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Effect of fluororotic acid on the sialylation of the chicken liver, hepatoma MC-29 and serum glycoconjugates.

Fluororotic acid, an orotic acid analogue which interferes with the nucleotide and RNA biosynthesis, was tested to determine its effect on: a) 14C-glucosamine and 14C-N-acetylmannosamine incorporation into acid-soluble nucleotide-sugars and into b) glycoconjugates from chicken liver and hepatoma induced by the avian leukosis strain Mc-29. In vivo metabolism studies indicated that this agent alters the nucleotide biosynthesis in both tissues investigated and causes a decrease in the sialylation rate of liver, hepatoma and serum glycolipids and glycoproteins.

Animals↗

On auxotrophy for pyrimidines of respiration-deficient chick embryo cells.

Chick embryo cells treated with chloramphenicol are inherently resistant to the growth-inhibitory effect of the drug when cultured in the presence of tryptose phosphate broth. The cells were found to be auxotrophic for pyrimidines and the presence in the broth of compounds of pyrimidine origin is demonstrated by chromatographic procedures and mass spectral analyses. They are in the form of ribonucleosides, ribonucleotides and pyrimidine-containing oligoribonucleotides. To understand the mechanism responsible for pyrimidine auxotrophy, the activity of enzymes involved in the pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway was determined. Measurement of the conversion of dihydroorotic acid to orotic acid in cell-free extracts revealed that chloramphenicol-treated chick embryo cells are deficient in dihydroorotate dehydrogenase activity. The data in vitro are supported by studies on the nutritional requirements of the respiration-deficient cells and by the incorporation in vivo of labelled dihydroorotic acid into the acid-insoluble fraction of the cells. Although the activity of the dehydrogenase in vitro is decreased by 95%, the enzyme is present in chloramphenicol-treated cells and its activity is unmasked by the artificial electron acceptor menadione. A study of the activity of other enzymes of the pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway demonstrated that their activity is comparable to that in control cells. The present results indicate that auxotrophy for pyrimidines results from the inhibition of the flow of electrons along the mitochondrial electron transport chain.

Animals↗

Effects of nootropic drugs on dopaminergic systems in the CNS.

The effect of 3 nootropic drugs, meclofenoxat (MEC), piracetam (PIR) and orotic acid (methylglucamine orotate, MGO), on locomotor activity and on rotational behavior after intracerebral injection of dopamine was tested in female Wistar rats. Whereas MGO-pretreatment increased the dopaminergic supersensitivity following repeated haloperidol in both behavioral tests, the other nootropics were without influence on intensity and duration of supersensitivity. Stimulating and sedative action of apomorphine on locomotion (following 2 mg/kg and 40 micrograms/kg apomorphine sc, respectively) was found to be unchanged after single doses of nootropics (300 mg/kg PIR or MEC, 225 mg/kg MGO, 30 min before apomorphine). Preceding systemic application of nootropics did not change the rotational behavior following application of dopamine (200 micrograms/2 microliters) into nucleus accumbens or nucleus caudatoputamen. The results show that nootropic drugs are without influence on spontaneous and dopaminergically stimulated locomotor activity but in contrast to PIR and MEC, MGO is able to facilitate the dopaminergic supersensitivity.

Animals↗

Protein synthesis in isolated cell nuclei.

1. Nuclei prepared from calf thymus tissue in a sucrose medium actively incorporate labelled amino acids into their proteins. This is an aerobic process which is dependent on nuclear oxidative phosphorylation. 2. Evidence is presented to show that the uptake of amino acids represents nuclear protein synthesis. 3. The deoxyribonucleic acid of the nucleus plays a role in amino acid incorporation. Protein synthesis virtually ceases when the DNA is removed from the nucleus, and uptake resumes when the DNA is restored. 4. In the essential mechanism of amino acid incorporation, the role of the DNA can be filled by denatured or partially degraded DNA, by DNAs from other tissues, and even by RNA. Purine and pyrimidine bases, monoribonucleotides, and certain dinucleotides are unable to substitute for DNA in this system. 5. When the proteins of the nucleus are fractionated and classified according to their specific activities, one finds the histones to be relatively inert. The protein fraction most closely associated with the DNA has a very high activity. A readily extractable ribonucleoprotein complex is also extremely active, and it is tempting to speculate that this may be an intermediary in nucleocytoplasmic interaction. 6. The isolated nucleus can incorporate glycine into nucleic acid purines, and orotic acid into the pyrimidines of its RNA. Orotic acid uptake into nuclear RNA requires the presence of the DNA. 7. The synthesis of ribonucleic acid can be inhibited at any time by a benzimidazole riboside (DRB) (which also retards influenza virus multiplication (11)). 8. The incorporation of amino acids into nuclear proteins seems to require a preliminary activation of the nucleus. This can be inhibited by the same benzimidazole derivative (DRB) which interferes with RNA synthesis, provided that the inhibitor is present at the outset of the incubation. DRB added 30 minutes later has no effect on nuclear protein synthesis. These results suggest that the activation of the nucleus so that it actively incorporates amino acids into its proteins requires a preliminary synthesis of ribonucleic acid. 9. Together with earlier observations (27, 28) on the incorporation of amino acids by cytoplasmic particulates, these results show that protein synthesis can occur in both nucleus and cytoplasm.

Animals↗

Effect of hesperetin, a citrus flavonoid, on the liver triacylglycerol content and phosphatidate phosphohydrolase activity in orotic acid-fed rats.

The effect of dietary hesperetin on the hepatic lipid content and the enzyme activities involved in triacylglycerol (TG) synthesis in rats fed diets with or without 1% orotic acid (OA) was studied. Hepatic TG content was raised by approximately 5-fold after administration of OA for 10 days. The OA-feeding significantly increased the activity of hepatic microsomal phosphatidate phosphohydrolase (PAP), which is the rate-limiting enzyme for TG synthesis. Hepatic glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) and malic enzyme activities were also increased. An addition of 1% hesperetin to the OA-supplemented diet resulted in the decrease of the hepatic TG content by 44% and of microsomal PAP activity. Dietary hesperetin alone neither affected liver TG content nor PAP activity significantly. OA-feeding caused an increased liver cholesterol level, whereas simultaneous addition of hesperetin and OA reduced its content to the control level. A slight reduction of hepatic cholesterol by hesperetin was also observed in the OA-free dietary group. The present study demonstrated that dietary hesperetin can reduce the hepatic TG accumulation induced by OA, and this was associated with the reduced activity of TG synthetic enzyme, PAP.

Animals↗

Magnesium orotate in myocardial and neuronal protection.

The nervous tissue and the myocardium have in common many denominators, such as: the inability to renew to substitute the severely damaged or dead cells, the role of the membrane electric activity, the presence of similar systems for antioxidation protection, which are obviously involved in pathologic events a.s.o. Aggressive factors mainly act by free radicals injury and increase in cytosolic calcium level. Magnesium orotate molecule includes two synergic protective components: orotic acid and magnesium. Moreover, the orotic acid behaves as a transporter, carrying magnesium into the cells. The antioxidation protective effect of the orotic acid is mainly due to the pirimidinic bases that favor and increased synthesis of enzymes which act as free radical scavengers. The cell antioxidation protective system is dramatically impaired following heavy aggressions such as the ischemia-reperfusion process. Magnesium orotate improves the survival of cells situated within the perinecrotic areas as well as of the cells secondarily damaged during the so-called "second wind".

Animals↗

Antiviral action and selectivity of 6-azauridine.

6-Azauridine (AzUrd) is a broad-spectrum antimetabolite that inhibits both DNA and RNA virus multiplication. Prior work indicated that several AzUrd-sensitive viruses induced an increase in the level of uridine kinase, and this might explain the selective activity of AzUrd on such viruses. Present studies compared AzUrd sensitive and resistant viruses with respect to their orotic acid pathways by labeling cells with [14C]-orotic acid during the latent period of viral infection. No differences were detected by this method with either vaccinia, Newcastle disease, or vesicular stomatitis viruses. AzUrd inhibits transport of orotic acid into the cell by 30%, while incorporation of orotic acid into cellular RNA is inhibited by 50% (taking into consideration the 30% already noted) when the highest concentration of antimetabolite is used. This suggests that, in addition to blocking orotidylic acid decarboxylase, AzUrd may act on some other site (sites) of action in the inhibition of virus multiplication.

Antiviral Agents↗

Dietary and metabolic manipulations of the carcinogenic process: role of nucleotide pool imbalances in carcinogenesis.

Perturbations in DNA and/or membranes are considered to be important for the carcinogenic process. A search for nutritional and metabolic means of disturbing the homeostasis of DNA and membranes revealed that nucleotide pools offer an exciting possibility. An imbalance in nucleotide pools can exert a two-pronged attack on both DNA and membranes. When given to rats, orotic acid, a precursor of pyrimidine nucleotides, results in an imbalance in nucleotide pools (an increase in uridine nucleotides and a decrease in inosine/adenine nucleotides), alterations in both DNA and membranes, and promotion of carcinogenesis in the liver initiated by chemical carcinogens. Agents such as adenine and allopurinol, which inhibit the metabolism of orotic acid and thereby decrease the formation of uridine nucleotides, and galactosamine, which traps uridine nucleotides, inhibited the promotional effects of orotic acid in the liver. These results suggested that orotic acid needs to be metabolized to uridine nucleotides and the creation of a subsequent imbalance in nucleotide pools is important for the promotional effects of orotic acid. To determine whether the creation of a nucleotide pool imbalance is a more general mechanism of tumor promotion, two lines of approach were investigated. One was to determine the effect of orotic acid on promotion of carcinogenesis in other organs, and the second approach was to determine how to induce nucleotide pool imbalances by means other than orotic acid administration. It is interesting to note that orotic acid promotes carcinogenesis in duodenum initiated by azoxymethane. Regarding the second approach, it became apparent that several metabolic disturbances result in increased orotic acid synthesis and alterations in nucleotide pools.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Factors affecting amino acid induced orotic aciduria in rats.

Administration of individual amino acids is known to induce an orotic aciduria. The present studies show that the induction of orotic aciduria by glycine is highly influenced by stage of digestion of the test animal and the nitrogen content of the test diet. Short term fasting for 24 hours prevented glycine induced orotic aciduria. However, longer term fasting for 1, 3, 5, or 7 days resulted in a return in the ability of glycine to stimulate pyrimidine biosynthesis. The maximum induced orotic aciduria occurred after 3 days of fasting. The ability of glycine to induce orotic aciduria in the fed rat was also dependent on the dietary protein content. Glycine injections were unable to elicit an orotic aciduria in rats fed a protein-free diet. Addition of increasing quantities of nitrogen to the basal diet resulted in a proportional increase in glycine induced orotic aciduria.

Ammonia↗

The allopurinol loading test for identification of carriers for ornithine carbamoyl transferase deficiency: studies in a healthy control population and females at risk.

The increase in orotidine excretion following a 300 mg allopurinol dose has been used for carrier detection in ornithine carbamoyl transferase (OCT) deficiency. This test was evaluated, using three collection periods, in 23 healthy women, 4 obligate heterozygotes and 32 other women at risk of being carriers of OCT deficiency. Four methods for the analysis of orotidine and orotic acid were compared. Using the most reproducible method, the excretion of orotic acid in controls was found to be consistently higher than that of orotidine in all three periods. The distribution of both orotic acid and orotidine excretion of controls was skewed so that standard deviations (S.D.) were calculated after logarithmic transformation. All four obligate heterozygotes showed orotic acid and orotidine excretion in excess of 3 S.D. above the control mean and a further 7 women had one or more excretion values in excess of 3 S.D., while 16 gave a value of less than 2 S.D. for both metabolites. We conclude that the predictive value of the test is good, that both orotic acid and orotidine should be measured to reduce the risk of misclassification and that values greater than 2 S.D. for both in one or more periods should be used as the cut-off point to identify carriers.

Adolescent↗

The influence of excess lysine on urea cycle operation and pyrimidine biosynthesis.

Rats fed a purified L-amino acid diet with 0.72, 1.50, 2.9 or 4.3% lysine excreted 117, 124, 237 and 628 micrograms/day orotic acid, respectively. Dietary arginine supplementation prevented the orotic aciduria induced by excess dietary lysine. Increased orotic acid excretion was accompanied by a significant depression in urinary urea in rats fed a diet containing 4.3% lysine compared to those fed a diet containing 0.72% lysine. As measured by incorporation of [14C]HCO3, lysine addition to liver slices or isolated hepatocytes resulted in a progressive increase in the rate of orotic acid biosynthesis. The minimum quantity of lysine tested that significantly increased the rate of orotic acid biosynthesis was 0.5 mM or 1 mM for studies with slices and hepatocytes, respectively. Ammonia at concentrations of 0, 0.75, or 5.0 mM NH4Cl linearly increased orotate and urea synthesis. Inhibition of urea biosynthesis resulting from lysine supplementation coincided with an increase in pyrimidine biosynthesis. Addition of 1 mM arginine to the liver incubation media prevented the increased rate of orotic acid biosynthesis caused by lysine. Arginine addition may overcome an approximate 90% competitive inhibition of arginase by excess lysine.

Amino Acids↗

Incorporation of labeled ribonucleic acid precursors into maternal and fetal rat tissues during pregnancy.

Tritium-labeled ribonucleic acid precursors, including cytidine, uridine, and orotic acid, were injected into rats with dated pregnancies (14 to 21 days) and virgin rats. The acid-insoluble counts indicating incorporation into fetal and placental tissues showed that the highest incorporation occurred with cytidine, particularly earlier in pregnancy. In contrast, uridine demonstrated a minor degree of incorporation but displayed facile and enhanced transplacental passage with duration of pregnancy as represented by acid-soluble counts. Orotic acid was minimally used by both fetal and placental tissues. The incorporation of labeled precursors into maternal liver, heart, and kidney demonstrated varying responses during the course of pregnancy.

Animals↗

Protein load in argininosuccinic aciduria: thoughts on its biochemical implications.

A patient with argininosuccinc aciduria was charged with 50 grams of protein, which was followed by considerable hyperammonemia. There was no response in further urea formation; but there was a considerable production of orotic acid, a precursor of pyrimidines. This makes orotic acid to an important diagnostic tool for the diagnosis of impaired urea formation. The patient's plasma amino acid pattern led to the suggestion that orotic acid synthesis is initiated by increased de novo formation of carbamyl phosphate in the cytosol and not by deviation of already existing intramitochondrial carbamyl phosphate.

Adult↗

Abnormal hepatic nucleotide pools in sparse fur (spf) mutant mice deficient in ornithine transcarbamylase.

Sparse fur hemizygous male mice are over 90% deficient in ornithine transcarbamylase and exhibit increased synthesis of orotic acid. Because our earlier studies have demonstrated that orotic acid is a liver tumor promoter in the rat, it was of interest to determine whether this genetic disorder also increases the risk of tumor promotion. The results revealed that the livers of mutant mice showed a fourfold increase in uridine nucleotides and a 50% decrease in adenosine nucleotides compared to corresponding controls, a pattern of nucleotide pool imbalance similar to that seen in the livers of rats exposed to orotic acid under promoting conditions. Creation of such an imbalance appears to be important for orotic acid to exert its promotional effects. Sparse fur mutant mouse may, therefore, be an ideal animal model to study the tumor-promoting effects of orotate.

Animals↗

An integrated reverse functional genomic and metabolic approach to understanding orotic acid-induced fatty liver.

In functional genomics, DNA microarrays for gene expression profiling are increasingly being used to provide insights into biological function or pathology. To better understand the significance of the multiple transcriptional changes across a time period, the temporal changes in phenotype must be described. Orotic acid-induced fatty liver disease was investigated at the transcriptional and metabolic levels using microarrays and metabolic profiling in two strains of rats. High-resolution 1H-NMR spectroscopic analysis of liver tissue indicated that Kyoto rats compared with Wistar rats are predisposed to the insult. Metabolite analysis and gene expression profiling following orotic acid treatment identified perturbed metabolic pathways, including those involved in fatty acid, triglyceride, and phospholipid synthesis, beta-oxidation, altered nucleotide, methyl donor, and carbohydrate metabolism, and stress responses. Multivariate analysis and statistical bootstrapping were used to investigate co-responses with transcripts involved in metabolism and stress responses. This reverse functional genomic strategy highlighted the relationship between changes in the transcription of stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 and those of other lipid-related transcripts with changes in NMR-derived lipid profiles. The results suggest that the integration of 1H-NMR and gene expression data sets represents a robust method for identifying a focused line of research in a complex system.

Administration, Oral↗

In vitro antimalarial activity of nucleic acid precursor analogues in the simian malaria Plasmodium knowlesi.

Analogues of nucleic acid precursors were screened for antimalarial activity in Plasmodium knowlesi by using an in vitro culture system. Activity was assessed by the degree of inhibition of incorporation of l-[methyl-(14)C]methionine into protein and of [8-(14)C]adenosine and [6-(14)C]orotic acid into ribonucleic acid and deoxyribonucleic acid. The incorporation of adenosine or orotic acid was effectively inhibited by many of the compounds, including 3' analogues of purine nucleosides, many of the 6-position analogues of purine bases and nucleosides, and 5-position analogues of orotic acid. Only a few compounds inhibited methionine incorporation into protein, and in each instance adenosine or orotic acid incorporation also was inhibited. Some compounds inhibited adenosine or orotic acid incorporation into both ribonucleic acid and deoxyribonucleic, whereas other analogues inhibited incorporation into one nucleic acid only. The qualitative and quantitative differences suggest that this experimental system may be appropriate for investigation of metabolic pathways of the malaria parasite, as well as for demonstration of antimalarial activity of candidate antimalaria drugs.

Animals↗

Alterations in liver nucleic acids and nucleotides in arginine deficient rats.

Dietary arginine deficiency is associated with retarded growth and depressed feed intake. Nucleic acid biosynthesis as indicated by the incorporation of [6-14C]-orotic acid and [32P]-orthophosphate was significantly depressed in rats fed an arginine deficient diet. The activities of the pyrimidine enzymes, aspartate transcarbamylase (ATC) and dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) were significantly increased in rats fed an arginine deficient diet. ATC and DHODH activities in rats fed the arginine deficient diet returned to control activities after 3 wk of feeding. Orotidine 5' phosphate decarboxylase and orotate phosphoribosyl transferase activities were not affected by dietary arginine availability. In the rat fed an arginine deficient diet there was an increase in total liver pyrimidine nucleotides and a decrease in the total purine nucleotides. Significant alterations in the individual liver nucleotides were also observed. Incubation of various tissues obtained from rats fed an arginine deficient diet or a complete diet with glutamine (5mM) revealed that the liver is the major site of orotic acid synthesis. Orotic acid production in liver slices using glutamine as the nitrogen source was significantly greater in rats fed an arginine deficient diet compared to controls. The orotic aciduria occurring in rats fed an arginine deficient diet is associated with increased synthesis and decreased utilization of pyrimidines.

Animals↗

A sensitive, nonradiometric assay for dihydroorotic acid dehydrogenase using anion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography.

A new method to assay the mitochondrial pyrimidine de novo enzyme, dihydroorotate (DHO) dehydrogenase, which catalyzes the dehydrogenation of DHO, with orotic acid as the product was developed. The assay was optimized using a rat liver mitochondrial preparation. Orotic acid was quantified with high-performance liquid chromatography using an anion-exchange column (Partisil-SAX) with uv detection at 280 nm. Isocratic elution with low phosphate buffer at pH 4.0 was used. The detection limit was 20 pmol per injection, which is comparable to previously described radiometric assays. The HPLC assay was compared with a spectrophotometric assay measuring orotic acid formation in a deproteinized reaction mixture. Absorbance was measured at the optimal wavelength for orotic acid, 278.5 nm. This assay is less sensitive and less specific than the HPLC assay, which can also detect UMP which might be formed from orotic acid in whole homogenates. With both assays kinetic parameters of the enzyme were determined. In the high concentration range (80-1000 microM) both Km and Vmax values were comparable. With the HPLC assay the concentration range was extended down to 12 microM and initial rates could be determined. The apparent Km was about 12 microM. The HPLC assay is also suitable for use in the study of inhibition of DHO dehydrogenase.

Animals↗