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J Barankiewicz

Publications and source records attributed to J Barankiewicz.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Purine metabolism in human T lymphocytes: role of the purine nucleoside cycle.

Human intrathymic T lymphocytes were separated by a bovine serum albumin density gradient into a population of G1-phase small thymocytes and a population of S-phase-enriched large thymocytes. Purine metabolism was studied in these thymocyte populations, representing immature T lymphocytes, and compared with the metabolism of mature T lymphocytes isolated from the peripheral blood. De novo purine biosynthesis was highly cell cycle dependent; i.e., de novo purine biosynthetic activity was found only in large S-phase thymocytes, whereas both G1 T-cell populations lacked any significant activity. Thus G1-phase small thymocytes and G1-phase peripheral blood T lymphocytes have only salvage pathways to maintain their purine nucleotide pools. Despite the similarity of purine salvage activities in G1 thymocytes and in peripheral blood T lymphocytes, small thymocytes have fourfold lower levels of purine nucleoside triphosphates. The decreased levels of purine nucleotides in G1 thymocytes may be the result of increased purine efflux. It was found that an unusually large proportion (24-48%) of hypoxanthine incorporated by G1 thymocytes is excreted into the medium in the form of inosine.

Cell Separation

Purine and pyrimidine metabolism in human T lymphocytes. Regulation of deoxyribonucleotide metabolism.

Purine and pyrimidine deoxyribonucleoside metabolism was studied in G1 and S phase human thymocytes and compared with that of the more mature T lymphocytes from peripheral blood. Both thymocyte populations have much higher intracellular deoxyribonucleoside triphosphate (dNTP) pools than peripheral blood T lymphocytes. The smallest dNTP pool in S phase thymocytes is dCTP (5.7 pmol/10(6) cells) and the largest is dTTP (48 pmol/10(6) cells), whereas in G1 thymocytes, dATP and dGTP comprise the smallest pools. While both G1 and S phase thymocytes have active deoxyribonucleoside salvage pathways, only S phase thymocytes have significant ribonucleotide reduction activity. We have studied ribonucleotide reduction and deoxyribonucleoside salvage in S phase thymocytes in the presence of extracellular deoxyribonucleosides. Based on these studies, we propose a model for the interaction of deoxyribonucleoside salvage and ribonucleotide reduction in S phase thymocytes. According to this model, extracellular deoxycytidine at micromolar concentrations is efficiently salvaged by deoxycytidine kinase. However, due to feedback inhibition of deoxycytidine kinase by dCTP, the maximal level of dCTP which can be achieved is limited. The salvage of both deoxyadenosine and deoxyguanosine (up to 10(-4) M) is completely inhibited in the presence of micromolar concentrations of deoxycytidine, whereas the salvage of thymidine is unregulated resulting in large increases in dTTP levels. Moreover, significant amounts of the salvaged deoxycytidine is used for dTTP synthesis resulting in further increase of dTTP pools. The accumulated dTTP inhibits the reduction of UDP and CDP while stimulating GDP reduction and subsequently also ADP reduction. The end result of the proposed model is that S phase thymocytes in the presence of a wide range of extracellular deoxyribonucleoside concentrations synthesize their pyrimidine dNTP by the salvage pathway, whereas purine dNTPs are synthesized primarily by ribonucleotide reduction. Using the proposed model, it is possible to predict the relative intracellular dNTP pools found in fresh S phase thymocytes.

Cell Cycle

Evidence for active purine nucleoside cycles in human mononuclear cells and cultured fibroblasts.

Several aspects of purine metabolism were studied in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and fibroblasts from a patient with purine nucleoside phosphorylase deficiency and compared to cells from normal controls. Intact cells were incubated with radioactive purine bases and all purine metabolites were extracted and analyzed. Incubation of purine nucleoside phosphorylase-deficient cells with [3H]hypoxanthine and [3H]guanine resulted in the accumulation of large proportions of the incorporated radioactivity into inosine (60-80%) and to lesser extent into guanosine (15-30%), respectively, whereas normal cells accumulated only minor amounts of inosine and guanosine. This observation indicates that purine nucleoside phosphorylase, together with hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase and nucleoside monophosphate phosphatase, participate in remarkably active inosine and guanosine cycles. These purine nucleoside cycles may play a role in the regulation of intracellular purine nucleotide levels. The absence of these cycles in purine nucleoside phosphorylase-deficient patients may be detrimental to the differentiation of lymphocytes.

Cells, Cultured

Purine metabolism in mesophyll protoplasts of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) leaves.

The overall metabolism of purines was studied in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) mesophyll protoplasts. Metabolic pathways were studied by measuring the conversion of radioactive adenine, adenosine, hypoxanthine and guanine into purine ribonucleotides, ribonucleosides, bases and nucleic acid constituents. Adenine was extensively deaminated to hypoxanthine, whereupon it was also converted into AMP and incorporated into nucleic acids. Adenosine was mainly hydrolysed to adenine. Inosinate formed from hypoxanthine was converted into AMP and GMP, which were then catabolized to adenine and guanosine respectively. Guanine was mainly deaminated to xanthine and also incorporated into nucleic acids via GTP. Increased RNA synthesis in the protoplasts resulted in enhanced incorporation of adenine and guanine, but not of hypoxanthine and adenosine, into the nucleic acid fraction. The overall pattern of purine-nucleotide metabolic pathways in protoplasts of tobacco leaf mesophyll is proposed.

Adenine

Adenine cycle in hepatopancreocytes of Helix pomatia (Gastropoda).

Intact hepatopancreocytes were obtained from hibernating or active purinotelic snails, H. pomatia (Gastropoda). When incubated with [14C]glycine or [14C]formate, they synthesized de novo purine compounds, including also adenylates, adenosine and adenine. Hepatopancreocytes resynthesized also adenylates and other purine compounds from [3H]adenine or from [3H]adenosine split by the H. pomatia cell enzyme to adenine; the resynthesis of ADP+ATP was proportional to adenine concentration. Thus all reactions of the postulated adenine cycle: AMP leads to adenosine leads to adenine leads to AMP occur in the intact hepatopancreocytes; this cycle could probably be responsible for maintenance of the high level of adenylates during winter sleep.

Adenine

Ribose 1-phosphate metabolism in Ehrlich ascites tumor cells in vitro.

Ribose 1-phosphate concentrations have been measured in tumor cells incubated with purine and pyrimidine nucleosides and with glucose. Highest concentrations (0.15 to 0.2 mumol/ml of cells) were attained in cells incubated with inosine. Although uridine was cleaved at approximately the same rate as inosine, as judged by lactate accumulation, concentrations of ribose 1-phosphate that accumulated were only approximately 0.06 mumol/ml. Ribose 1-phosphate accumulation in tumor cells incubated with inosine was dependent on the phosphate concentration of the medium up to at least 25 mM. Ribose 1-phosphate formed from inosine was readily converted both to phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate and to lactate.

Animals

Purine and pyrimidine metabolism: pathways, pitfalls and perturbations.

The conceptual framework which underlies many studies of purine and pyrimidine metabolism in intact cells has been critically evaluated. The model that is implicit in many such studies is the single, partially purified enzyme. This paper gives examples both of instances in which the extrapolation of results of enzymes studies to intact cells has been successful and of instances in which enzymes behave differently in the intact cell than in cell extracts. Pitfalls in the extrapolation of results of enzyme studies to intact cells concern (a) metabolic pathways, (b) intracellular enzyme activities, (c) enzyme regulation, and (d) intracellular metabolite concentrations. Examples are also given of situations in which perturbations in one aspect of purine or pyrimidine metabolism lead to changes in other aspects, often distant in the network of reactions.

Adenine Phosphoribosyltransferase

Effect of lowered intracellular ATP and GTP concentrations on purine ribonucleotide synthesis and interconversion.

The effects of lowered intracellular ATP and GTP concentrations on enzymes of purine ribonucleotide synthesis and intercoversion were studied using intact Ehrlich ascites tumor cells. The apparent rates of phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate synthetase (EC 2.7.6.1) and of inosinate dehydrogenase (EC 1.2.1.14) were increased in cells containing lowered purine nucleotide concentrations, but apparent activities of amidophosphoribosyltransferase (EC 2.4.2.14), the purine phosphoribosyltransferases, and other enzymes of purine ribonucleotide interconversion were not affected.

Adenine Phosphoribosyltransferase

Role of orthophosphate concentration in the regulation of ribose phosphate synthesis and purine metabolism in Ehrlich ascites tumor cells.

Concentrations of intracellular orthophosphate were determined in Ehrlich ascites tumor cells incubated with glucose, inosine, or uridine in media of different orthophosphate concentration. The effects of orthophosphate concentration on the accumulation of lactate and of phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate and on concentrations of ribose 1-phosphate and ribose 5-phosphate in tumor cells incubated with glucose were also determined. Both the phosphorolysis of inosine and the rate of catabolism of ATP in cells incubated with 2-deoxyglucose were also influenced by the orthophosphate concentration of the medium.

Aerobiosis