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PubMed1978

Effect of malnutrition and rehabilitation on the metabolism of polyamines in rat liver.

In adult male rats the activity of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) and S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (SAMD) and the concentration of putrescine and spermidine increased markedly 3 to 4 weeks after feeding the animals a 6% casein diet. Incorporation of [14C]orotic acid into nuclear RNA also increased during this period of time. In contrast, spermine concentration remained unchanged. During the fifth week of protein restriction enzyme activities, putrescine and spermidine concentrations and orotic acid incorporation returned to control levels. After the restricted rats were put on a control diet there was a rapid increase above control levels in ODC activity and a proportionally smaller increase in SAMD activity. Putrescine and spermidine concentration also increase above control levels. Both enzyme activities and polyamine concentrations were within normal levels 96 hours after refeeding. Spermine values were unmodified by refeeding. After a transient rise 12 hours after refeeding, incorporation of labeled orotic acid into RNA decreased significantly for the rest of the experiment.

Adenosylmethionine Decarboxylase↗
PubMed1976

Importance of pyrimidine nucleotide salvage pathways for DNA synthesis in skin.

Split-thickness rabbit skins were minced and incubated in vitro with radioactive precursors selected to measure do novo and salvage pathways for pyrimidine nucleotide synthesis. In this system, both the salvage precursors [3H]thymidine and [14C]cytidine were incorporated actively into skin DNA and only [14C]cytidine into skin RNA. In contrast, the de novo precursor [14C]orotic acid labeled skin RNA extensively but did not significantly label skin DNA. An unusually high ratio of specific activities of UMP:CMP in RNA was observed when [14C]orotic acid was used as a nucleotide precursor. Methotrexate effectively blocked thymidylate synthesis do novo but did not inhibit DNA synthesis as determined by [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA thymidylate residues or by [14C]deoxycytidine incorporation into DNA deoxycytidylate residues. Azauridine inhibited labeling of RNA by [14C]orotic acid to a greater extent than labeling of DNA by [3H]thymidine. These results suggest that in rabbit skin, cytidine nucleotides are utilized more effectively than uridine nucleotides for deoxypyrimidine biosynthesis, that DNA synthesis is primarily dependent upon salvage mechanisms to supply deoxypyrimidine nucleotides, and that inhibition of thymidylate synthesis by methotrexate does not inhibit DNA synthesis in this system.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Sex-dependent differences in the biosynthesis of pyrimidine nucleotides in rat liver after repeated administration of alpha-hexachlorocyclohexane.

Utilization of [2-14C]orotic acid for the synthesis of the pyrimidine components of the free nucleotide pool and RNA from isolated cytoplasmic ribosomes was investigated in the liver of female and male rats. In females, labeled orotic acid is incorporated relatively more into uridine than into cytidine nucleotides; the opposite is true for males. The administration of alpha-hexachlorocyclohexane (alpha-HCH) decreases the specific radioactivity of rRNA cytidylic acid more in males than in females. Simultaneously, the level of liver microsomal cytochrome P-450 is increased after the administration of alpha-HCH more in males than in females. After four days of treatment with alpha-HCH, the concentrations of the uridine and cytidine components of the acid-soluble pool are slightly depressed. Following repeated administration of alpha-HCH, the utilization of labeled uridine for the synthesis of cytidine nucleotides of the acid-soluble pool and RNA is depressed, whereas that of labeled cytidine is enhanced. Repeated administration of alpha-HCH decreases the utilization of [2-14C]orotic acid for the synthesis of cytidine nucleotides of DNA; the specific radioactivity of thymidylic acid is increased. The administration of beta-diethylaminoethyl diallylacetate (CFT-1201) to animals that have repeatedly received alpha-HCH decreases the specific radioactivity of DNA thymine.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Hepatic artery administration of degradable starch microspheres. I. Effect on energy charge and incorporation of precursors into rat liver nucleic acids.

The effects of hepatic artery administration of degradable starch microspheres on liver energy charge and nucleic acid anabolism were studied in rats. Liver energy charge was evaluated 20 and 60 min after the injection of degradable starch microspheres. As compared to controls the microspheres had no effect on liver energy charge. The incorporation of orotic acid, uracil, and thymidine into liver RNA or DNA was studied 1 h after hepatic artery injection of precursor alone or together with degradable starch microspheres. Orotic acid and uracil incorporation into RNA was studied in normal rats and the DNA incorporation of thymidine in animals with regenerating livers. Orotic acid and thymidine were given in trace amounts. Uracil was given in amounts corresponding to a therapeutic dose of 5-fluorouracil. The addition of microspheres had no effects on the incorporation of the nucleic acid precursors into RNA or DNA. Thus, in the normal liver degradable starch microspheres administered by the hepatic artery had no influence on liver energy charge or RNA anabolism in the liver. Also the microspheres had no negative effects on the DNA anabolism in proliferating liver cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Alterations of pyrimidine and nucleic acid synthesis during adaptive growth of liver induced by nafenopin, a peroxisome proliferator. An in vivo study.

The de novo synthesis of pyrimidine nucleotides in the rat liver after administration of nafenopin (NFP) was studied with the aid of [14C]orotic acid; the utilization of preformed nucleosides (salvage pathways) was followed using the [14C]cytidine and [14C]thymidine. A single dose (400 mg/kg) as well as repeated doses (100 mg/kg/day) of NFP increased the concentration of the cytidine and uridine components of the acid-soluble extract (ASE) of rat liver. Increase in the concentration of the cytidine components preceded the increase in the uridine components. The uptake of [14C]cytidine by the liver of rats that had been given a single dose of NFP was observed 24 h after the administration of the drug and a decrease followed after this period. The specific activity of RNA and DNA cytosine paralleled the changes of the specific activity of ASE. A single dose of NFP had no marked effect on the uptake of [14C]orotic acid. The specific activity of the uridine components of ASE remained unaltered for 2 days. After this period it decreased because of an increase in the amount of the soluble uridine components. A mild drop of the specific activity of cytidine components of ASE occurred on the second day, the total radioactivity of cytidine components increased 24 h after the administration of NFP. The specific activity of DNA pyrimidines was markedly increased 24 h after administration of the drug. On the fourth day the specific activity of DNA cytosine in the experimental group was the same as in the control group, whereas the activity of DNA thymine was lower. Following repeated administration of NFP (100 mg/kg/day) a decreased uptake of [14C]orotic acid was observed; its utilization for the synthesis of the uridine components of ASE, expressed as total radioactivity of soluble uridine components, was continuously suppressed. No changes in the specific activity of cytidine components were observed. The specific activity of DNA cytosine and thymine was distributed unevenly. During later periods of the drug action the specific activity of cytosine increased whereas the activity of thymine was lower. This phenomenon may be accounted for by the formation of a thymidylate precursor, dUMP, directly from uridine phosphates.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

The transcription of various types of ribonucleic acid by hepatocytes isolated from rats of various ages.

The synthesis of various types of ribonucleic acid (RNA) isolated from 6- to 3-month-old female Fischer F344 rats was compared. The rate of RNA synthesis by freshly prepared hepatocytes was determined by dividing the amount of [3H]orotic acid incorporated into RNA as uridine-5'-monophosphate by the specific activity of the uridine-5'-triphosphate pool. The rate of total RNA synthesis by hepatocytes from 19-month-old rats was 40% less than the rate for hepatocytes from 12-month-old rats. No significant difference in the rate of total RNA synthesis was observed between 19 and 30 months of age. The percentage of [3H]orotic acid incorporated into poly(A) + RNA by 30-month-old rats was approximately 50% less than that observed for hepatocytes isolated from 6-month-old rats. The percentage of [3H]orotic acid incorporated into poly(A)-RNA as ribosomal RNA (38S, 18S, and 5S RNAs) or transfer RNA was similar for 12- and 30-month-old rats. The rate of poly(A) + RNA synthesis by hepatocytes isolated from 30-month-old rats was 65% less than that observed for hepatocytes from 6-month-old rats. In contrast to total RNA synthesis, the rate of poly(A) + RNA synthesis for the 30-month-old rats was significantly less than the rate for 19-month-old rats.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1995

Nucleotide pool imbalances in the livers of patients with urea cycle disorders associated with increased levels of orotic aciduria.

Liver samples obtained at autopsy from patients with ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency, a urea cycle disorder that is associated with high levels of orotic acid biosynthesis and excretion were analysed for nucleotide pools. As a control, liver samples from patients with a deficiency of mitochondrial carbamyl phosphate synthetase (CPS-I) which is not associated with increased levels of orotic acidurias were also analysed. The results show that liver tissue from OTC deficiency patients exhibited an increased ratio of uridine nucleotides to adenosine nucleotides, while in CPS-I deficiency patients, no such increase was noted. This study indicates that genetic disorders that are associated with increased loads of orotic acid exhibit abnormally high ratios of uridine to adenosine nucleotides in the liver. This type of imbalance is analogous to that seen in the liver of rats and mice exposed to an orotic acid supplemented or an arginine-deficient diet under liver tumor promoting conditions. It is likely that an imbalance in nucleotide pools may have a significant role in the pathophysiology associated with these disorders.

Adenine Nucleotides↗
PubMed1991

Arginine-deficient diets alter plasma and tissue amino acids in young and aged rats.

Blood and urine metabolites were measured in two experiments for young (2-mo-old) and aged (20-mo-old) male Sprague-Dawley rats fed arginine-devoid diets made isonitrogenous to a control 1.12% arginine diet by adding alanine or glycine. Diet, fed for 7 or 13 d, had little effect on urinary or plasma ammonia and urea. Urinary orotate excretion was more than 40-fold higher in rats fed the arginine-deficient diets (P less than 0.01) in both experiments. Source of nonessential N (alanine or glycine) in the arginine-deficient diets did not alter orotic acid excretion or plasma or urine ammonia or urea. Changes in plasma arginine, alanine and glycine concentrations reflected the levels of these amino acids in the diet. Tissue ornithine levels reflected dietary arginine level, but tissue citrulline was unaffected by dietary arginine. Glutamate and glutamine were greater in the plasma and liver of rats fed arginine-deficient diets. Plasma concentrations of glutamate and glutamine were positively correlated with urinary orotic acid excretion (P less than 0.05) and ornithine and arginine were negatively correlated with orotic acid excretion (P less than 0.01). Increased tissue glutamine may be related to the greater orotate excretion in rats fed arginine-devoid diets. The metabolic responses to dietary arginine deficiency were similar in young and aged rats. In general, concentrations of amino acids in plasma, liver and spleen were higher in aged rats.

Aging↗
PubMed1970

Inhibition of the development of tolerance to morphine in rats by drugs which inhibit ribonucleic acid or protein synthesis.

1. A study has been made of the effects of a number of drugs which have as a common property the ability to inhibit RNA or protein synthesis, on the development of tolerance to the analgesic effects of morphine, given by intravenous infusion, in rats.2. Measurements were also made of the effects of the drugs on the incorporation of (14)C-lysine into rat brain protein, and (14)C-orotic acid into rat brain RNA.3. Actinomycin D, 6-mercaptopurine and 5-fluorouracil reduced the acquisition of tolerance to morphine at doses which also produced significant inhibition of incorporation of orotic acid into brain RNA. Tolerance development was only affected by 6-mercaptopurine and 5-fluorouracil after intracerebral administration.4. 6-Mercaptopurine and 5-fluorouracil did not significantly affect the incorporation of lysine into protein, although a small but significant reduction in lysine incorporation was produced by infusion of actinomycin D at 20 mug/kg per hr.5. Development of tolerance to the analgesic effects of morphine was also reduced by cycloheximide and puromycin. These drugs markedly reduced the incorporation of lysine into brain protein. Puromycin and low doses of cycloheximide (50 mug/kg per hr) did not significantly affect RNA synthesis as measured by orotic acid incorporation, but RNA synthesis was clearly reduced by administration of cycloheximide at 200 mug/kg per hr.6. These results support the hypothesis that the synthesis of new RNA and protein in the brain is an essential feature of the development of tolerance to morphine in rats.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Ornithine carbamoyltransferase deficiency: improved sensitivity of testing for protein tolerance in the diagnosis of heterozygotes.

The most direct test of functional capacity of the liver in nitrogen disposal is to stress the urea cycle with a high protein load. This has been used in the diagnosis of heterozygosity for ornithine carbamoyltransferase deficiency for many years by measuring the subsequent excretion of orotic acid in urine. Reports have shown some ambiguity in both this and the more recent allopurinol test. We investigated the effects of different foods as the protein load and of different analytical methods. A standardized protocol was developed, giving 35 g protein per m2 surface area as steamed fat-free chicken breast to be eaten within 30 min. Urine was collected at zero time and over 0-2, 2-4 and 4-6 h. Compliance was checked by assessing excretion of amino acids. Diagnostic sensitivity was improved by reference to the change in excretion, i.e. the ratio of excretions 2-4 h/0-2 h. Extension of the test to 6 h gave no diagnostic advantage over a 4 h test. Comparison of the analysis of total orotic acids by the photometric method of Harris and Oberholtzer, the reference method for this study, with that by the method of Goldstein and colleagues showed that the latter gave erratic results with some false positives. However, comparison of the method of Harris and Oberholtzer with specific orotic acid analysis by a modification of the stable-isotope internal standard method of Rimoldi and colleagues yielded the same diagnoses. The improved protein load test gave a clearly positive result in all 16 obligate heterozygotes and 2 possible heterozygotes tested from 14 kindred, and a clearly negative result in all 18 control subjects and all 6 of the possible heterozygotes who were later shown by DNA studies not to carry the family mutation. The test appears at least as sensitive and specific as the allopurinol test, and is more convenient because of the short period of sample collection.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1967

Orotidine-5'-phosphate decarboxylase and pyrophosphorylase of bean leaves.

This report includes results demonstrating the existence of orotidine-5'-phosphate decarboxylase and orotidine-5'-phosphate pyrophosphorylase in plant leaves. The decarboxylase enzyme, purified 8 fold from leaves of etiolated pinto beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), had a pH optimum of 6.3. It was strongly inhibited by 6-azauridine-5'-phosphate; a concentration of 12 mum decreased the reaction rate 60%. The enzyme was not dependent upon magnesium ions or inhibited by p-chloromercuribenzoate. It was present in other parts of the bean plant and was found in young leaves of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) and Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense L.)The enzyme orotidine-5'-phosphate pyrophosphorylase, which catalyzes the formation of orotidine-5'-phosphate from orotic acid and 5-phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate, was found in the etiolated bean leaves, and was also present in the leaves of tomato and Canada thistle. It was stimulated by manganous or magnesium ions and had a pH optimum of 7.2. The K(m) value obtained by varying the concentrations of 5-phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate was 75 mum, and when orotic acid was varied the resulting K(m) was 3.5 mum. The presence of these 2 enzymes in higher plants, combined with previous results with inhibitors and labeled metabolites, indicates that the normal pathway of pyrimidine nucleotide synthesis in higher plants proceeds through orotic acid and OMP.

Carboxy-Lyases↗
PubMed1985

Arginine and disease states.

Studies of ammonia intoxication, orotic acid excretion and L-amino acid feeding regimens have provided new insights into the biological function of arginine. Recent data in near adults of carnivorous species raise doubts about the widely held view that arginine is needed in the diet only for optimum growth and that adults of mammalian species meet their arginine needs from endogenous synthesis. Orotic acid excretion and its suppression by arginine show that liver injury by carbon tetrachloride, ethanol, galactosamine and partial hepatectomy perturbs ammonia detoxication pathways and adds evidence that orotic acid excretion may be useful in detecting liver injury and elevations of tissue ammonia. These forms of liver injury also cause aberrations in metabolism of mitochondria, the site of the first two enzymatic steps in urea synthesis. This review discusses the influence of dietary arginine on insulin secretion, glucose tolerance and repletion of lean body mass in animals. Evidence now available gives reason to question the tenet that arginine is not required by human infants and shows that arginine supplies may be inadequate in a number of disease states. Experimental models now available provide new opportunities for studying arginine needs in Reye's syndrome and other disorders of ammonia intoxication.

Ammonia↗