adenosine-kinase and Carcinoma--Ehrlich-Tumor

The correlation between the metabolic processing of 3'-deoxyadenosine N1-oxide (3'-dANO) in vitro and its effect on tumor growth in vivo has been investigated in seven different strains of Ehrlich ascites tumor cells. The metabolism of 3'-dANO is initiated by reduction to 3'-deoxyadenosine (3'-dA). This process is the rate-limiting process. The 3'-dA does not accumulate, but is converted to 3'-deoxyadenosine triphosphate (3'-dATP) or 3'-deoxyinosine (3'-dI). The ratio between 3'-dATP and 3'-dI inosine corresponds to the ratio between the activities of adenosine kinase and adenosine deaminase in the cell. Two of the cell lines were markedly inhibited by 3'-dANO in vivo. In these cells the accumulation of 3'-dATP was 1.4-2.2 nmol/h per mg cells, which accounts for the major part of the metabolized 3'-dANO. Five of the cell lines were not inhibited by 3'-dANO and the formation of 3'-dATP was 5-10 times less in these than in the sensitive strains. The low level of 3'-dATP is caused primarily by a low ratio between the activities of adenosine kinase and adenosine deaminase, which is 15 time less than in the sensitive cell lines. The rate of reduction of 3'-dANO seems to be of minor importance. These results indicate a correlation between the inhibition of tumor growth by 3'-dANO and the ability of the cell to accumulate 3'-dATP from 3'-dANO and show that this conversion is determined solely by the rate of reduction of 3'-dANO (3'-dANO reductase activity) and the ratio between the activities of adenosine kinase and adenosine deaminase in the cell. Consequently, the estimation of these enzyme activities in cell lysate of a given tumor can be used to predict whether the tumor is susceptible to inhibition by 3'-dANO.

Topics: Adenosine Deaminase; Adenosine Kinase; Animals; Biotransformation; Carcinoma, Ehrlich Tumor; Cell Line; Cell Survival; Deoxyadenosines; Mice

The 3',5'-cyclic phosphate derivative (cMTIMP) of methylthioinosine (MTI) was shown to produce feedback inhibition of the de novo purine pathway in an Ehrlich ascites tumor subline resistant to MTI because of lack of adenosine kinase activity for the nucleoside analog.

Topics: Adenosine; Adenosine Kinase; Animals; Binding, Competitive; Carcinoma, Ehrlich Tumor; Drug Resistance; Female; Inosine; Methylthioinosine; Mice; Neoplasms, Experimental; Nucleotides, Cyclic; Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors; Phosphoric Diester Hydrolases; Purines