Comparative inhibition of DNA polymerases from varicella zoster virus (TK+ and TK-) strains by (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine 5'-triphosphate

The inhibitory effect of (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine (BVDU) 5'-triphosphate on varicella zoster virus (VZV) DNA polymerase was studied using the parent strain (TK+-VZV) and the mutant strain (TK--VZV). The mutant strain was deficient in thymidine kinase (TK)-inducing activity and resistant to BVDU. In the absence of BVDU, TK--VZV and TK+-VZV induced an equivalent level of viral DNA polymerase activity in human embryo fibroblasts. In the presence of 5 microM BVDU, TK--VZV still induced viral DNA polymerase activity, whereas TK+-VZV failed to do so. BVDU 5'-triphosphate (BVDUTP) was considerably more inhibitory to the TK+- and TK--VZV DNA polymerases than to the cellular DNA polymerases. There were no significant differences in the affinity for dTTP as substrate and the sensitivity to BVDUTP as inhibitor between the TK+- and TK--VZV DNA polymerases. The Km value for dTTP and the Ki value for BVDUTP of the VZV DNA polymerases were 1.43 microM and 0.55 microM, respectively. The inhibitory effect of BVDUTP to VZV DNA polymerase was competitive with respect to the natural substrate.     

Highly selective cytostatic activity of (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine derivatives for murine mammary carcinoma (FM3A) cells transformed with the herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase gene

(E)-5-(2-Bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine (BVDU) and various structurally related analogues thereof, i.e., (E)-5-(2-iodovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine (IVDU) and (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxycytidine (BVDC), and the carbocyclic analogues of BVDU, IVDU, and BVDC, were evaluated for their inhibitory effects on the growth of murine mammary carcinoma FM3A cells, deficient in thymidine kinase (TK) activity but transformed with the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) TK gene (designated FM3A/TK-/HSV-1 TK+). BVDU and its congeners were much more inhibitory to the growth of FM3A/TK-/HSV-1 TK+ than to the growth of the wild type (FM3A/0) cells. For BVDU, for example, the 50% inhibitory dose for the FM3A/TK-/HSV-1 TK+ cells was 0.5 ng/ml, as compared to 11 micrograms/ml for the FM3A/0 cells. Evidently, BVDU and its congeners required phosphorylation by the HSV-1 TK to exert their cytostatic action. In attempts to evaluate further the mechanism of this cytostatic action, BVDU, IVDU, and their carbocyclic analogues were evaluated for their inhibitory effects on thymidylate synthetase (TS) and their incorporation into DNA. TS was identified as one, but not the sole, target in the cytostatic activity of BVDU and its derivatives. With [125I]IVDU and its carbocyclic analogue C-[125I]IVDU, clear evidence was obtained for the incorporation of these radiolabeled analogues into DNA of the FM3A/TK-/HSV-1 TK+ cell line and a TS-deficient mutant thereof, FM3A/TK-/HSV-1 TK+/TS-. No incorporation was detected with [125I]IVDU or C-[125I]IVDU into DNA of FM3A/0 and FM3A/TS- cells. To what extent the incorporation of [125I]IVDU and C-[125I]IVDU contributed to their cytostatic action against FM3A/TK-/HSV-1 TK+ cells remains the subject of further study.     

Thymidylate synthase is the principal target enzyme for the cytostatic activity of (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine against murine mammary carcinoma (FM3A) cells transformed with the herpes simplex virus type 1 or type 2 thymidine kinase gene

Murine mammary carcinoma FM3A cells, deficient in cytosol thymidine (dThd) kinase (TK) activity and transformed by the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) or type 2 (HSV-2) TK gene (designated FM3A TK-/HSV-1 TK+ and FM3A TK-/HSV-2 TK+, respectively) proved extremely sensitive to the cytostatic action of the potent antiherpetic drugs (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine (BVDU) and (E)-5-(2-iodovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine (IVDU). The fact that FM3A TK-/HSV-2 TK+ cells were 5-fold more sensitive to the cytostatic action of BVDU and IVDU but incorporated [125I]IVDU to a 20-fold lower extent into their DNA than did FM3A TK-/HSV-1 TK+ cells led us to conclude that incorporation of these compounds into DNA of HSV TK gene-transformed cell lines is not directly related to their cytostatic action. In attempts to unravel the mechanism of the cytostatic effects of BVDU and IVDU on HSV TK gene-transformed FM3A cells, both compounds were submitted to an intensive biochemical study. Thymidylate synthase was identified as the principal target enzyme for the cytostatic action of BVDU and IVDU since (i) both compounds were far more inhibitory to 2(1)-deoxyuridine (dUrd) than to dThd incorporation into HSV TK gene-transformed FM3A cell DNA, (ii) the cytostatic action of BVDU and IVDU was more readily reversed by dThd than by dUrd, (iii) both compounds strongly inhibited the metabolic pathway leading to the incorporation of 2'-deoxycytidine (dCyd) into DNA thymidylate, (iv) BVDU and IVDU strongly inhibited tritium release from [5-3H]dCyd and [5-3H]dUrd in intact HSV TK gene-transformed FM3A cells, and (v) [125I]IVDU accumulated intracellularly as its 5'-monophosphate to concentration levels considerably higher than those required to inhibit partially purified thymidylate synthase. The inhibitory effects mentioned under (i) to (iv) were not observed with the parental FM3A/0 and FM3A/TK- cells; they were more pronounced for FM3A TK-/HSV-2 TK+ cells than for FM3A TK-/HSV-1 TK+ cells, which correlates with the differential cytostatic effects of BVDU and IVDU on these cells.     

Mutation of Gln125 to Asn selectively abolishes the thymidylate kinase activity of herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase

The broad substrate specificity of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) thymidine kinase (TK) has provided the basis for selective antiherpetic therapy and, more recently, suicide gene therapy for the treatment of cancer. We have now constructed an HSV-1 TK mutant enzyme, in which an asparagine (N) residue is substituted for glutamine (Q) at position 125, and have evaluated the effect of this amino acid change on enzymatic activity. In marked contrast with wild-type HSV-1 TK, which displays both thymidine kinase and thymidylate kinase activities, the HSV-1 TK(Q125N) mutant was unable to phosphorylate pyrimidine nucleoside monophosphates but retained significant phosphorylation activity for thymidine and a series of antiherpetic pyrimidine and purine nucleoside analogs. The abrogation of HSV-1 TK-associated thymidylate kinase activity resulted in a 100-fold accumulation of the monophosphate form of (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine (BVDU) in osteosarcoma cells transfected with the HSV-1 TK(Q125N) gene compared with osteosarcoma cells expressing wild-type HSV-1 TK. BVDU monophosphate accumulation gave rise to a much greater inhibition of cellular thymidylate synthase in HSV-1 TK(Q125N) gene-transfected cells than wild-type HSV-1 TK gene-transfected osteosarcoma tumor cells without significantly changing the cytostatic potency of BVDU for the HSV-1 TK gene-transfected tumor cells. Accordingly, the presence of the Q125N mutation in HSV-1 TK gene-transfected tumor cells was found to result in a multilog decrease in the cytostatic activity of those pyrimidine nucleoside analogs that in their monophosphate form do not have marked affinity for thymidylate synthase [i.e., 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylthymine and (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-1-beta-D-arabinofuranosyluracil].     

Bystander effects of cancer cell lines transduced with the multisubstrate deoxyribonucleoside kinase of Drosophila melanogaster and synergistic enhancement by hydroxyurea.

The multisubstrate deoxyribonucleoside kinase of Drosophila melanogaster (Dm-dNK) can be expressed in human cells with retained enzymatic activity. The cells expressing Dm-dNK exhibit increased sensitivity to several cytotoxic nucleoside analogs. In this study, we further evaluated Dm-dNK as a potential novel suicide gene in combination with (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine (BVDU) as the prodrug. We used two human cancer cell lines transduced with a retrovirus encoding the Dm-dNK cDNA and investigated whether the cells expressing the enzyme can induce cell death of untransduced cells, a phenomenon known as the "bystander effect". A bystander effect was observed in a thymidine kinase-deficient human osteosarcoma cell line but not in the MIA PaCa-2 human pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell line. The cytotoxicity of BVDU increased in both cell lines when the compound was used in combination with subtoxic concentrations of hydroxyurea. Hydroxyurea also enhanced the bystander effect in the osteosarcoma cells, but not in the MIA PaCa-2 cells, treated with BVDU. These findings indicate that BVDU phosphorylated by Dm-dNK in transduced cancer cells may also induce bystander cell death in certain cell lines.     

Apoptosis induced by (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine in varicella zoster virus thymidine kinase-expressing cells is driven by activation of c-Jun/activator protein-1 and Fas ligand/caspase-8

The molecular mode of cell killing by the antiviral drug (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl-2'-deoxyuridine (BVDU) was studied in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells stably transfected with the thymidine kinase gene (tk) of varicella zoster virus (CHO-VZVtk). The colony-forming ability of the cells was reduced to <1% at a concentration of approximately 1 microM BVDU, whereas for nontransfected cells or cells transfected with tk gene of herpes simplex virus type 1 (CHO-HSVtk), a 1000-fold higher dose was required to achieve the same response. BVDU inhibited thymidylate synthase in CHO-VZVtk but not in CHO-HSVtk and control cells. On the other hand, the drug was incorporated into DNA of VZVtk- and HSVtk-expressing cells to nearly equal amounts. Because coexposure of CHO-VZVtk cells to exogenous thymidine protected them from BVDU-induced cell killing, the cells obviously die because of thymidine depletion. At highly cytotoxic BVDU doses (50 microM) and longer exposure times (24-48 h), VZVtk cells were blocked to some extent in S and G2/M phase and underwent apoptosis (48-72 h). Not only apoptosis but also necrosis was induced. The findings also show that the drug causes the induction of c-Jun and the activation of activator protein-1 resulting in increased level of Fas ligand (FasL) and caspase-8/-3 activation. Bid and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase were cleaved by caspases. Expression of Bax increased, whereas Bcl-2/Bcl-x(L) remained unchanged. Transfection of dominant-negative Fas-associated death domain and inhibition of caspase-8 by N-benzyloxycarbonyl-IETD-fluoromethyl ketone strongly abrogated BVDU-induced apoptosis, indicating Fas/FasL to be crucially involved. Thus, BVDU-triggered apoptosis differs significantly from that induced by ganciclovir, which induces in the same cellular background the mitochondrial damage pathway.     

Non-nucleoside inhibitors of mitochondrial thymidine kinase (TK-2) differentially inhibit the closely related herpes simplex virus type 1 TK and Drosophila melanogaster multifunctional deoxynucleoside kinase

5'-O-Trityl derivatives of thymidine (dThd), (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine (BVDU), and their acyclic analogs 1-[(Z)-4-triphenylmethoxy-2-butenyl]thymine (KIN-12) and (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-1-[(Z)-4-triphenylmethoxy-2-butenyl]uracil (KIN-52) have been synthesized and evaluated for their inhibitory activity against the amino acid sequence related mitochondrial dThd kinase (TK-2), herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) TK, and Drosophila melanogaster multifunctional 2'-deoxynucleoside kinase (Dm-dNK). Several compounds proved markedly inhibitory to these enzymes and represent a new generation of nucleoside kinase inhibitors. KIN-52 was the most potent and selective inhibitor of TK-2 (IC(50), 1.3 microM; K(i), 0.50 microM; K(i)/K(m), 0.37) but was not inhibitory against HSV-1 TK and Dm-dNK at 100 microM. As found for the alternative substrate BVDU, the tritylated compounds competitively inhibited the three enzymes with respect to dThd. However, whereas BVDU behaved as a noncompetitive inhibitor (alternative substrate) of TK-2 and HSV-1 TK with respect to ATP as the varying substrate, the novel tritylated enzyme inhibitors emerged as reversible purely uncompetitive inhibitors of these enzymes. Computer-assisted modeling studies are in agreement with these findings. The tritylated compounds do not act as alternative substrates and they showed a type of kinetics against the nucleoside kinases different from that of BVDU. KIN-12, and particularly KIN-52, are the very first non-nucleoside specific inhibitors of TK-2 reported and may be useful for studying the physiological role of the mitochondrial TK-2 enzyme.     

Substrate specificity of feline and canine herpesvirus thymidine kinase

The thymidine kinases from feline herpesvirus (FHV TK) and canine herpesvirus (CHV TK) were cloned and characterized. The two proteins are closely sequence-related to each other and also to the herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase (HSV-1 TK). Although FHV TK and CHV TK have a level of identity of 31 and 35%, respectively, with HSV-1 TK, and a general amino acid similarity of approximately 54% with HSV-1 TK, they do not recognize the same broad range of substrates as HSV-1 TK does. Instead the substrate recognition is restricted to dThd and pyrimidine analogs such as 1-beta-d-arabinofuranosylthymine (araT), 3'-azido-2',3'-dideoxythymidine (AZT) and (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine (BVDU). FHV TK and CHV TK differ in substrate recognition from mammalian cytosolic thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) in that TK1 does not phosphorylate BVDU and they also differ from mammalian mitochondrial thymidine kinase 2 (TK2), which, in addition to thymidine and thymidine analogs also phosphorylates dCyd. Although the nucleoside analog BVDU was a good substrate for FHV and CHV TK, the compound was poorly inhibitory to virus-induced cytopathic effect in FHV- and CHV-infected cells. The reason is likely the poor, if any, thymidylate kinase activity of FHV and CHV TK, which in HSV-1 TK-expressing cells convert BVDU-MP to its 5'-diphosphate derivative.     

2',3'-Dideoxycytidine: regulation of its metabolism and anti-retroviral potency by natural pyrimidine nucleosides and by inhibitors of pyrimidine nucleotide synthesis

The antiretroviral action of 2',3'-dideoxycytidine (ddCyd) depends on its intracellular conversion to the 5'-triphosphate metabolite ddCTP. The effect of natural pyrimidines and pyrimidine nucleosides, as well as of a number of inhibitors of pyrimidine nucleotide synthesis (i.e., N-(phosphonacetyl)-L-aspartate, 6-azauridine, pyrazofurin, 3-deazauridine, and hydroxyurea) on the metabolism of the potent anti-human immunodeficiency virus drug ddCyd has been investigated in human and murine cell lines. Deoxycytidine (dCyd) and cytidine (Cyd) effectively blocked the intracellular phosphorylation of ddCyd: dCyd by competition with ddCyd for 2'-deoxycytidine kinase, and Cyd probably by competition with the higher nucleoside mono- and diphosphate kinases. These conclusions are supported by the observations that (i) the cytostatic effects of ddCyd against human Molt/4F cells are significantly reversed by dCyd; (ii) the antiviral effects of ddCyd against hman immunodeficiency virus-infected human ATH8 cells are reversed by dCyd and Cyd; (iii) phosphorylated metabolites of ddCyd could not be detected in a 2'-deoxycytidine kinase-deficient murine leukemia (L1210)/araC cell line; and (iv) ddCyd lacked any cytostatic effect against this araC-resistant L1210 cell line. In contrast to dCyd and Cyd, thymidine (dThd) stimulated formation of phosphorylated ddCyd metabolites. The degree of this stimulation proved dependent on preincubation time and dThd concentration. There was a correlation between the increased ddCTP levels upon preincubation of the cells with dThd, and decreased dCyd-5'-triphosphate pools, presumably caused by inhibition of cytidine-5' -diphosphate reductase by dThd-5'-triphosphate. In an attempt to discover compounds other than dThd that are able to stimulate ddCTP formation, a number of inhibitors of pyrimidine nucleotide metabolism were also studied. Under our experimental conditions, 3-deazauridine and hydroxyurea proved equally as effective as dThd in stimulating ddCyd phosphorylation. Finally, we could demonstrate that dThd significantly enhanced the protective effect of ddCyd against human immunodeficiency virus-infected ATH8 cells.     

Phosphorylation of nucleoside analogs by equine herpesvirus type 1 pyrimidine deoxyribonucleoside kinase

Replication of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) was sensitive to 9-(1,3-dihydroxy-2-propoxymethyl)guanine(DHPG) but relatively resistant to E-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine (BVDU). Likewise, plaque formation by EHV-1 was inhibited by DHPG, but not by BVDU. Plaque formation by a thymidine kinase-negative (tk-) mutant of EHV-1 was not inhibited by DHPG. In order to investigate biochemical mechanisms determining the differential sensitivity of EHV-1 to these drugs, the EHV-1-encoded thymidine kinase enzyme activity (TK)1 was partially purified from EHV-1-infected cells and analyzed. The EHV-1-induced enzyme utilized both ATP and CTP as phosphate donors and differed in relative electrophoretic mobility from the TKs of mock-infected and HSV-1-infected cells. Phosphorylation of 3H-dThd by the EHV-1 TK was inhibited by AraT, IdUrd, BVDU, and DHPG. The EHV-1 TK phosphorylated 125I-dCyd and 3H-ACV. The results indicate that EHV-1 encodes a pyrimidine deoxyribonucleoside kinase with broad nucleoside substrate specificity. These observations suggest that the failure of BVDU to inhibit EHV-1 replication is not attributable to an inability of the EHV-1 TK to phosphorylate BVDU, but may result from the incapacity of the viral TK to convert BVDU monophosphate to the triphosphate or from lack of inhibitory effect of BVDU triphosphate on viral DNA polymerase reactions.     

The in vitro and in vivo anti-retrovirus activity, and intracellular metabolism of 3'-azido-2',3'-dideoxythymidine and 2',3'-dideoxycytidine are highly dependent on the cell species

Cell lines derived from different species show striking differences in their sensitivity to the cytostatic and anti-retrovirus activity, as well as the intracellular metabolism, of 3'-azido-2',3'-dideoxythymidine (AzddThd) and 2',3'-dideoxycytidine (ddCyd). AzddThd and ddCyd are considerably more cytostatic to human (i.e. Raji, Molt/4F, ATH8) cell lines than murine (i.e. L1210) cells. The intracellular levels of AzddThd 5'-triphosphate and ddCyd 5'-triphosphate formed do not seem related to the cytostatic effects achieved by these compounds. In human lymphoid (ATH8, Molt/4F) and caprine ovary (Tahr) cells AzddThd accumulates as its 5'-monophosphate (AzddTMP), whereas in murine leukemia (L1210) cells it is readily metabolized to the 5'-triphosphate (AzddTTP). The rapid conversion of AzddThd to AzddTTP in murine cells may explain why AzddThd has a pronounced activity against Moloney murine sarcoma virus (MSV)-induced transformation of murine C3H cells in vitro and MSV-induced tumor development in newborn NMRI mice in vivo. In contrast, ddCyd has not much activity in these murine assay systems, and this may seem related to the poor conversion of ddCyd to its 5'-triphosphate in murine cells. In human cells, however, ddCyd is more extensively phosphorylated to its 5'-triphosphate than in murine cells. When [3H]AzddThd and [3H]ddCyd were compared for their metabolism in ATH8 and Molt/4F cells, little [3H]AzddTTP was formed even after a 48-hr incubation period, whereas under the same conditions substantial levels of [3H]ddCTP built up gradually. Thus, much higher ddCTP than AzddTTP levels were achieved in human lymphoid cells, an observation that may be particularly relevant from a therapeutic viewpoint.     

N6-cyclopropyl-PMEDAP: a novel derivative of 9-(2-phosphonylmethoxyethyl)-2,6-diaminopurine (PMEDAP) with distinct metabolic, antiproliferative, and differentiation-inducing properties.

N6-Cyclopropyl-PMEDAP (cPr-PMEDAP) is a novel derivative of the acyclic nucleoside phosphonate 9-(2-phosphonylmethoxyethyl)-2,6-diaminopurine (PMEDAP). Its cytostatic activity was found to be 8- to 20-fold more pronounced than that of PMEDAP and equivalent to that of the guanine derivative 9-(2-phosphonylmethoxyethyl)guanine (PMEG) against a variety of tumor cell lines. Unlike PMEDAP, but like PMEG, cPr-PMEDAP was equally cytostatic to wild-type and 9-(2-phosphonylmethoxyethyl)adenine/PMEDAP-resistant variants of the human erythroleukemia K562 and the murine leukemia L1210 cell lines. Also, cPr-PMEDAP and PMEG proved to be equipotent inducers of K562 and rat choriocarcinoma RCHO cell differentiation, whereas the differentiation-inducing activity of PMEDAP was 5- to 25-fold less pronounced. Furthermore, compared to PMEDAP, cPr-PMEDAP and PMEG were 10- to 25-fold more potent in inhibiting the progression of K562 cells through the S phase of the cell cycle, resulting in a marked accumulation of the four 2'-deoxyribonucleoside 5'-triphosphate pools. The biological effects of cPr-PMEDAP, but not PMEDAP, were reversed by the adenylate deaminase inhibitor 2'-deoxycoformycin (dCF). Formation of the deaminated derivative of cPr-PMEDAP (i.e. PMEG) was demonstrated in crude extracts from K562 and L1210 cells and in metabolism studies with radiolabeled cPr-PMEDAP and PMEG. This is the very first example of an acyclic nucleoside phosphonate analogue that is susceptible to deamination. However, cPr-PMEDAP was not recognized as a substrate by purified adenosine deaminase or by adenylate deaminase. These findings might point to an as yet unidentified cellular enzyme, sensitive to dCF but different from the common adenosine and AMP deaminases. Our data demonstrate the superior antiproliferative and differentiation-inducing effects of cPr-PMEDAP on tumor cells, as compared to the parent compound PMEDAP, based on the unique metabolic properties of this novel compound.     

Antiviral activity of cyclosaligenyl prodrugs of the nucleoside analogue bromovinyldeoxyuridine against herpes viruses

A series of 42 lipophilic bromovinyldeoxyuridine monophosphates (BVDUMPs) are presented as potential prodrugs of the antiviral agent (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine (BVDU). The 5'-cycloSal-masking group technique has been applied to this cyclic nucleoside analogue to achieve delivery of the monophosphate of BVDU inside the target cells. The new substances have been tested for their antiviral activity against herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and -2), thymidine kinase-deficient (TK(-)) HSV-1, varicella-zoster virus (VZV), human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). The XTT-based tetrazolium reduction assay EZ4U (for HSV), the plaque inhibition test (for VZV and HCMV) and a DNA hybridisation assay (for EBV) were used to assess antiviral activity. The results indicate that cycloSal-BVDUMP triesters proved to be potent and selective inhibitors of HSV-1 comparable with aciclovir. VZV replication was inhibited by very low concentrations, and two substances had a slightly better anti-VZV activity than the parent compound BVDU. No antiviral effect could be demonstrated against TK(-)-HSV-1, HSV-2 and HCMV, most likely owing to the lack of phosphorylation to BVDU diphosphate. Most remarkably, several cycloSal-BVDUMP triesters yielded promising anti-EBV activity whereas the parent compound BVDU was entirely inactive.     

Prevention of adriamycin-induced mdr1 gene amplification and expression in mouse leukemia cells by simultaneous treatment with the anti-recombinogen bromovinyldeoxyuridine

The anti-recombinogenic substance (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine (BVDU) was tested for its ability to prevent adriamycin-induced mdr1 gene amplification and expression in mouse leukemia cells in vitro. F4-6 cells that were treated with stepwise enhanced doses of adriamycin acquired resistance against adriamycin. While 20 ng/ml adriamycin showed strong toxic effects in sensitive cells, the same dose was tolerated at the end of the long-term experiment following treatment with stepwise enhanced doses of adriamycin. In parallel experiments, 0.5 or 1 microg/ml BVDU was given together with adriamycin. BVDU prevented the formation of resistance against adriamycin treatment. Using differential PCR, the signal intensity of the mdr1a-specific band appeared markedly increased in adriamycin-resistant cells, while the signal intensities of the adriamycin + BVDU-treated cells resembled the intensity ratio of the untreated control cells. Beyond that, in resistant F4-6 cells increased expression of mdr genes was demonstrated by Northern blot analysis.     

Synthesis and biological activity of 5-(2,2-difluorocyclopropyl)-2'-deoxyuridine deoxyuridine diastereomers.

The synthesis of the two diastereomers (9 and 10) of 5-(2,2-difluorocyclopropyl)-2'-deoxyuridine are described. Their antiviral and cytotoxic activities were determined, in comparison with (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine (BVDU) and 5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridine (FDU), respectively. 5-[(1R)-2,2-Difluorocyclopropyl]-2'-deoxyuridine (10) was the most active antiviral agent against HSV-1 (IC50 = 5 micrograms/ml) relative to BVDU (IC50 = 0.082 micrograms/ml), and cytotoxic agent in the CCRF-CEM (IC50 = 230 microM) screen relative to FDU (IC50 = 4.7 x 10(-3) microM). The 5-[(1S)-2,2-difluorocyclopropyl] diastereomer was inactive in both screens. Partition coefficients (P) and affinity for the mouse erythrocyte nucleoside transporter (Ki) were not determinants of antiviral or cytotoxic activities. However, the (1R)-diastereomer (10) was more resistant to glycosidic bond cleavage by thymidine phosphorylase than the (1S)-diastereomer (9).     

The cytostatic activity of NUC-3073, a phosphoramidate prodrug of 5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridine, is independent of activation by thymidine kinase and insensitive to degradation by phosphorolytic enzymes

A novel phosphoramidate nucleotide prodrug of the anticancer nucleoside analogue 5-fluoro-2′-deoxyuridine (5-FdUrd) was synthesized and evaluated for its cytostatic activity. Whereas 5-FdUrd substantially lost its cytostatic potential in thymidine kinase (TK)-deficient murine leukaemia L1210 and human lymphocyte CEM cell cultures, NUC-3073 markedly kept its antiproliferative activity in TK-deficient tumour cells, and thus is largely independent of intracellular TK activity to exert its cytostatic action. NUC-3073 was found to inhibit thymidylate synthase (TS) in the TK-deficient and wild-type cell lines at drug concentrations that correlated well with its cytostatic activity in these cells. NUC-3073 does not seem to be susceptible to inactivation by catabolic enzymes such as thymidine phosphorylase (TP) and uridine phosphorylase (UP). These findings are in line with our observations that 5-FdUrd, but not NUC-3073, substantially loses its cytostatic potential in the presence of TP-expressing mycoplasmas in the tumour cell cultures. Therefore, we propose NUC-3073 as a novel 5-FdUrd phosphoramidate prodrug that (i) may circumvent potential resistance mechanisms of tumour cells (e.g. decreased TK activity) and (ii) is not degraded by catabolic enzymes such as TP which is often upregulated in tumour cells or expressed in mycoplasma-infected tumour tissue.     

Mechanism of action of 5-(2-chloroethyl)-2'-deoxyuridine, a selective inhibitor of herpes simplex virus replication

5-(2-Chloroethyl)-2'-deoxyuridine (CEDU) is a potent and selective inhibitor of the replication of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). CEDU is preferentially phosphorylated by HSV-infected (Vero) cells, as compared with mock-infected cells or cells infected with a thymidine kinase-deficient strain of HSV-1. The end product of this phosphorylation process, CEDU 5'-triphosphate, is a competitive inhibitor of HSV-1 DNA polymerase activity and, to a lesser extent, of cellular DNA polymerase alpha activity. However, in the absence of the natural substrate dTTP, CEDU 5'-triphosphate also serves as an alternative substrate for viral and cellular DNA polymerase. When exposed to HSV-1-infected cells, [2-14C]CEDU was incorporated into both viral and cellular DNA. The extent to which [2-14C]CEDU was incorporated remained approximately constant over a concentration range of 0.5 to 50 microM. Within this concentration range, CEDU effected a concentration-dependent inhibition of viral DNA synthesis that closely paralleled the inhibition of viral progeny formation. It is postulated that CEDU owes (i) its selectivity as an antiviral agent to its preferential phosphorylation by the virus-infected cell and (ii) its antiviral potency to an inhibition of viral DNA synthesis at the level of the viral DNA polymerization reaction.     

A thymidine phosphorylase-stable analogue of BVDU with significant antiviral activity

(E)-5-(2-Bromovinyl)isodideoxyuridine (BVisoDDU), synthesized on the basis of molecular modeling, is selectively active against HSV-1 (three different strains) but inactive against HSV-2. Unlike BVDU, BVisoDDU is completely resistant to cleavage by thymidine phosphorylase. BVisoDDU is also the first nucleoside analogue lacking OH groups at both the 2'- and 3'-position that shows pronounced activity against HSV-1 replication.     

Genotoxic Properties of (E)-5-(2-Bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine (BVDU)

(E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine (BVDU) is a 5-substituted2'-deoxyuridine antiviral compound that inhibits thymidylatesynthetase. The selectivity of BVDU for virus-infected cellshas been attributed to phosphorylation of BVDU by a virus-inducedthymidine kinase. Since the closely related compounds 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridineand 5-iodo-2'-deoxyuridine are in vitro and in vivo mutagens,BVDU was tested for genotoxic activity in bacterial and mammaliancell mutation assays as well as in assays measuring DNA damage/repairand clastogenic activity. Mutation assays with BVDU at concentrationsranging from 10 to 5000 µg/plate using Salmonella typhimuriumstrains TA1535, TA1537, TA1538, TA98, and TA100 were negative,both with and without S9 activation. BVDU was also negativein the in vitro rat hepatocyte unscheduled DNA synthesis assayat concentrations of 750 and 1000 µg/ml. In contrast,BVDU was positive in the L5178Y TK^± mouse lymphoma mutationassay without S9 activation at five concentrations ranging from500 to 2000 µg/ml. A Chinese hamster ovary cell (CHO)/hypoxanthineguanine phosphoribosyl transferase gene mutation assay conductedwithout S9 over similar concentrations was negative. However,micronucleus induction by BVDU was detected with out S9 activationat concentrations between 500 and 1750 µg/ml using bothCHO and L5178Y cells. These results indicate that BVDU is apotential human clastogen.