lometrexol and Leukemia--Promyelocytic--Acute

5,10-Dideazatetrahydrofolic acid (DDATHF) is an inhibitor of glycinamide ribonucleotide transformylase, the first of two tetrahydrofolate requiring enzymes in the de novo purine nucleotide biosynthetic pathway, and is a potent inducer of the maturation of HL-60 promyelocytic leukemia cells. The inhibition of cellular growth by DDATHF was effectively prevented by adenosine or deoxyadenosine, whereas guanosine or deoxyguanosine only partially prevented the growth inhibition produced by this folate antimetabolite, implying that the depletion of both ATP and GTP, which occurs with this agent, was responsible for its growth inhibitory effects. In contrast, the induction of differentiation by DDATHF was completely abolished by the presence of guanosine or deoxyguanosine, suggesting that the depletion of intracellular guanine nucleotides by DDATHF represents the event that is essential to the induction of differentiation by this folate analog. This possibility was supported by the observation that the concentration of dGTP was not decreased in cells treated with DDATHF under the conditions employed. Both guanine nucleosides selectively restored intracellular GTP pools depleted by the treatment with DDATHF to their normal level, whereas only adenine nucleosides completely restored the levels of both ATP and GTP to their normal intracellular concentrations. The relationship between guanine nucleotide pools and the induction of HL-60 differentiation by DDATHF was further supported by the finding that maturation and the depletion of intracellular GTP by DDATHF were not reversed by guanine nucleosides in HL-60 cells deficient in hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase activity. The findings provide support for the hypothesis that the terminal differentiation of these leukemic cells by DDATHF is the result of the depletion of intracellular GTP pools.

Topics: Antineoplastic Agents; Cell Differentiation; Cell Division; Guanosine Triphosphate; Humans; Intracellular Fluid; Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute; Purine Nucleotides; Tetrahydrofolates; Tumor Cells, Cultured

5,10-Dideazatetrahydrofolic acid (DDATHF) is a folate antimetabolite that shows activity against glycinamide ribonucleotide (GAR) transformylase, a folate-requiring enzyme in the de novo purine nucleotide biosynthetic pathway. Previous studies from our laboratory have shown that DDATHF is an effective inducer of the maturation of HL-60 promyelocytic leukemia. In solution, DDATHF is a mixture of two diastereomers due to an asymmetric configuration at carbon 6. Incubation of HL-60 cells with 1 microM of each diastereomer resulted in an inhibition of cellular proliferation after 48 h that preceded an increase in the number of differentiated myeloid cells, as determined by the ability of cells to reduce nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) and by the binding of the myeloid-specific antibody Mo 1. Several analogs of DDATHF were also tested as inducers of the differentiation of HL-60 cells. With the exception of the 10-acetyl analog of 5-deazatetrahydrofolic acid, all compounds displayed similar activities as inducers of maturation. The finding that both stereoisomers of DDATHF, as well as the analogs tested, could selectively reduce intracellular purine nucleotide levels suggested that these compounds inhibited purine nucleotide biosynthesis de novo. This possibility was confirmed by the finding that hypoxanthine completely prevented the reduction of intracellular purine nucleotide levels, as well as the induction of differentiation and the inhibition of cellular growth, by these folate analogs. The results suggest that GAR transformylase is a target for a series of compounds whose structures resemble that of tetrahydrofolate and indicate that the inhibition of GAR transformylase by these compounds is sufficient to induce the maturation of HL-60 leukemia cells.

Topics: Acyltransferases; Antineoplastic Agents; Cell Differentiation; Cell Division; Fluorescent Antibody Technique; Folic Acid Antagonists; Humans; Hydroxymethyl and Formyl Transferases; Hypoxanthine; Hypoxanthines; Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute; Macrophage-1 Antigen; Nitroblue Tetrazolium; Phosphoribosylglycinamide Formyltransferase; Purine Nucleotides; Stereoisomerism; Tetrahydrofolates; Tumor Cells, Cultured

The novel tetrahydrofolate, 5,10-dideazatetrahydrofolic acid (DDATHF), was designed as an inhibitor of folate metabolism at a site other than dihydrofolate reductase. DDATHF has been shown to inhibit glycinamide ribonucleotide transformylase, a folate-requiring enzyme that catalyzes the first of two one-carbon transfer reactions in the de novo purine nucleotide biosynthetic pathway. Incubation of HL-60 promyelocytic leukemia cells with 5 x 10(-8) to 10(-5) M DDATHF resulted in a marked inhibition of growth after 48 h, with a complete cessation of cellular replication by day 4. Cell cycle analyses of DDATHF-treated HL-60 cells demonstrated an initial block in early S phase by day 3 followed by an accumulation of cells in the G1 and G2 + M phases of the cell cycle. Inhibition of growth was accompanied by a concentration-dependent increase in the percentage of mature myeloid cells that expressed nitroblue tetrazolium positivity, and a small increase in nonspecific esterase activity. Induction of differentiation and inhibition of growth by DDATHF were completely prevented by hypoxanthine and 5(4)-amino-4(5)-imidazole carboxamide, suggesting that depletion of intracellular purine nucleotide pools has an important role in the biological effects of this inhibitor. This possibility was confirmed by the finding that DDATHF caused a pronounced reduction in intracellular GTP and ATP levels within 2 h, with maximum decreases being observed by 24 h, a time interval which preceded the inhibition of cellular proliferation by this agent. Pyrimidine nucleoside triphosphate levels were markedly increased under these conditions. The findings indicate the importance of purine nucleotides to both the inhibition of growth and the induction of differentiation of HL-60 leukemia cells by DDATHF.

Topics: Acyltransferases; Adenosine Triphosphate; Cell Differentiation; Cell Division; Flow Cytometry; Folic Acid Antagonists; Guanosine Triphosphate; Humans; Hydroxymethyl and Formyl Transferases; Interphase; Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute; Phosphoribosylglycinamide Formyltransferase; Purine Nucleotides; Tetrahydrofolates; Tumor Cells, Cultured