Metabolism and action of benzamide riboside in Chinese hamster ovary cells.
Benzamide riboside (3-(1-deoxy-beta-D-ribofuranosyl)benzamide, BR) a new analog of nicotinamide riboside, is toxic to Chinese hamster ovary cells and inhibits guanine nucleotide synthesis in a manner comparable to that of tiazofurin (2-beta-D-ribofuranosylthiazole-4-carboxamide). Adenosine kinase deficient cells demonstrate slight resistance but retain the ability to form the NAD analog, benzamide adenine dinucleotide (BAD). HPLC analysis of BAD containing cells is described. A BR resistant cell line was isolated that demonstrates cross-resistance to both tiazofurin and 6-aminonicotinamide, suggesting a common metabolic step; enzymatic analysis indicates reduced levels of NAD pyrophosphorylase in these cells. BR toxicity was only partially reversed or prevented by the presence of guanosine, suggesting either that BR inhibits guanine salvage to some extent or, more probably, that BR can, at high concentration, inhibit cell growth by another mechanism in addition to inhibition of guanine nucleotide synthesis. Cells incubated with BR for several hours retain the ability to salvage exogenously provided guanosine. The demonstration that BAD can be phosphorylated by NAD kinase, presumably to form BADP, suggests that this metabolite may be formed in cells and may have inhibitory activity at high concentrations of BR.