can lead to a stabilization of the structure.     

Synthesis and configurational analysis of a dinucleoside phosphate isotopically chiral at phosphorus. Stereochemical course of Penicillium citrum nuclease P1 reaction

(Rp)- and (Sp)-5'-O-thymidyl 3'-O-thymidyl [18O]phosphates have been synthesized by reaction of the respective (Sp)- and (Rp)-phosphorothioate precursors with N-bromosuccinimide in dioxane and H218O. Stereochemical analysis of the product derived from the (Rp)-phosphorothioate by digestion with snake venom phosphodiesterase in H217O and examination of the isotopic chirality of the resulting thymidine 5'-[16O,17O,18O]phosphate demonstrate that the replacement reaction has proceeded with inversion of configuration at phosphorus. Inspection of the 31P NMR spectrum of the methyl esters prepared from (Sp)-5'-O-thymidyl 3'-O-thymidyl [18O]phosphate confirms that the replacement reaction has proceeded with very little if any racemization. This spectrum also allows the assignment of the absolute configuration of these methyl triesters. (Rp)-5'-O-Thymidyl 3'-O-thymidyl [18O]phosphate has been used to demonstrate that the stereochemical course of the hydrolytic reaction catalyzed by nuclease P1 from Penicillium citrum proceeds with inversion of configuration at phosphorus and therefore probably does not involve the participation of a covalent enzyme intermediate.     

The stereochemical course of the first step of pre-mRNA splicing.

We have determined the effects on splicing of sulfur substitution of the non-bridging oxygens in the phosphodiester bond at the 5' splice site of a pre-mRNA intron. Pre-mRNAs containing stereochemically pure Rp and Sp phosphorothioate isomers were produced by ligation of a chemically synthesized modified RNA oligonucleotide to enzymatically synthesized RAs. When these modified pre-mRNA substrates were tested for in vitro splicing activity in a HeLa cell nuclear extract system, the RNA with the Rp diastereomeric phosphorothioate was not spliced while the Sp diastereomeric RNA spliced readily. The sulfur-containing branched trinucleotide was purified from the splicing reaction of the Sp RNA and analyzed by cleavage with a stereospecific nuclease. The results showed that the Sp phosphorothioate was inverted during the splicing reaction to the Rp configuration; a finding previously obtained for a Group I self-splicing RNA. This inversion of configuration is consistent with a transesterification mechanism for pre-mRNA splicing. The lack of splicing of the Rp modified RNA also suggests that the pro-Rp oxygen at the 5' splice site is involved in a critical chemical contact in the splicing mechanism. Additionally, we have found that the HeLa cell RNA debranching enzyme is inactive on branches containing an Rp phosphorothioate.     

Synergistic inhibition of hepatic glycogenolysis in the presence of insulin and a cAMP antagonist

The effects of insulin on the ability of the specific intracellular cAMP-dependent protein kinase antagonist, the Rp diastereomer of adenosine cyclic 3',5'-phosphorothioate, to inhibit glycogenolysis induced by the Sp diastereomer was studied in hepatocytes isolated from fed rats. Addition of the cAMP agonist, (Sp)-cAMPS, to hepatocytes resulted in a concentration-dependent increase in glycogenolytic glucose production concomitant with the cAMP-dependent activation of phosphorylase and inhibition of glycogen synthase. Activity curves were shifted to the right in the presence of the cAMP antagonist, (Rp)-cAMPS. Preincubation of the hepatocytes with a maximally effective concentration of insulin did not affect the concentration of (Sp)-cAMPS required for half-maximal activation of phosphorylase but did result in a 10-fold shift in the concentration of (Sp)-cAMPS required for half-maximal inactivation of glycogen synthase. Preincubation of hepatocytes with a combination of the cAMP antagonist, (Rp)-cAMPS, and insulin resulted in synergistic inhibition of (Sp)-cAMPS-induced phosphorylase activation, glycogen synthase inactivation, and glycogenolytic glucose production. Since neither phosphorothioate diastereomer was hydrolyzed significantly during the course of the experiments, the synergistic effects of insulin are postulated to be working through a mechanism subsequent to the phosphodiesterase activation step.     

Synthesis and resistance to enzymic hydrolysis of stereochemically-defined phosphonate and thiophosphate analogues of P1,P4-bis(5''-adenosyl) tetraphosphate.

Novel analogues of P1,P4-bis(5'-adenosyl) tetraphosphate, Ap4A (1), have been prepared with sulphur substituents at P1 and P4 and either oxygen or methylene bridges at the P2,P3-position. Separation of three isomers of the ApspCH2ppsA species has been achieved by a combination of mplc and hplc and the Rp,Rp, Rp,Sp, and Sp,Sp diastereoisomers identified on the basis of selective enzymatic hydrolysis using snake venom phosphodiesterase. Each of these three isomers is a strong competitive inhibitor of the specific Ap4Aase from Artemia and is highly resistant to the asymmetric cleavage normally catalysed by this enzyme.     

Effects of the specific cAMP antagonist, (Rp)-adenosine cyclic 3',5'-phosphorothioate, on the cAMP-dependent protein kinase-induced activity of hepatic glycogen phosphorylase and glycogen synthase

The cAMP-dependent protein kinase-induced effects on phosphorylase and glycogen synthase activities and glucose production were studied in hepatocytes isolated from fed rats in the presence of the diastereomers of adenosine cyclic 3',5'-phosphorothioate, (Sp)-cAMPS and (Rp)-cAMPS. Incubation of hepatocytes with (Sp)-cAMPS or glucagon, both of which lead to cAMP-dependent protein kinase activation, resulted in a concentration-dependent increase in glycogen phosphorylase activity and a decrease in glycogen synthase activity. Incubation of hepatocytes with the cAMP-dependent protein kinase antagonist, (Rp)-cAMPS, in the absence of an agonist, had no significant effect on phosphorylase or glycogen synthase activities. Incubation of hepatocytes with a half-maximally inhibitory concentration of (Rp)-cAMPS shifted the agonist-induced activation curves for phosphorylase and the agonist-induced inhibition curves for glycogen synthase to 5-fold higher concentrations for both (Sp)-cAMPS and glucagon. Phosphorylase activity was very sensitive to the rapid, concentration-dependent inhibition by (Rp)-cAMPS of agonist-induced activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase. The effects on phosphorylase activity were observable in 30 s and were concentration-dependent with half-maximal inhibition at 10 microM, similar to that observed for cAMP-dependent protein kinase. In contrast, glycogen synthase activity was less sensitive to (Rp)-cAMPS inhibition of agonist-induced activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase. The effects on glycogen synthase activity lagged behind those on phosphorylase activity and the concentration dependence did not parallel the cAMP-dependent protein kinase effect, but was shifted to higher concentrations of (Rp)-cAMPS with half-maximal inhibition at 60 microM. Glucose (10 to 40 mM) increased the sensitivity of glycogen synthase to (Rp)-cAMPS inhibition of cAMP-dependent protein kinase over a narrow range of agonist concentration, but had no significant effect throughout most of the agonist-induced activation range. Thus, the diastereomers, (Sp)- and (Rp)-cAMPS, influence glycogen metabolism and the glycogenolytic enzymes through their modulation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase levels.     

A stereochemical investigation of the hydrolysis of cyclic AMP and the (Sp)-and (Rp)-diastereoisomers of adenosine cyclic 3'':5''-phosphorothioate by bovine heart and baker''s-yeast cyclic AMP phosphodiesterases.

Bovine heart cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase, which has a requirement for Mg2+, hydrolyses cyclic AMP with inversion of configuration at the phosphorus atom, but only the (Sp)-diastereoisomer of adenosine cyclic 3':5'-phosphorothioate is hydrolysed by this enzyme. By contrast, the low-affinity yeast cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase, which contains tightly bound Zn2+, hydrolyses both the (Sp)- and the (Rp)-diastereoisomers of adenosine cyclic 3':5'-phosphorothioate, the (Rp)-diastereoisomer being the preferred substrate under V max. conditions. Both of the diastereoisomers of adenosine cyclic 3':5'-phosphorothioate, as well as cyclic AMP, are hydrolysed with inversion of configuration at the phosphorus atom by the yeast enzyme. It is proposed that, with both enzymes, the bivalent metal ion co-ordinates with the phosphate residue of the substrate, and that hydrolysis is catalysed by a direct "in-line' mechanism.     

Inhibition of choriogonadotropin-activated steroidogenesis in cultured Leydig tumor cells by the Rp diastereoisomer of adenosine 3',5'-cyclic phosphorothioate

The diastereoisomers of adenosine 3',5'-cyclic phosphorothioate, (Sp)-cAMPS and (Rp)-cAMPS, have been previously shown to act as agonists and antagonists, respectively, in the activation of several mammalian cAMP-dependent protein kinases. In an effort to characterize further the involvement of cAMP in the activation of Leydig cell steroidogenesis by lutropin/choriogonadotropin (LH/CG), we examined the effects of these cyclic nucleotide analogues on a clonal strain of cultured murine Leydig tumor cells (designated MA-10). Our results show that (i) (Sp)-cAMPS activates and (Rp)-cAMPS inhibits the isolated cAMP-dependent protein kinase of the MA-10 cells; (ii) both analogues inhibit the isolated cAMP phosphodiesterase(s); (iii) (Sp)-cAMPS activates steroid biosynthesis in intact cells, but (Rp)-cAMPS does not; and (iv) (Rp)-cAMPS is a competitive inhibitor of the activation of steroidogenesis by (Sp)-cAMPS, 8-bromo-cAMP, human CG, cholera toxin, and forskolin. However, (Rp)-cAMPS is a more effective inhibitor when steroidogenesis is activated by (Sp)-cAMPS or 8-bromo-cAMP than when it is activated by human CG, cholera toxin, or forskolin. This difference appears to be related to the combined effects of (Rp)-cAMPS on the cAMP-dependent protein kinases and cAMP phosphodiesterase(s). We conclude that cAMP is a quantitatively important mediator of the activation of steroidogenesis by LH/CG even at low concentrations of hormone where an increase in steroid biosynthesis cannot be easily correlated with increased cAMP accumulation. Thus, our data indicate that if other second messengers are involved in the activation of steroidogenesis by LH/CG, they must do so by acting together with, rather than independently of, cAMP.