Disparate affinities of antifolates for folylpolyglutamate synthetase from human leukemia cells Journal Article


Authors: Longo, G. S. A.; Gorlick, R.; Tong, W. P.; Ercikan, E.; Bertino, J. R.
Article Title: Disparate affinities of antifolates for folylpolyglutamate synthetase from human leukemia cells
Abstract: Previous work showed that acute myelocytic leukemia blasts accumulate less long chain polyglutamates of methotrexate (MTX) than acute lymphocytic leukemia blasts when incubated with this radiolabeled antifolate. This difference likely explains the increased sensitivity of lymphoid leukemias to short-term exposure of MTX as compared with myeloid leukemias. In this study, we examined the basis for differences between long chain MTX polyglutamate accumulation between different leukemia cell types using both leukemia cell lines and blasts freshly isolated from blood of leukemic patients, The major difference found between leukemia cells that accumulate long chain polyglutamates and those that do not were differences in K-m values for the enzyme folylpolyglutamate synthetase. K-m values did not change with partial purification of this enzyme, indicating that interfering substances in crude lysates were not responsible for this difference, We postulate that there may be differences in the properties of this enzyme related to tissue specific expression, In contrast to MTX, both Tomudex (Zeneca Pharmaceuticals, Wilmington, DE) and 1843U89, potent inhibitors of thymidylate synthetase, have low K(m)s for folylpolyglutamate synthetase, and polyglutamate forms of these inhibitors are accumulated to the same degree in both myeloid and lymphoid acute leukemia cells, paralleling the equivalent cytotoxicity found between myeloid and lymphoid leukemia cell lines. Based on these results, we believe a clinical trial of Tomudex in patients with acute myeloid leukemia is warranted. (C) 1997 by The American Society of Hematology.
Keywords: methotrexate; inhibitor; thymidylate synthase; resistance; acute lymphoblastic-leukemia; gamma-glutamate synthetase; polyglutamates
Journal Title: Blood
Volume: 90
Issue: 3
ISSN: 0006-4971
Publisher: American Society of Hematology  
Date Published: 1997-08-01
Start Page: 1241
End Page: 1245
Language: English
ACCESSION: WOS:A1997XN12600041
PROVIDER: wos
PUBMED: 9242558
DOI: 10.1182/blood.V90.3.1241
Notes: Article -- Source: Wos
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MSK Authors
  1. William Ping-Yiu Tong
    158 Tong
  2. Richard G Gorlick
    121 Gorlick
  3. Joseph Bertino
    363 Bertino
  4. Emine A Ercikan
    23 Ercikan