Thymidine cells

With the exception of the effect on microtubules described in the foregoing paragraph, the bisindole alkaloids have little or no effect on macro-molecular synthesis at subtoxic concentrations (21,22). In experiments utilizing radiolabeled precursors ([ H]leucine, -uridine, or -thymidine) cells cultured in the presence of vinblastine showed no differential incorporation of radioactivity. Furthermore, there is no indication that treatment of cells with vinblastine or vincristine produces alterations in cellular DNA (23,24). 

EdU (5-ethynyl-2 -deoxyuridine). Thymidine, Cell migration. Cell proliferation... 

With the aid of cytosine permease, flucytosine reaches the fungal cell where it is converted by cytosine deaminase into 5-fluorouracil [51-21-8]. Cytosine deaminase is not present in the host, which explains the low toxicity of 5-FC. 5-Fluorouracil is then phosphorylated and incorporated into RNA and may also be converted into 5-fluorodeoxyuridine monophosphate, which is a potent and specific inhibitor of thymidylate synthetase. As a result, no more thymidine nucleotides are formed, which in turn leads to a disturbance of the DNA-synthesis. These effects produce an inhibition of the protein synthesis and cell repHcation (1,23,24). 5-Fluorouracil caimot be used as an antimycotic. It is poorly absorbed by the fungus to begin with and is also toxic for mammalian cells. 

Amino-5-iodo-2, 5 -dideoxyuridine [56045-73-9] (13) C2H22IN2O4, was synthesized ia 1975 (27) and was found effective against herpes keratitis ia rabbits (28). This compound is markedly less cytotoxic than IdU, iadicating that it may have a safer and more specific mode of antiviral activity. A potential limitation of this group of nucleosides is their specificity, for they fail to inhibit all strains of herpes vimses. The specific antiviral activity of (13) is considered to be a result of the incorporation of the 5 -Ai-phosphate into both viral and host DNA in infected cells, but not into the DNA of normal cells. Phosphorylation of (13) occurs only in herpes vims-infected cells, brought about by a vims-induced thymidine kinase (29). 

Trifluridine, C2qH22F2N20, (5-trifluoromethyl-2 -deoxyuridine [70-00-8] F TdU, 14) was first prepared (30) in 1962. It is used for topical therapy of herpes vims-infected eyes. It is especially usefiil for treating infections that are resistant to IdU therapy. Like IdU, trifluridine is incorporated into DNA in place of thymidine in both infected and uninfected cells. But it is 10 times more potent than IdU against herpes keratitis in rabbits and 10 times more soluble in water. Trifluridine is also usefiil in treating human cytomegalovims (HCMV), but its toxicity to bone marrow may limit its clinical use. 

BVdU differs from IdU and F TdU by being specifically phosphorylated in the 5 -position by herpes simplex vims type-1 (HSV-1) induced thymidine kinase. This restricts its action to cells infected by HSV-1. It is less active against genital herpes (HSV-2). HSV-l-induced thymidine kinase converts BVdU to the corresponding 5 -mono- and diphosphate, but HSV-2-induced thymidine kinase stops at the stage of the 5 -phosphate of BVdU. Apparendy, cellular kinases phosphorylate BVdU-5 -diphosphate to the corresponding 5 -triphosphate, which inhibits HSV-1 DNA polymerase to a greater extent than similar cellular DNA polymerases. 

The antiviral mechanism of action of acyclovir has been reviewed (72). Acyclovir is converted to the monophosphate in herpes vims-infected cells (but only to a limited extent in uninfected cells) by viral-induced thymidine kinase. It is then further phosphorylated by host cell guanosine monophosphate (GMP) kinase to acyclovir diphosphate [66341 -17-1], which in turn is phosphorylated to the triphosphate by unidentified cellular en2ymes. Acyclovir triphosphate [66341 -18-2] inhibits HSV-1 viral DNA polymerase but not cellular DNA polymerase. As a result, acyclovir is 300 to 3000 times more toxic to herpes vimses in an HSV-infected cell than to the cell itself. Studies have shown that a once-daily dose of acyclovir is effective in prevention of recurrent HSV-2 genital herpes (1). HCMV, on the other hand, is relatively uninhibited by acyclovir. 

An amount of enzyme preparation equivalent to 900 mg of wet cells was made up to 25 ml with the above potassium phosphate buffer solution. 150 mg (1.15 mmol) of 5-fluorouracil and 1.0 gram of thymidine (4.12 mmol) were dissolved in 15 ml of the above potassium phosphate buffer solution. The mixture was incubated at 37°C for 18 hours. After this time, enzyme action was stopped by the addition of four volumes of acetone and one volume of peroxide-free diethyl ether. The precipitated solids were removed by filtration, and the filtrate was evaporated under nitrogen at reduced pressure until substantially all volatile organic solvent had been removed. About 20 ml of aqueous solution, essentially free of organic solvent, remained. This solution was diluted to 100 ml with distilled water. 

Methotrexate (MTX, chemical structure shown in Fig. 1.) competitively inhibits the dehyrofolate reductase, an enzyme that plays an essential role in purine synthesis. The dehydrofolate reductase regenerates reduced folates when thymidine monophosphate is formed from deoxyuridine monophosphate. Without reduced folates cells are unable to synthesize thymine. Administration of N-5 tetrahydrofolate or N-5 formyl-tetrahydrofolate (folinic acid) can bypass this block and rescue cells from methotrexate activity by serving as antidote. 

Ralitrexed is a folate analog with greater selectivity. It easily crosses the cell membrane and undergoes polyglutamation. Within tissues, ralitrexed may be stored up to 29 days. It directly inhibits thymidylate synthase, the key enzyme for synthesizing thymidine triphosphate (TTP). The drug has been described to induce apoptosis in tumor cells. Ralitrexed is used for the treatment of colon carcinomas. 

Methotrexate belongs to the class of antimetabolites. As a derivative of folic acid it inhibits the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase resulting in a decreased production of thymidine and purine bases essential for RNA and DNA synthesis. This interruption of the cellular metabolism and mitosis leads to cell death. 

All NRTIs, as exemplified for AZT (Fig. 7), act in a similar fashion following their uptake by the cells, they are phosphorylated successively to their 5 -monophosphate, 5 -diphosphate, and 5 -triphosphate form (De Clercq 2002). Unlike the first phosphorylation step in the metabolic pathway of the acyclic guanosine analogues (see above), which is carried out by a virus-encoded enzyme (thymidine kinase), the first as well as the subsequent phosphorylations of the 2, 3 -dideoxynucleosides are carried out by cellular enzymes, that is, a 2 -deoxynucleoside (e.g., dThd) kinase, a 2 -deoxynucleotide (e.g., dTMP) kinase, and a (2 -deoxy)nucleoside 5 -diphosphate (NDP) kinase. 

Deoxy-5 -fluorothymidine (838) was prepared by Langen and Kowol-jj. 796,797 fpQjyj 5 -0-tosyl precursor by treatment with fluoride. Compound 838 cannot be phosphorylated enzymically owing to the lack of OH-5, but it inhibits the growth of carcinoma cells. This was explained as follows the thymidine 5 -monophosphate (thymidylate) kinase in carcinoma cells, catalyzing the transformation of thymidine 5 -monophosphate into the diphosphate, is inhibited by 838, thus preventing the synthesis of... 

While mammahan cells reutilize few free pyrimidines, salvage reactions convert the ribonucleosides uridine and cytidine and the deoxyribonucleosides thymidine and deoxycytidine to their respective nucleotides. ATP-dependent phosphoryltransferases (kinases) catalyze the phosphorylation of the nucleoside diphosphates 2 "-de-oxycytidine, 2 -deoxyguanosine, and 2 -deoxyadenosine to their corresponding nucleoside triphosphates. In addition, orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (reaction 5, Figure 34-7), an enzyme of pyrimidine nucleotide synthesis, salvages orotic acid by converting it to orotidine monophosphate (OMP). 

The methylation of deoxyuridine monophosphate (dUMP) to thymidine monophosphate (TMP), catalyzed by thymidylate synthase, is essential for the synthesis of DNA. The one-carbon fragment of methy-lene-tetrahydrofolate is reduced to a methyl group with release of dihydrofolate, which is then reduced back to tetrahydrofolate by dihydrofolate reductase. Thymidylate synthase and dihydrofolate reductase are especially active in tissues with a high rate of cell division. Methotrexate, an analog of 10-methyl-tetrahydrofolate, inhibits dihydrofolate reductase and has been exploited as an anticancer drug. The dihydrofolate reductases of some bacteria and parasites differ from the human enzyme inhibitors of these enzymes can be used as antibacterial drugs, eg, trimethoprim, and anti-malarial drugs, eg, pyrimethamine. 

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