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Tiazofurin Metabolism in Human Lymphoblastoid Cells: Evidence for Phosphorylation by Adenosine Kinase and 5'-Nucleotidase¹

Department of Biochemical and Clinical Pharmacology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38101

The exact route of metabolism of tiazofurin, a novel nucleoside with antitumor activity, is controversial. Using human cell lines severely deficient in salvage nucleotide enzymes, we were able to identify the route of activation in tiazofurin metabolism. With loss of adenosine kinase activity by mutation in two lymphoblastoid cell lines, CCRF-CEM and WI-L2, the growth sensitivity to tiazofurin decreased by 6- and 3-fold, respectively. In contrast, the mutant lines were about 3000- to 1500- and 16- to 4-fold more resistant to the structurally similar tiazofurin analogues pyrazofurin and ribavirin, respectively. Other mutants with defective deoxycytidine or uridine kinase activity showed normal sensitivity to all three analogues. Both cell lines with defective adenosine kinase activity accumulated about 50% wild-type levels of tiazofurin-5'-monophosphate and thiazole-4-carbox-amide adenine dinucleotide analogue of tiazofurin at cytotoxic concentrations of the drug. Extracts of wild-type lymphoblasts catalyzed the phosphorylation of tiazofurin in the presence of adenosine 5'-triphosphate and Mg²⁺. Loss of adenosine kinase activity in the mutant extract eliminated this phosphorylating activity for tiazofurin consistent with the notion that adenosine kinase catalyzes phosphorylation of tiazofurin. However, an enzyme activity that catalyzed the phosphorylation of tiazofurin in the presence of inosine-5'-monophosphate as donor and Mg²⁺ was detected in the extracts of both wild-type cells and adenosine kinase-deficient mutants. The monophosphate donor specificity, divalent metal, high salt requirement, and nucleoside acceptor specificity of this enzyme activity paralleled that of a 5'-nucleotidase (EC 3.1.3.5) which catalyzes inosine phosphorylation. In addition, tiazofurin phosphorylation was competitively inhibited by inosine and the apparent K_i value was similar to the apparent K_m value for inosine phosphorylation. These results indicate that two enzymes, adenosine kinase and a cytoplasmic 5'-nucleotidase, are functionally important anabolizing enzymes for tiazofurin in human cells.

¹ This work was supported by a grant from the National Cancer Institute, CA 33017, and by the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities.

² To whom requests for reprints should be addressed.

Received 7/19/85. Revised 10/15/85. Accepted 10/17/85.

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