The pro-oligonucleotide approach: solid phase synthesis and preliminary evaluation of model pro-dodecathymidylates.

A modified phosphoramidite method has been designed for the solid-phase synthesis of two dodecathymidine phosphotriesters and two dodecathymidine thionophosphotriesters. In these analogs, each internucleoside link bears an S -acyl-2-thioethyl (Me-SATE or tBu-SATE) group removable upon esterase activation. Efficient synthesis of these lipophilic analogs was achieved thanks to the use of a photolabile linker anchored to the solid support in combination with thymidine-3'- O -phosphoramidites having a SATE group in place of the regular 2-cyanoethyl one. Both dodecathymidine phosphotriester and thionophosphotriester having S -acetyl-2-thioethyl groups were found to be stable in the presence of snake venom and calf spleen phosphodiesterases whereas, upon incubation in CEM cell extracts, they were selectively hydrolyzed to the anionic parent dodecathymidylate and dodecathymidine phosphorothioate, respectively. In addition, Me-SATE-protected dodecathymidine thionophosphotriester was stable in mouse and human sera as well as in human gastric juice. These results depict the potential of SATE-protected oligonucleotides as prodrugs of antisense oligonucleotides.     

Regional and Subcellular Distribution in Mammalian Brain of the Enzymes Producing Adenosine

The activities of 5'-nucleotidase, 2'-nucleotidase, alkaline phosphatase, and acid phosphatase were measured in rat and autopsied human brains. The four phosphatases in the rat brain showed little change in activity after death. The activities of adenosine-producing enzymes were compared in various parts of rat and human brains. When phosphatase activity was measured at pH 7.5, 5'-nucleotidase showed the highest activity in the most parts of the brain. The activity of 2'-nucleotidase and that of nonspecific phosphatase were almost the same at pH 7.5. However, higher phosphatase activity was observed in all parts of the brain when nonspecific phosphatase activity was measured at pH 10.0 or 5.5. High specific activity of 5'-nucleotidase in the brain was detected in the membranous components, especially in the synaptic membranes. The activity of 2'-nucleotidase was distributed in the soluble and synaptosomal fractions. The highest activity of both alkaline and acid phosphatases was recovered in the crude mitochondrial fraction, with the highest specific activity in the microsomal fraction. Phosphatase activity was distributed widely in the rat brain. The activity of 5'-nucleotidase was high in the medulla oblongata, thalamus, and hippocampus, but low in the peripheral nerve, spinal cord, and occipital lobe. The activity of 2'-nucleotidase was high in the vermis and frontal lobe. The highest acid and alkaline phosphatase activities were detected in the frontal lobe and in the olfactory bulb, respectively. The distribution of the four phosphatases in the autopsied human brain was similar to that in the rat brain. The highest 5'-nucleotidase activity was observed in the temporal lobe and thalamus.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

A novel non-radioactive method for detection of nucleoside analog phosphorylation by 5'-nucleotidase.

Cytosolic 5'-nucleotidase has been implicated in the phosphorylation of certain nucleosides of therapeutic interest. In vitro, IMP and GMP serve as the optimal phosphate donors for this nucleoside phosphotransferase reaction. Existing assays for nucleoside phosphorylation effected by 5'-nucleotidase require a radiolabeled nucleoside as the phosphate acceptor and separation of the substrate-nucleoside from product-nucleotide has been accomplished either by a filter binding method or HPLC. However, detection of the phosphorylation of unlabeled nucleoside by HPLC is difficult since the ultraviolet absorbance of the phosphate donor, IMP, frequently obscures the absorbance of newly formed nucleotide. The use of ribavirin 5'-phosphate (RMP, 1,2,4-triazole-3-carboxamide riboside 5-monophosphate) as the phosphate donor obviates this difficulty since this triazole heterocycle does not significantly absorb at the wavelengths used to detect most nucleoside analogs. Using this procedure, a 5'-nucleotidase activity from the 100,000 x g supernatant fraction of human T-lymphoblasts deficient in adenosine kinase, hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase, and deoxycytidine kinase, was characterized with regard to structure-activity relationships for certain inosine and guanosine analogs.     

Alterations of purine salvage pathways during differentiation of rat heart myoblasts towards myocytes

Enzyme activities of purine catabolism and salvage, the concentrations of high-energy phosphates and the reutilisation of purine bases and purine nucleosides were studied in rat heart myoblasts and myocytes. Rat heart myoblasts H9c2(2-1) were grown in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's minimum essential medium supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum. Reduction of fetal calf serum to 2% for 1 week resulted in a differentiation into myocytes with respect to their morphological features and their enzyme pattern. In differentiated myocytes, activity of 5'-nucleotidase was increased more than 2-fold, and AMP deaminase and creatine kinase activities were more than 10-fold elevated. The concentration of creatine phosphate in differentiated myocytes was doubled compared to that in myoblasts. The uptake into myoblasts and myocytes and the incorporation into adenine nucleotides was highest using adenosine, inosine and adenine uptake rates were intermediate, and hypoxanthine was utilised least. Differentiation of myoblasts into myocytes resulted in a slightly lower overall uptake of adenosine and adenine, whereas about 40% more inosine and hypoxanthine were utilised by myocytes. Increasing the phosphate concentration in the incubation medium up to 50 mmol/l resulted in a stimulation of uptake of all purine compounds tested. This stimulation was more pronounced in myoblasts.     

Control of the production and partial characterization of repressible extracellular 5'-nucleotidase and alkaline phosphatase in Neurospora crass.

A new species of orthophosphate repressible extracellular 5'-nucleotidase (5'-ribonucleotide phosphohydrolase, EC 3.1.3.5) was found to be released into mycelial culture media when a wild type strain of Neurospora crassa was grown on limiting amounts of phosphate. The production of 5'-nucleotidase and extracellular acid and alkaline phosphatase was inhibited by the addition of rifampicin when it was added at the later stage of mycelial growth, but not when it was added at a very early stage. The 5'-nucleotidase and extracellular alkaline phosphatase were partially purified and characterized. pH optimum of the former was 6.8 and that of the latter was higher than 10.0. The 5'-nucleotidase activity was inhibited by ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) and ZnCl2 at pH 6.8 and stimulated by MnCl2 and CoCl2 at pH 4.0. Alkaline phosphatase activity was stimulated by EDTA, MgCl2, CoCl2 and MnCl2. 5'-nucleotidase activity was stimulated by EDTA, MgCl2, CoCl2 and MnCl2. 5'-nucleotidase hydrolyzed various 5'-nucletides but not 3'-nucleotides or other various phosphomono- and diester compounds. Alkaline phosphatase hydrolyzed all the phosphomonoester compounds tested. Mutants, nuc-1 and nuc-2, which were originally isolated by the inability to utilize RNA or DNA as a sole source of phosphate, were unable to produce 5'-nucleotidase or six other repressible enzymes reported previously. These mutants showed no or significantly reduced growth on orthophosphate-free nucleotide media depending on the number of conidia inoculated, mainly because of loss of ability to produce these repressible extracellular phosphatases.     

Ultracytochemical detection of nucleoside phosphatase activity in human peripheral blood cells

The authors elaborated and described the optimum conditions for fixation, incubation and preparation of human blood cell samples in minimum quantities for ultrastructural and ultracytochemical investigations of 5'-nucleotidase and ATPase activities. The best preservation of the blood cell ultrastructure was obtained after fixation with buffered 1% glutaraldehyde solution followed by postfixation in buffered 1% OsO4 solution. The best ultracytochemical demonstration of 5'-nucleotidase and ATPase activities was achieved after fixation in buffered 2% formaldehyde prior to cytochemical incubation. DMSO added to either fixation or incubation media was shown to damage the plasmalemma and glycocalyx structure in cell suspensions. ATPase in 5'-nucleotidase activities were revealed in plasmalemma, cytoplasmic reticulum, Golgi complex, mitochondria and in the nuclei, in particular, in the perinuclear space, nucleolus and chromatin. With respect to the localization and activity of nucleosidephosphatases, lymphocytes proved to be most heterogenic, with the enzyme activity level directly depending on the rate of ultrastructural differentiation in lymphocytes.     

Nucleoside phosphotransferase activity of human colon carcinoma cytosolic 5'-nucleotidase.

A cytosolic 5'-nucleotidase, acting preferentially on IMP and GMP, has been isolated from human colon carcinoma extracts. This enzyme activity catalyzes also the transfer of the phosphate group of 5'-nucleoside monophosphates (mainly, 5'-IMP, 5'-GMP, and their deoxycounterparts) to nucleosides (preferentially inosine and deoxyinosine, but also nucleoside analogs, such as 8-azaguanosine and 2',3'-dideoxyinosine). It has been proposed that the enzyme mechanism involves the formation of a phosphorylated enzyme as an intermediate which can transfer the phosphate group either to water or to the nucleoside. The enzyme is activated by some effectors, such as ATP and 2,3-diphosphoglycerate. Results indicate that the effect of these activators is mainly to favor the transfer of the phosphate of the phosphorylated intermediate to the nucleoside (i.e., the nucleoside phosphotransferase activity). This finding is in accordance with previous suggestions that cytosolic 5'-nucleotidase cannot be considered a pure catabolic enzyme.     

Structure of pyrimidine 5'-nucleotidase type 1. Insight into mechanism of action and inhibition during lead poisoning

Eukaryotic pyrimidine 5'-nucleotidase type 1 (P5N-1) catalyzes dephosphorylation of pyrimidine 5'-mononucleotides. Deficiency of P5N-1 activity in red blood cells results in nonspherocytic hemolytic anemia. The enzyme deficiency is either familial or can be acquired through lead poisoning. We present the crystal structure of mouse P5N-1 refined to 2.35 A resolution. The mouse P5N-1 has a 92% sequence identity to its human counterpart. The structure revealed that P5N-1 adopts a fold similar to enzymes of the haloacid dehydrogenase superfamily. The active site of this enzyme is structurally highly similar to those of phosphoserine phosphatases. We propose a catalytic mechanism for P5N-1 that is also similar to that of phosphoserine phosphatases and provide experimental evidence for the mechanism in the form of structures of several reaction cycle states, including: 1) P5N-1 with bound Mg(II) at 2.25 A, 2) phosphoenzyme intermediate analog at 2.30 A, 3) product-transition complex analog at 2.35 A, and 4) product complex at 2.1A resolution with phosphate bound in the active site. Furthermore the structure of Pb(II)-inhibited P5N-1 (at 2.35 A) revealed that Pb(II) binds within the active site in a way that compromises function of the cationic cavity, which is required for the recognition and binding of the phosphate group of nucleotides.     

Stability of antisense DNA oligodeoxynucleotide analogs in cellular extracts and sera

Antisense DNA oligodeoxynucleotides can selectively inhibit the expression of individual (undesirable) genes and thus, have potential in the treatment of cancer and viral diseases. A prerequisite to their use as therapeutic agents is information on the stability of oligodeoxynucleotides, and their structurally modified analogs, in the biological milieu. To this end, degradation of 5' end and internally [32P] labelled unmodified DNA oligodeoxynucleotide (D-oligo) and analogs containing phosphorothioate (S-oligo), methylphosphonate (MP-oligo), and novel alternating methylphosphonate and phosphodiester (Alt-MP-oligo) internucleoside linkages was studied in Hela cell nuclear extract, S100 cytoplasmic extract, normal human serum and calf serum at 37 degrees C. Both 5' end and internally labelled D-oligos showed complete degradation within 30 min incubation in human serum at 37 degrees C. In any given medium, the D-oligo was the least stable oligodeoxynucleotide to nuclease degradation whereas the Alt-MP, MP and S-oligos were generally of comparable stability and all relatively more stable than D-oligo. Interestingly, MP and Alt-MP-oligos also exhibited greater resistance to phosphatases in cellular extracts compared to D and S-oligos. Under the conditions of the experiments, increasing degradation for any given oligonucleotide was observed in the order: S100 cytoplasmic extract less than nuclear extract less than normal human serum less than calf serum. In a study involving alpha-MEM cell culture medium containing 10% heat inactivated fetal calf serum (heated to 56 degrees C for 1 hour), the D-oligo was found to be rapidly degraded (degradation evident within 10 mins) whereas degradation products for the S-oligo were observed within 1 hour. In contrast, the Alt-MP oligo remained stable throughout the 3 hour experiment. These results indicated that in cell culture medium containing heat inactivated serum Alt-MP oligo was more stable than D- and S-oligos.     

5'-deoxy-5'-thioanalogs of adenosine and inosine 5'-monophosphate: studies with 5'-nucleotidase and alkaline phosphatase

The interaction of 5'-deoxy-5'-thioadenosine 5'-monophosphate (A(S)MP) and 5'-deoxy-5'-thioinosine 5'-monophosphate (I(S)MP) with snake venom, 5'nucleotidase, and calf intestinal mucosa alkaline phosphatase has been characterized. The substrates, A(S)MP and I(S)MP, are analogs of adenosine 5'-monophosphate and inosine 5'-monophosphate in which sulfur replaces oxygen as the bridge between the 5'-carbon of the ribose and the phosphorous. The P-S bond of both A(S)MP and I(S)MP was hydrolyzed by alkaline phosphatase producing the corresponding thionucleoside as a reaction product. The Km for A(S)MP was 270 microM and the V for alkaline phosphatase was 110 nmol/min/mg (8% of the V for AMP), whereas the corresponding values for I(S)MP were 300 microM and 530 nmol/min/mg protein, respectively. In contrast, 5'-nucleotidase did not catalyze hydrolysis of either A(S)MP or I(S)MP. A(S)MP and I(S)MP were competitive inhibitors of the 5'-nucleotidase hydrolysis of AMP and IMP, respectively, with Ki values of 975 and 13 microM. Decreasing the pH of the reaction from 8.1 to 7.1 lowered the Ki for I(S)MP by 100-fold, to a value of 0.15 microM.     

The 5′-Nucleotidases and Cyclic Phosphodiesterases (3′-Nucleotidases) of the Enterobacteriaceae

All members of the Enterobacteriaceae possess distinct 5'-nucleotidases and cyclic phosphodiesterases (3'-nucleotidases) that can be differentiated from the acid and alkaline phosphatases and the acid sugar hydrolases. The nucleotidases and cyclic phosphodiesterases of the various Enterobacteriaceae are remarkably similar in properties. All of the 5'-nucleotidases hydrolyze 5'-nucleotides, adenosine triphosphate, and uridine diphosphoglucose. Their pH optimum is from 5.7 to 6.1. The cyclic phosphodiesterases hydrolyze 3'-nucleotides, cyclic phosphonucleotides, bis-(p-nitrophenyl)phosphate, and p-nitrophenylphosphate. Their pH optimum is from 7.2 to 7.8. For both enzymes, cobalt showed optimal metal stimulation. An intracellular protein inhibitor for the 5'-nucleotidase is present in all of the Enterobacteriaceae. No inhibitor of cyclic phosphodiesterase activity exists, although hydrolysis of both cyclic phosphonucleotides and 3'-nucleotides is inhibited by ribonucleic acid. Neither of the enzymes is subject to control by phosphate level or by catabolite repression. Of the other bacteria studied, only Haemophilus and Bacillus subtilis contained significant 3'- or 5'-nucleotidase activity.     

Membrane-bound 5'-nucleotidase in marine luminous bacteria: biochemical and immunological properties

A novel 5'-nucleotidase previously described in halophilic Vibrio costicola was detected in marine Vibrio and Photobacterium strains. The enzyme of marine bacteria was similar in its properties to the 5'-nucleotidase of Vibrio costicola; it was outwardly oriented in the cytoplasmic membrane and dephosphorylated nucleoside 5'-tri-, di-, and mono-phosphates to respective nucleosides before uptake. The enzyme in marine strains was immunologically cross-reactive with the antibody raised against the purified 5'-nucleotidase of Vibrio costicola. The uptake of the products of ATP hydrolysis was studied in Vibrio harveyi, and it was shown that both adenosine and inorganic phosphate released upon the action of 5'-nucleotidase were rapidly taken up by the cell.     

Stereochemistry of the hydrolysis of adenosine 5'-thiophosphate catalyzed by venom 5'-nucleotidase

The stereochemical problem involving a pro-pro-prochiral phosphorus center, the hydrolysis of adenosine 5'-monophosphate to adenosine and inorganic phosphate catalyzed by the venom 5'-nucleotidase, has been studied by use of chiral [16O, 17O, 18O]thiophosphates (Psi). (Rp)- and (Sp)-[alpha-18O1]Adenosine 5'-thiophosphates (AMPS) were synthesized by a combined chemical and biochemical procedure. Hydrolysis of (Rp)- and (Sp)-[alpha-18O1]AMPS in H217O by 5'-nucleotidase gave two enantiomers of chiral Psi of unknown configuration. A 31P NMR method based on the combination of the quadrupolar effect of 17O [Tsai, M.-D. (1979) Biochemistry 18, 1468-1472] and the 18O isotope shift [Cohn, M., & Hu. A. (1978) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 75, 200-203] has been developed to analyze the configuration of chiral Pso. The results indicate that hydrolysis of (Rp)- and (Sp)-[alpha-18O1]AMPS in H217O gave (R)- and (S)- [16O, 17O, 18O]Psi, respectively. Therefore the hydrolysis of AMPS catalyze by the venom 5'-nucleotidase must proceed with inversion of configuration at phosphorus, which suggests that the reaction is most likely an "in line" single displacement without involving a phosphoryl-enzyme intermediate and without pseudorotation.     

Enzyme-histochemical identification of lymphatic vessels by light and backscattered image scanning electron microscopy

The walls of lymphatics are characterized by strong 5'-nucleotidase activity, whereas those of blood capillaries reveal significantly lower or no activity. Alkaline phosphatase activity, on the other hand, is markedly higher in blood capillaries than in lymphatic vessels. On the basis of such characteristics, lymphatics and blood capillaries were distinguished histochemically in rat stomach using 5'-nucleotidase-alkaline phosphatase double staining. The distribution and intensity of lead-demonstrated 5'-nucleotidase activity in lymphatic vessels could be determined by comparing the images of the same histochemically stained cryostat section as seen by light and backscattered image scanning electron microscopy. The specificity of the 5'-nucleotidase reaction was obtained by inhibiting nonspecific alkaline phosphatase by including L-tetramisole in the 5'-nucleotidase incubation medium. The products of the 5'-nucleotidase activity were deposited on the outer surface of the plasma membrane of the lymphatic endothelial cells.     

Enzyme-Histochemical Identification of Lymphatic Vessels by Light and Backscattered Image Scanning Electron Microscopy

The walls of lymphatics are characterized by strong 5'-nucleotidase activity, whereas those of blood capillaries reveal significantly lower or no activity. Alkaline phosphatase activity, on the other hand, is markedly higher in blood capillaries than in lymphatic vessels. On the basis of such characteristics, lymphatics and blood capillaries were distinguished histochemically in rat stomach using 5'-nucleotidase-alkaline phosphatase double staining. The distribution and intensity of lead-demonstrated 5'-nucleotidase activity in lymphatic vessels could be determined by comparing the images of the same histochemically stained cryostat section as seen by light and backscattered image scanning electron microscopy. The specificity of the 5'-nucleotidase reaction was obtained by inhibiting nonspecific alkaline phosphatase by including L-tetramisole in the 5'-nucleotidase incubation medium. The products of the 5'-nucleotidase activity were deposited on the outer surface of the plasma membrane of the lymphatic endothelial cells.     

CYTOCHEMICAL LOCALIZATION OF 5''-NUCLEOTIDASE IN SUBCELLULAR FRACTIONS ISOLATED FROM RAT LIVER : I. The Origin of 5''-Nucleotidase Activity in Microsomes

A procedure has been developed for the cytochemical localization of 5'-nucleotidase in isolated, unfixed, rat liver microsomes. Membranes were incubated with adenosine 5'-phosphate (5'-AMP) and Pb(NO₃)₂ and then isolated on sucrose density gradients: all the phosphate released was recovered with the membranes by this procedure. Adenosine 2'-phosphate (2'-AMP) and adenosine 3', 5'-cyclic phosphate (3',5'-AMP) were shown to be competitive inhibitors, but not substrates, for purified 5'-nucleotidase and were employed to determine the specificity of the cytochemical reaction. It was found that the incubation conditions for the cytochemical assay did not affect the specificity of 5'-nucleotidase. Microsomes incubated as controls with Pb²⁺, or Pb²⁺ and 2'-AMP or 3',5'-AMP were of the same density, although slightly denser than microsomes incubated without Pb²⁺, and were unassociated with lead precipitate when examined by electron microscopy; microsomes incubated with Pb²⁺ and 5'-AMP were much denser and were stained heterogeneously with lead phosphate when examined by electron microscopy. Precipitates formed artificially from Pb²⁺ and inorganic phosphate did not resemble the reaction product. Microsomes were, therefore, separated on sucrose gradients and the subfractions were examined cytochemically. Lead precipitates were associated with the majority of rough-surfaced vesicles, and the reaction product was distributed heterogeneously in all fractions. Vesicles which stained like the membranes of the bile canaliculi in isolated plasma membranes were observed in the lightest subfraction. The reaction product was localized on the outside surface of the microsomal membranes, and was solubilized by low concentrations of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. It is concluded that 5'-nucleotidase is present in the endoplasmic reticulum and that the microsome fraction contains, in addition, vesicles derived from the plasma membrane.     

Absence of 5'-nucleotidase in porcine polymorphonuclear leucocyte membranes

A fraction enriched in plasma membranes from porcine polymorphonuclear leucocytes, isolated by sucrose density centrifugation was shown to possess considerable AMP hydrolysing activity (150 nmol/min per mg protein). However all of this activity could be inhibited using excess p-nitrophenyl phosphate in the incubation medium. Furthermore the hydrolysis of AMP by the membrane was unaffected by the 5'-nucleotidase inhibitor alpha, beta-methyleneadenosine diphosphate and by the lectin concanavalin A, another potent inhibitor of 5'-nucleotidase. An antibody against mouse liver 5'-nucleotidase also did not inhibit the activity. These results suggest that the hydrolysis of AMP by porcine polymorph membranes is not accomplished by a specific 5'-nucleotidase and the necessity for distinguishing between true 5'-nucleotidase and non-specific phosphatase activity is discussed.     

Insulin and C-peptide secretion from B cells in human subjects stimulated with glucose

Two groups of immunoreactive insulin in human sera were reported by Kakita et al. (4), using gel chromatography after acid-alcohol extraction. These analogs were noted not only in circulating human sera but also in incubation medium and incubated human pancreas. The release of these insulin analogs was discussed in a previous report (5). The circulating C-peptide immunoreactivity was separated into two groups on a Bio-Gel column, and the early peak should not be proinsulin but an associated C peptide (6). These analogs of insulin were separated by the methods of ion-exchange chromatography, isoelectric focusing, gel electrophoresis, and gel chromatography. Immunoreactive insulin was also separated into two major bands by standard polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The fast migrating band corresponds to the rat insulin II position, and the slower corresponds to rat insulin I, which has one more basic amino acid residue in comparison with rat insulin II. Further studies have been performed in five healthy adults in order to elucidate the physiological relationship between analogs of insulin and C-peptide peak substances in human serum; the results are reported in this paper with a consideration of the mechanism of insulin secretion.     

Prenatal exposure to alcohol alters the Golgi apparatus of newborn rat hepatocytes: a cytochemical study

The effect of prenatal exposure to ethanol on the Golgi apparatus of newborn rat hepatocytes has been studied cytochemically using several trans-Golgi markers (thiamine pyrophosphatase, uridine diphosphatase, inosine diphosphatase, acid phosphatase, and 5'-nucleotidase) as well as a cis-side marker (osmium impregnation). The amount of cerium phosphate formed in the cytochemical reactions was roughly quantitated by stereologic methods. The Golgi apparatus of about 40% of the hepatocytes appeared disorganized after alcohol treatment, and in the other 60%, the electron density of reaction product deposits for all phosphatases investigated was decreased. 5'-Nucleotidase was completely absent in cisternae of Golgi apparatus of treated cells. In control cells impregnated with osmium tetroxide, reduced osmium compounds were observed in most Golgi cisternae and in nearby vesicles. In contrast, only small vesicles appeared positive in treated hepatocytes. These results suggest that prenatal alcohol exposure alters some Golgi functions. Thus, the decrease in nucleoside diphosphatase and 5'-nucleotidase cytochemical activities after ethanol exposure strongly suggests that this treatment could affect glycosylation in the Golgi apparatus of newborn rat hepatocytes.