Guanine nucleotide depletion and toxicity in mouse T lymphoma (S-49) cells.

Incubation of mouse T lymphoma (S-49) cells with the inosinate dehydrogenase inhibitor mycophenolic acid produced a depletion of both GTP and dGTP, and resulted in growth inhibition, partial reduction in RNA synthesis, and drastic inhibition of DNA synthesis. Similar results suggested to others that the depletion of dGTP is primarily responsible for toxicity. However, guanosine was as effective as deoxyguanosine at preventing mycophenolic acid toxicity although deoxyguanosine was more effective at elevating dGTP levels. Moreover, in hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase-deficient mutants of S-49 (6MPR-3-3) deoxyguanosine was unable to prevent mycophenolic acid toxicity or to re-establish normal DNA synthesis, although it returned cellular dGTP but not GTP levels to normal. No other nucleotide levels changed in a way which could account for the toxicity. Incubation of cells with a combination of deoxyadenosine, deoxycytidine, and erythro-9-(2-hydroxy-3-nonyl)adenine produced a selective depletion of dGTP to levels similar to that produced by mycophenolic acid, but did not affect cell growth. Studies with cells synchronized by centrifugal elutriation show that the toxicity of mycophenolic acid is specific to the S-phase of the cell cycle. Addition of actinomycin D at a concentration that inhibited RNA synthesis increased the availability of GTP and re-established normal DNA synthesis in mycophenolic acid-treated S-49 cells. These results suggest that the depletion of GTP rather than that of dGTP produces toxic effects in S-49 cells and that GTP is required for DNA synthesis.