Azapyrimidine analogues: Inhibition of viral DNA synthesis and protein synthesis in SV40 infected BSC-1 cells

Summary The replication of simian virus 40 DNA and protein synthesis in BSC-1 cells was analyzed in vitro after treatment with 5,6-dihydro-5-azacytidine (DH-5-AzaCR) or 5-azacytidine (5-AzaCR). Results demonstrated that after a 3-h treatment period with 100 μg/ml, DH-5-AzaCR exhibited a 77% inhibition of viral DNA synthesis, whereas 5-AzaCR resulted in a 50% inhibition. Stimulation of DNA synthesis occurred when infected cultures were treated with low doses (0.1 to 0.5 μg/ml) of 5-AzaCR for 3h and after 1 and 2 h of treatment with 100 μg/ml of 5-AzaCR; however, stimulation did not occur with DH-5-AzaCR. DNA synthesized in the presence of either drug demonstrated altered conformations when analyzed on agarose gels; however this alteration was negligible after DH-5-AzaCR treatment, but more pronounced in the presence of 5-AzaCR. Restriction enzyme analysis suggests that DH-5-AzaCR may not be a hypomethylating agent as is 5-AzaCR. Inhibition of total protein synthesis (cellular and viral) was essentially complete 6 h after treatment with DH-5-AzaCR, whereas 5-AzaCR completely inhibited protein synthesis after 3 h. These data indicate that 5-AzaCR does not exhibit a direct dose relationship to the inhibition of DNA synthesis whereas DH-5-AzaCR may show some dose relationship, and that DH-5-AzaCR is a more potent inhibitor of DNA synthesis as compared to 5-AzaCR. This work was supported by grant RR08005, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD. Presented in part before the 87th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, Atlanta, GA. April 1–6, 1987.     

Inhibition of DNA synthesis in adrenocortical cells by cytochalasin B

ACTH inhibits DNA synthesis in normal rat and mouse tumor Y-1 adrenocortical cells within the same concentration range that it stimulates steroidogenesis. These processes can be independently regulated as demonstrated by the divergent actions of cytochalasin B on these cells. In the normal cells, cytochalasin B does not increase steroidogenesis in serum-free or serum-containing media, and it decreases the stimulation produced by ACTH. In the absence of serum, the Y-1 cells respond in a similar way. However, in serum-containing media, cytochalasin B increases steroidogenesis in these cells and does not inhibit the response to ACTH. In both cell types, cytochalasin B inhibits [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA by a mechanism different than that of ACTH. In the Y-1 cells, this inhibition is caused by a decreased uptake of [3H]thymidine into the cell, which probably reflects a decreased transport across the cell membrane. In the normal cells, cytochalasin B, like ACTH, does not affect [3H]thymidine transport, but it decreases DNA synthesis much more rapidly than does ACTH. This inhibition may be the result of the disruption of microfilaments by cytochalasinB, because our evidence indicates that it is not caused by a decrease in glucose uptake by the cells.     

Inhibition of DNA synthesis by methylglyoxal bis(guanylhydrazone) during lymphocyte transformation

The phytohemagglutinin induced DNA synthesis in guinea pig lymph node cells was inhibited remarkably by methylglyoxal bis(guanylhydrazone). This inhibitory effect was dependent on the time of its addition to the lymph node cell culture after stimulation with phytohemagglutinin. If methylglyoxal bis(guanylhydrazone) was added 48 hr after the stimulation, no inhibition of DNA synthesis was observed. Exogenous spermidine added at an early time of cell culture reversed the inhibitory effect of methylglyoxal bis(guanylhydrazone). However, no reversion occurred when spermidine was added at a late time of the cell culture.     

Inhibition of DNA synthesis in permeabilized L cells by novobiocin

Novobiocin was equipotent in inhibiting DNA and RNA synthesis in cultured mouse L cells. It also suppressed in vitro DNA and RNA synthesis in permeabilized L cells and nuclei; 50 percent inhibition of DNA and RNA synthesis was obtained by 1 mM and 20 mM novobiocin, respectively. ATP antagonized the effect of novobiocin. Nalidixic acid had a weak inhibitory effect on in vitro DNA synthesis; 10 mM nalidixic acid showed 60 percent inhibition. ATP did not antagonize nalidixic acid. The inhibitory effect of novobiocin exceeded that of aphidicolin. These findings suggest a participation of a gyrase- and/or type II topoisomerase-like enzyme in the DNA replication machinery in L cells.     

Inhibition of DNA synthesis in varicella-zoster virus-infected cells by BV-araU.

The inhibitory effect of BV-araU on DNA synthesis in human embryonic lung cells infected with varicella-zoster virus (VZV) or herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) was compared with that of acyclovir. Cellular uptake of [3H]thymidine and its incorporation into DNA was markedly stimulated by the infection with VZV or HSV-1, suggesting that the incorporation was mainly due to viral DNA synthesis. DNA synthesis in VZV-infected cells was dose-dependently suppressed by BV-araU and acyclovir, although cellular uptake of [3H]thymidine decreased in cells treated with a high concentration of drugs for an extended time. DNA synthesis in HSV-1-infected cells was also markedly inhibited by both drugs in a dose-dependent manner, without affecting cellular uptake of [3H]thymidine. The concentration of drugs inhibiting DNA synthesis was well correlated to their in vitro anti-VZV and anti-HSV-1 activities. The inhibitory concentration of BV-araU for DNA synthesis in VZV-infected cells was one-thousandth of that of acyclovir. Our results suggest that the antiviral action of BV-araU against VZV and HSV-1 is based on the inhibition of DNA synthesis in herpesvirus-infected cells.     

Inhibition of DNA synthesis by protein kinase C-activating phorbol esters in NIH/3T3 cells

Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) plus insulin induced DNA synthesis in and proliferation of NIH/3T3 cells. The protein kinase C-activating phorbol ester, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), inhibited both the DNA synthesis and cell proliferation induced by FGF plus insulin. The concentration of TPA required for 50% inhibition of the DNA synthesis was about 5 nM. Phorbol-12,13-dibutyrate, another protein kinase C-activating phorbol ester, also inhibited the DNA synthesis but 4 alpha-phorbol-12,13-didecanoate, known to be inactive for this enzyme, was ineffective. DNA synthesis started at about 12 h after the addition of FGF plus insulin. The inhibitory action of TPA on the DNA synthesis was observed when it was added within 12 h after the addition of FGF plus insulin. These results suggest that phorbol esters exhibit an antiproliferative action through protein kinase C activation in NIH/3T3 cells, and that this action of phorbol esters is due to inhibition of the progression from the late G1 to the S phase of the cell cycle.     

Inhibition of protein synthesis by Cl-

Optimum K+ concentration for protein synthesis in four eukaryotic cell-free systems is obtained with 70 to 80 mM added KCl or with 110 to 150 mM added K(OAc). The different K+ optima are due to inhibition of protein synthesis by Cl- at concentrations higher than those present in the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells. Initiation of protein synthesis is severely inhibited with 150 mM added KCl. This inhibition results from an impairment of mRNA binding to ribosomes. The binding of initiator Met-tRNAt, however, is only slightly inhibited by 150 mM KCl.     

Inhibition of protein and DNA synthesis in tissue culture cells by a derivative of methyl glyoxal and ascorbate

The inhibitory effect of a methyl glyoxal-ascorbate (MGA) adduct (NFCR 278021) on protein and DNA synthesis in monolayer cultures of GPK epithelial cells has been compared with the inhibitory action of methyl glyoxal (MG). GPK cells exhibited an ID₅₀ of 0.98 μM MG for both protein and DNA synthesis compared with an ID₅₀ of 0.92 mM for the adduct. Hill plots demonstrate that the characteristics of the receptor saturation are the same for MG and MGA, suggesting that the action of the two agents is mediated through the MG moiety which is modified by the presence of the ascorbate portion of the molecule in MGA. It is shown that MGA undergoes spontaneous oxidation in solution and is a substrate for ascorbate oxidase, but that no additional MG activity is released by total enzymic oxidation of MGA, and oxidised MGA possesses the same inhibitory characteristics as MGA. Inhibition of protein synthesis by ascorbate or dehydroascorbate were not demonstrated in the dose range employed for MGA. The inhibitory effect of the adduct on protein synthesis was found to be diminished in the presence of glutathione and glyoxalase I (Glo I) and II (Glo II).     

Inhibition by 2-deoxy-D-ribose of DNA synthesis and growth in Raji cells

When Raji cells were cultured for 3 days in serum-free medium, addition of 2-deoxy-D-ribose at the start of culture inhibited incorporation of [3H]thymidine and cell division. At deoxyribose concentrations between 1 and 5 mM, viability was 80% or greater after 3 days of culture even though 5 mM deoxyribose inhibited thymidine incorporation 95-99%. Inhibition by deoxyribose could be completely reversed if the culture medium was replaced with fresh medium up to 8 hr after the start of culture. The inhibition was specific for deoxyribose since other monosaccharides had no effect. Inhibition of DNA synthesis did not appear to be due to depletion of essential nutrients in the medium since the percentage inhibition of thymidine incorporation by cells cultured either in suboptimal serum-free media or in media supplemented with 0.025-5% human AB serum was similar. When DNA repair synthesis was measured as hydroxyurea-resistant thymidine incorporation, addition of deoxyribose to Raji cultures caused increased thymidine incorporation. These results, together with data from others, suggest that deoxyribose damages DNA.