thioinosine and Adenocarcinoma

We have investigated the hypothesis that adenosine, a purine nucleoside produced within hypoxic regions of solid tumors, may interfere with the recognition of tumor cells by cytolytic effector cells of the immune system. We measured the adhesion of murine spleen-derived anti-CD3-activated killer (AK) lymphocytes to syngeneic MCA-38 colon adenocarcinoma cells in a model system. Adenosine, in the presence of the adenosine deaminase inhibitor coformycin to prevent the breakdown of adenosine, inhibited adhesion by up to 60%. The inhibitory effect of adenosine was exerted on the AK cells and not on the MCA-38 targets. The response to adenosine was generated at the cell surface, since the inhibition of adhesion was not abrogated by S-(4-nitrobenzyl)-6-thioinosine or dipyridamole, which block adenosine uptake. The inhibition of adhesion due to adenosine was not blocked by either the A1 receptor antagonist 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine or the A2 receptor antagonist 3,7-dimethyl-1-propargylxanthine. This suggested that a non-A1, A2 receptor might be involved. The relative order of potencies of adenosine and common analogues was: 5'-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine = adenosine = (R)-phenylisopropyladenosine > N6-cyclopentyladenosine > 2-chloro-N6-cyclopentyladenosine = 2-p-(2- carboxyethyl)phenethylamino-5'-N-ethyl-carboxamidoadenosine. This agonist potency profile was again inconsistent with either the A1 or the A2 receptor subtype but indicated that the recently described A3 receptor subtype might be responsible for the inhibition of adhesion. Consistent with this suggestion, aminophenylethyladenosine, an adenosine analogue that binds with high affinity to A3 receptors, inhibited the adhesion of AK cells to MCA-38 tumor cells with high potency (50% inhibitory concentration approximately 1 nM). Adenosine, therefore, interferes with the AK cell recognition of colorectal tumor targets by acting through an A3 receptor on the effector cells. We suggest that this mechanism of immunosuppression, secondary to tissue hypoxia, may be important in the resistance of colorectal and other solid cancers to immunotherapy.

Topics: Adenocarcinoma; Adenosine; Animals; Antibodies; CD3 Complex; Cell Adhesion; Colonic Neoplasms; Killer Cells, Natural; Mice; Theobromine; Thioinosine; Tumor Cells, Cultured; Xanthines

1-beta-D-Arabinofuranosylcytosine (araC) is an effective drug in the i.p. therapy of ovarian carcinoma but little is known of its transport and metabolism in this tumor. Influx of araC at 1 microM into cultured human ovarian carcinoma cells (CI 80-13S) was largely inhibited by nanomolar concentrations of the nucleoside transport inhibitor, nitrobenzylthioinosine, while the residual influx (approximately 10%) was inhibited only by micromolar concentrations of nitrobenzylthioinosine. There was a two fold greater density of specific [3H]nitrobenzylthioinosine binding to the nucleoside transporters on the ovarian than on cultured human leukemic cells (RC2a). Calculated turnover rates of the nucleoside transporter for 1 microM araC were 5-fold less in ovarian than in leukemic cells. The major metabolic product of araC was 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine 5'-triphosphate (araCTP) which accumulated in the ovarian cells to levels half those achieved in the leukemic cells. AraC was the major product of araCTP degradation in ovarian cells consistent with a pathway (araCTP--------araCMP----araC) which is different from that previously found in leukemic cells (araCTP--------araCMP----araUMP----araU). Despite these differences, ovarian carcinoma cells show substantial accumulation of araCTP from extracellular araC.

Topics: Adenocarcinoma; Aged; Arabinofuranosylcytosine Triphosphate; Binding Sites; Cell Line; Cytarabine; Female; Humans; Leukemia, Myelomonocytic, Acute; Male; Ovarian Neoplasms; Thioinosine

In vitro resistance of HCT-8 cells to 5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridine (FdUrd) has been obtained after a stepwise increase (up to 1 microM) in the concentration of the nucleoside in the culture medium over a period of 6 months. With a clonogenic assay, the toxicities of 17 antineoplastic agents on HCT-8-sensitive and -resistant cells were compared. Resistant cells were 700-fold resistant to FdUrd and showed different degrees of cross-resistance to several purine and pyrimidine nucleoside analogues; no cross-resistance was noted to base analogues and other cytotoxic drugs. The activities of FdUrd phosphorylase, 5'-fluorouridine kinase, 5-fluorouridine phosphorylase, 5-fluorouracil phosphoribosyltransferase, and thymidylate synthase were not significantly different in the sensitive and resistant cell lines. Mixing experiments indirectly excluded the possible elevation of the level of cytoplasmic phosphatases. The activity of FdUrd kinase in sensitive cell extracts was no more than twice that of resistant cells, and the affinities of this enzyme for FdUrd and thymidine at 0.1 to 50 microM were similar in both cell lines. However, cultures of this line failed to accumulate 5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridylate at concentrations of FdUrd that resulted in substantial accumulation of the nucleotide in the sensitive line. These contrasting data suggested a defect in the facilitated diffusion of the analogue. The entrance of free nucleoside and its subsequent phosphorylation were compared in the two lines over short (2 to 40 s) and longer time periods at 25 degrees C and at 4 degrees C over a range of extracellular FdUrd concentrations (0.1 to 10 microM). Rapid entrance of the nucleoside into sensitive cells was observed, but entry was not detectable in resistant cells. Dipyridamole and nitrobenzylthioinosine inhibition as well as high-performance liquid chromatography analysis confirmed that data obtained from the sensitive cell line during the first 40 s primarily reflected facilitated diffusion of free nucleoside.

Topics: Adenocarcinoma; Biological Transport; Cell Line; Colonic Neoplasms; Diffusion; Drug Resistance; Floxuridine; Humans; Methotrexate; Nucleosides; Sucrose; Thioinosine

Topics: Adenocarcinoma; Animals; Bone Marrow; Cell Division; Cell Line; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Resistance; Humans; Leukemia L1210; Mercaptopurine; Mice; Structure-Activity Relationship; Thioinosine; Thionucleotides