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Cultured human choriocarcinoma (BeWo) cells have previously been shown to exhibit, in comparison with other cultured cell types, elevated nitrobenzylthioinosine (NBMPR)-sensitive transport activity and large numbers (> 10(7)/cell) of high-affinity NBMPR-binding sites [Boumah, Hogue and Cass (1992) Biochem. J. 288, 987-996]. The present study investigates whether NBMPR-sensitive nucleoside transport activity could be induced in Xenopus laevis oocytes by microinjection of poly(A)+ RNA isolated from proliferating cultures of BeWo cells. Expression of uridine transport activity was assayed by comparing rates of uptake (22 degrees C) of 100 microM [3H]uridine by RNA-injected oocytes with uptake by water-injected or uninjected oocytes. A 4-fold stimulation of uridine uptake (2.0 versus 0.5 pmol/90 min per oocyte) was seen when oocytes were injected with 50 ng of BeWo poly(A)+ RNA, and this stimulation was abolished when the RNA-injected oocytes were assayed in the presence of 10 microM NBMPR. The expressed uridine transport activity in oocytes was highly sensitive to NBMPR, with a 50% reduction seen at 1.1 nM NBMPR (IC50 value). The IC50 value for NBMPR inhibition of uptake of 100 microM [3H]uridine by intact BeWo cells was 1.4 nM. Inward fluxes of [3H]uridine in the RNA-injected oocytes were greatly reduced in the presence of high concentrations (2 mM) of non-radioactive nucleosides (adenosine, thymidine, inosine) that are known permeants of NBMPR-sensitive nucleoside transport processes. These results establish that the abundance of NBMPR-sensitive nucleoside transporter mRNA in poly(A)+ RNA preparations from BeWo cells is sufficient to achieve production of functionally active transporter protein in Xenopus oocytes and that, when expressed in Xenopus oocytes, the transporters exhibit NBMPR sensitivity and permeant selectively similar to that of the native transporters.

The characteristics of glucose transport were investigated in erythrocytes of a primitive vertebrate, the Pacific hagfish (Eptatretus stouti) Lockington. Transport of glucose by intact hagfish erythrocytes and by phospholipid vesicles reconstituted with n-octylglucoside extract of hagfish erythrocyte membranes was rapid and mediated by a saturable stereospecific mechanism sensitive to inhibition by cytochalasin B. Covalent photoaffinity labelling experiments with [3H]cytochalasin B identified the hagfish glucose transporter on SDS/polyacrylamide gels as a protein with an apparent average Mr of 55 000. Amino acid sequence homology between the hagfish and human erythrocyte glucose transporters (GLUT 1) was investigated in immunoblotting experiments using a panel of 12 different antipeptide antisera and affinity-purified antibodies raised against cytoplasmic extramembranous regions of the human transporter, and with an antibody to the intact purified human protein. The latter antibody labelled a component in the membrane with the same apparent Mr as cytochalasin B. Two affinity-purified antipeptide antibodies, corresponding to residues 240–255 and 450–467 of the human erythrocyte transporter, also labelled a component in the membrane with this relative molecular mass, demonstrating localised sequence similarity between the polypeptides of the two species within the central cytoplasmic loop and within the cytoplasmic C-terminal region. Glucose transport by hagfish erythrocytes was not coupled to the movement of protons.

The conformational preference of human nucleoside transporters (hNTs) with respect to sugar ring was examined using conformationally fixed purine and pyrimidine nucleosides built on a bicyclo[3.1.0]hexane template. These fixed-conformation nucleosides, methanocarba-deoxyadenosine or methanocarba-deoxycytidine in North (C3'-endo, N-MCdA and N-MCdC) or South (C2'-endo, S-MCdA and S-MCdC) conformations, were used to study inhibition of equilibrative (hENT1-4) and concentrative (hCNT1-3) nucleoside transport by individual recombinant hNTs produced in Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells or Xenopus laevis oocytes. Our results indicated that nucleosides in the North conformation were potent inhibitors of transport mediated by hCNTs whereas South nucleosides were inhibitors of hENTs, thus showing differences in the interaction with the hNTs. In summary, hCNTs exhibited strong preferences for North nucleosides whereas hENTs exhibited slight preferences for South nucleosides, demonstrating for the first time different conformational preferences among members of the two families of hNTs.

The human equilibrative nucleoside transporters hENT1 and hENT2 (each with 456 residues) are 40% identical in amino acid sequence and contain 11 putative transmembrane helices. Both transport purine and pyrimidine nucleosides and are distinguished functionally by a difference in sensitivity to inhibition by nanomolar concentrations of nitrobenzylmercaptopurine ribonucleoside (NBMPR), hENT1 being NBMPR-sensitive. Previously, we used heterologous expression in Xenopus oocytes to demonstrate that recombinant hENT2 and its rat ortholog rENT2 also transport purine and pyrimidine bases, h/rENT2 representing the first identified mammalian nucleobase transporter proteins (Yao, S. Y., Ng, A. M., Vickers, M. F., Sundaram, M., Cass, C. E., Baldwin, S. A., and Young, J. D. (2002) J. Biol. Chem. 277, 24938-24948). The same study also revealed lower, but significant, transport of hypoxanthine by h/rENT1. In the present investigation, we have used the enhanced Xenopus oocyte expression vector pGEMHE to demonstrate that hENT1 additionally transports thymine and adenine and, to a lesser extent, uracil and guanine. Fluxes of hypoxanthine, thymine, and adenine by hENT1 were saturable and inhibited by NBMPR. Ratios of V(max) (pmol/oocyte · min(-1)):K(m) (mm), a measure of transport efficiency, were 86, 177, and 120 for hypoxantine, thymine, and adenine, respectively, compared with 265 for uridine. Hypoxanthine influx was competitively inhibited by uridine, indicating common or overlapping nucleobase and nucleoside permeant binding pockets, and the anticancer nucleobase drugs 5-fluorouracil and 6-mercaptopurine were also transported. Nucleobase transport activity was absent from an engineered cysteine-less version hENT1 (hENT1C-) in which all 10 endogenous cysteine residues were mutated to serine. Site-directed mutagenesis identified Cys-414 in transmembrane helix 10 of hENT1 as the residue conferring nucleobase transport activity to the wild-type transporter.

Owing to the overlapping and redundant roles of the seven mammalian nucleoside transporters (NTs), which belong to two protein families (ENTs and CNTs), the physiological importance of individual NTs has been difficult to assess. Mice that have NT genes knocked out can be a valuable tool in gaining an understanding of the NT proteins. We have generated a strain of mice that is homozygous for a disruption mutation between exons 2 and 3 of the mouse equilibrative nucleoside transporter, mENT1. We have undertaken a quantitative survey of NT gene expression in 10 tissues, as well as microarray analysis of heart and kidney, from wild-type and mENT1 knockout mice. Rather than a consistent change in expression of NT genes in all tissues of mENT1 knockout mice, a complex pattern of changes was found. Some genes, such as those encoding mCNT1 and mCNT3 in colon tissue, exhibited increased expression, whereas other genes, such as those encoding mCNT2 and mENT4 in lung tissue, exhibited decreased expression. Although mCNT3 has been shown to be important in human and rat kidney tissue, we were unable to detect mCNT3 transcripts in the kidney of either the wild-type or mENT1 knockout mice, suggesting differences in renal nucleoside resorption between species.

The neuroprotective effects of adenosine are well-recognized. Recently, propentofylline, a xanthine derivative, has been shown to increase extracellular concentrations of adenosine in ischemie brain and to limit the extent of neuronal damage in experimental models of cerebral ischemia. Since the concentration of adenosine in brain is controlled, in part, by nucleoside transporter proteins, the action of propentofylline was proposed to be due to inhibition of mediated transfer of adenosine across cell membranes. To determine the likelihood of this mechanism, we examined the inhibitory effects of propentofylline on [3H]adenosine transport by the three best-characterized nucleoside transport processes, es, ei, and cif in cultured cell lines under conditions where only a single transporter type was operative. Propentofylline inhibited [3H]adenosine uptake by each of the three transport processes in a concentration-dependent manner. The greatest inhibitory potency was for es transporters (L1210/B23.1 cells), with an ic 50 value of 9 μM, followed by ei transporters, with ic 50 values of 170 μM (L1210/C2 cells) and 166 μM (Walker 256 cells). Propentofylline was a weak inhibitor of cif transporter, with an ic50 value of 6 mM. These results demonstrate that propentofylline is an inhibitor of adenosine transport processes and suggest that its neuroprotective effects may be due to an increase in extracellular concentrations of adenosine by virtue of inhibition of es transporter function.

Isolated stage VI oocytes from Xenopus laevis expressed uridine transport activity after microinjection of mRNA from rat jejunum. Uridine uptake during 30 min (10 microM, 20 degrees C) by mRNA-injected oocytes reached 2.5 pmol/oocyte, compared with endogenous uptake by water-injected oocytes of about 0.05 pmol/oocyte. The expressed transport activity was 96% Na(+)-dependent, saturable (apparent Km = 15 microM) and inhibited by phloridzin (IC50 = 100 microM). Nucleoside inhibition studies resolved the expressed transport activity into two components: 1) a novel Na(+)-dependent system of broad purine and pyrimidine specificity that was inhibited by low concentrations of guanosine, inosine, adenosine, uridine, thymidine, and cytidine and 2) a Na(+)-dependent system of narrower specificity that was inhibited by low concentrations of guanosine, inosine, adenosine, and uridine and by high concentrations of thymidine and cytidine. The characteristics of the latter system are consistent with those of the Na(+)-dependent nucleoside transport system N1 (cif), previously identified in a number of cell types and tissues, including intestinal epithelia and cultured cells of intestinal origin. The broad specificity system, which was also detected in mRNA-injected oocytes using thymidine as permeant, has been given the provisional designation N3 to distinguish it from the previously described N1 (purine-selective) and N2 (pyrimidine-selective) Na(+)-linked nucleoside transporters. Rat jejunal transporters N1 and N3 were both expressed maximally by the same mRNA size fraction (1.6-3.0 kb, peak 2.3 kb).

The mechanisms by which cationic amino acids are transported across the intestinal epithelium are poorly understood. We show that isolated stage VI oocytes of Xenopus laevis can express lysine transport activity, which is due to the microinjection of mRNA from rat small intestine. L-Lysine transport activity (0.2 mM, 20 degrees C) reaches 400 pmol.oocyte-1.h-1, compared with a typical endogenous rate of 85 pmol.oocyte-1.h-1. Na(+)-dependence and amino acid inhibition studies resolved the expressed transport activity into three components: 1) a Na(+)-dependent transport system that can be inhibited by leucine with high affinity and also by alanine; 2) a Na(+)-independent system that can be inhibited by leucine with high affinity when Na+ is present, but this affinity is reduced in its absence; 3) a Na(+)-independent system that is inhibited by leucine with high affinity only when Na+ is present. Peak arginine-inhibitable lysine influx was found in a mRNA size fraction of 1.5-2.25 (median 2.0) kb.

In many cell types, including human erythrocytes, membrane transport of hydrophobic amino acids such as leucine and phenylalanine is mediated primarily by Na(+)-independent system L. In this paper we demonstrate that erythrocytes from the rat have a 400-fold higher system L transport capacity than human erythrocytes. We have exploited this high transport activity to achieve the first successful reconstitution of an erythrocyte amino acid transporter into phospholipid vesicles. Rat erythrocyte membranes were depleted of extrinsic membrane proteins, solubilized in 50 mM n-octyl glucoside and reconstituted into egg-yolk phospholipid vesicles by a gel filtration freeze-thaw protocol. Optimal reconstitution of transport activity occurred at lipid/protein ratios of 25-35:1. At a lipid/protein ratio of 25:1, one-half of the total uptake of L-[14C]leucine (0.2 mM, 25 degrees C) was inhibited by 2 mM phloretin and thus judged to be carrier-mediated. This component of L-leucine uptake was inhibited by non-radioactive L-phenylalanine and L-leucine, and only to a very much weaker extent by glycine and L-alanine. Two other inhibitors of system L in intact cells, MK196 and PCMBS (p-chloromercuriphenylsulphonate), were also effective inhibitors of phloretin-sensitive L-leucine transport in reconstituted proteoliposomes. Phloretin-insensitive uptake of L-leucine in proteoliposomes occurred by simple diffusion across the lipid bilayer.

5'-S-(2-aminoethyl)-6-N-(4-nitrobenzyl)-5'-thioadenosine (SAENTA), 5'-S-(2-acetamidoethyl)-6-N-[(4-substituted)benzyl]-5'-thioadenosine analogues, 5'-S-[2-(6-aminohexanamido)]ethyl-6-N-(4-nitrobenzyl)-5'-thioadenosine (SAHENTA), and related compounds were synthesized by S(N)Ar displacement of fluoride from 6-fluoropurine intermediates with 4-(substituted)benzylamines. Conjugation of the pendant amino groups of SAENTA and SAHENTA with fluorescein-5-yl isothiocyanate (FITC) gave fluorescent probes that bound at nanomolar concentrations specifically to human equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (hENT1) produced in recombinant form in model expression systems and in native form in cancer cell lines. Transporter binding effects were studied and the ability of the probes to predict the potential antitumor efficacy of 2'-deoxy-2',2'-difluorocytidine (gemcitabine) was demonstrated.

Pyrimidine and purine nucleosides and their derivatives have critical functions and pharmacological applications in the brain. Nucleosides and nucleobases are precursors of nucleotides, which serve as the energy-rich currency of intermediary metabolism and as precursors of nucleic acids. Nucleosides (e.g., adenosine) and nucleotides are key signaling molecules that modulate brain function through interaction with cell surface receptors. Brain pathologies involving nucleosides and their metabolites range from epilepsy to neurodegenerative disorders and psychiatric conditions to cerebrovascular ischemia. Nucleoside analogs are used clinically in the treatment of brain cancer and viral infections. Nucleosides are hydrophilic molecules, and transportability across cell membranes via specialized nucleoside transporter (NT) proteins is a critical determinant of their metabolism and, for nucleoside drugs, their pharmacologic actions. In mammals, there are two types of nucleoside transport process: bidirectional equilibrative processes driven by chemical gradients, and unidirectional concentrative processes driven by sodium (and proton) electrochemical gradients. In mammals, these processes, both of which are present in brain, are mediated by members of two structurally unrelated membrane protein families (ENT and CNT, respectively). In this Chapter, we review current knowledge of cellular, physiological, pathophysiological and therapeutic aspects of ENT and CNT distribution and function in the mammalian brain, including studies with NT inhibitors and new research involving NT knockout and transgenic mice. We also describe recent progress in functional and molecular studies of ENT and CNT proteins, and summarize emerging evidence of other transporter families with demonstrated or potential roles in the transport of nucleosides and their derivatives in the brain.

In thoroughbred horses, red blood cell amino acid transport activity is Na+-independent and controlled by three codominant genetic alleles (h, l, s), coding for high-affinity system asc1 (L-alanine apparent Km for influx at 37 °C [Formula: see text] 0.35 mM), low-affinity system asc2 (L-alanine Km[Formula: see text] 14 mM), and transport deficiency, respectively. The present study investigated amino acid transport mechanisms in red cells from four wild species: Przewalski's horse (Equus przewalskii), Hartmann's zebra (Zebra hartmannae), Grevy's zebra (Zebra grevyi), and onager (Equus hemonius). Red blood cell samples from different Przewalski's horses exhibited uniformly high rates of L-alanine uptake, mediated by a high-affinity asc1-type transport system. Mean apparent Km and Vmax values (± SE) for L-alanine influx at 37 °C in red cells from 10 individual animals were 0.373 ± 0.068 mM and 2.27 ± 0.11 mmol (L cells∙h), respectively. As in thoroughbreds, the Przewalski's horse transporter interacted with dibasic as well as neutral amino acids. However, the Przewalski asc1 isoform transported L-lysine with a substantially (6.4-fold) higher apparent affinity than its thoroughbred counterpart (Km for influx 1.4 mM at 37 °C) and was also less prone to trans-stimulation effects. The novel high apparent affinity of the Przewalski's horse transporter for L-lysine provides additional key evidence of functional and possible structural similarities between asc and the classical Na+-dependent system ASC and between these systems and the Na+-independent dibasic amino acid transport system y+. Unlike Przewalski's horse, zebra red cells were polymorphic with respect to L-alanine transport activity, showing high-affinity or low-affinity saturable mechanisms of L-alanine uptake. Onager red cells transported this amino acid with intermediate affinity (apparent Km for influx 3.0 mM at 37 °C). Radiation inactivation analysis was used to estimate the target size of system asc in red cells from Przewalski's horse. The transporter's in situ apparent molecular weight was 158 000 ± 2500 (SE).Key words: amino acid transport, erythrocyte, Przewalski's horse.

Human concentrative nucleoside transporter, hCNT3, mediates Na+/nucleoside and H+/nucleoside co-transport. We describe a new approach to monitor H+/uridine co-transport in cultured mammalian cells, using a pH-sensitive monomeric red fluorescent protein variant, mNectarine, whose development and characterization are also reported here. A chimeric protein, mNectarine fused to the N terminus of hCNT3 (mNect.hCNT3), enabled measurement of pH at the intracellular surface of hCNT3. mNectarine fluorescence was monitored in HEK293 cells expressing mNect.hCNT3 or mNect.hCNT3-F563C, an inactive hCNT3 mutant. Free cytosolic mNect, mNect.hCNT3, and the traditional pH-sensitive dye, BCECF, reported cytosolic pH similarly in pH-clamped HEK293 cells. Cells were incubated at the permissive pH for H(+)-coupled nucleoside transport, pH 5.5, under both Na(+)-free and Na(+)-containing conditions. In mNect.hCNT3-expressing cells (but not under negative control conditions) the rate of acidification increased in media containing 0.5 mm uridine, providing the first direct evidence for H(+)-coupled uridine transport. At pH 5.5, there was no significant difference in uridine transport rates (coupled H+ flux) in the presence or absence of Na+ (1.09 +/- 0.11 or 1.18 +/- 0.32 mm min(-1), respectively). This suggests that in acidic Na(+)-containing conditions, 1 Na+ and 1 H+ are transported per uridine molecule, while in acidic Na(+)-free conditions, 1 H+ alone is transported/uridine. In acid environments, including renal proximal tubule, H+/nucleoside co-transport may drive nucleoside accumulation by hCNT3. Fusion of mNect to hCNT3 provided a simple, self-referencing, and effective way to monitor nucleoside transport, suggesting an approach that may have applications in assays of transport activity of other H(+)-coupled transport proteins.

The human SLC28 family of integral membrane CNT (concentrative nucleoside transporter) proteins has three members, hCNT1, hCNT2, and hCNT3. Na(+)-coupled hCNT1 and hCNT2 transport pyrimidine and purine nucleosides, respectively, whereas hCNT3 mediates transport of both pyrimidine and purine nucleosides utilizing Na(+) and/or H(+) electrochemical gradients. These and other eukaryote CNTs are currently defined by a putative 13-transmembrane helix (TM) topology model with an intracellular N terminus and a glycosylated extracellular C terminus. Recent mutagenesis studies, however, have provided evidence supporting an alternative 15-TM membrane architecture. In the absence of CNT crystal structures, valuable information can be gained about residue localization and function using substituted cysteine accessibility method analysis with thiol-reactive reagents, such as p-chloromercuribenzene sulfonate. Using heterologous expression in Xenopus oocytes and the cysteineless hCNT3 protein hCNT3C-, substituted cysteine accessibility method analysis with p-chloromercuribenzene sulfonate was performed on the TM 11-13 region, including bridging extramembranous loops. The results identified residues of functional importance and, consistent with a new revised 15-TM CNT membrane architecture, suggest a novel membrane-associated topology for a region of the protein (TM 11A) that includes the highly conserved CNT family motif (G/A)XKX(3)NEFVA(Y/M/F).

In humans, urate is the final product of purine breakdown in the liver which releases urate into the circulation and the intestine and kidney regulate its excretion. Humans have a high circulating ...

This study examined the roles of human nucleoside transporters (hNTs) in mediating transepithelial fluxes of adenosine, 2′-deoxyadenosine, and three purine nucleoside anti-cancer drugs across polarized monolayers of human renal proximal tubule cells (hRPTCs), which were shown in previous studies to have human equilibrative NT 1 (hENT1) and 2 (hENT2) and human concentrative NT 3 (hCNT3) activities ( 11 ). Early passage hRPTCs were cultured on transwell inserts under conditions that induced formation of polarized monolayers with experimentally accessible apical and basolateral domains. Polarized hRPTC cultures were monitored for inhibitor sensitivities and sodium-dependence of the following: 1) transepithelial fluxes of radiolabeled adenosine, 2′-deoxyadenosine, fludarabine (9-β-d-arabinosyl-2-fluoroadenine), cladribine (2-chloro-2′-deoxyadenosine), and clofarabine (2-chloro-2′-fluoro-deoxy-9-β-d-arabinofuranosyladenine); 2) mediated uptake of radiolabeled adenosine, 2′-deoxyadenosine, fludarabine, cladribine, and clofarabine from either apical or basolateral surfaces; and 3) relative apical cell surface hCNT3 protein levels. Transepithelial fluxes of adenosine were mediated from apical-to-basolateral sides by apical hCNT3 and basolateral hENT2, whereas transepithelial fluxes of 2′-deoxyadenosine were mediated from basolateral-to-apical sides by apical hENT1 and basolateral human organic anion transporters (hOATs). The transepithelial fluxes of adenosine, hCNT3-mediated cellular uptake of adenosine, and relative apical cell surface hCNT3 protein levels correlated positively in polarized hRPTCs. The purine nucleoside anti-cancer drugs fludarabine, cladribine, and clofarabine, like adenosine exhibited apical-to-basolateral fluxes. Collectively, this evidence suggested that apical hCNT3 and basolateral hENT2 are involved in proximal tubular reabsorption of adenosine and some nucleoside drugs and that apical hENT1 and basolateral hOATs are involved in proximal tubular secretion of 2′-deoxyadenosine.

We have used equilibrium values for L-leucine and L-lysine uptake by right-side-out vesicles to estimate the membrane abundance (sites/cell) of Na(+)-dependent amino acid transport systems L and y+ in human erythrocytes. All of the intravesicular space was accessible to L-leucine, as judged by comparisons with uridine uptake via the equilibrative nucleoside transporter (10(4) sites/cell). In contrast, only 28% of the total intravesicular space was accessible to L-lysine uptake via system y+. Since human erythrocyte membranes generate an average of approximately 1000 vesicles/cell, these data provide evidence that system L is a relatively high-abundance membrane transport protein in human erythrocytes, while system y+ is present in smaller amounts (approximately 300 copies/cell). Calculated turnover numbers for L-lysine transport by system y+ at 37 degrees C are 24 s-1 for zero-trans influx and 150 s-1 for equilibrium-exchange influx.

3'-Deoxy-3'-fluorothymidine (FLT) is a positron emission tomography (PET) tracer used to identify proliferating tumor cells. The purpose of this study was to characterize FLT transport by human nucleoside transporters (hNTs) and to determine the role of hNTs for FLT uptake in various human cancer cell lines. FLT binding to hNTs was monitored by the inhibitory effects of FLT on [(3)H]uridine uptake in yeast cells producing recombinant hNT proteins. hCNT1 displayed the lowest FLT K(i) value for inhibition of [(3)H]uridine uptake, followed by hCNT3, hENT2, hENT1, and hCNT2. [(3)H]FLT was efficiently transported in Xenopus laevis oocytes individually producing hENT1, hENT2, hCNT1, or hCNT3. [(3)H]FLT uptake in MCF-7, A549, U251, A498, MIA PaCa-2, and Capan-2 cells was inhibited at least 50% by the hENT1 inhibitor nitrobenzylmercaptopurine ribonucleoside (NBMPR). According to results of real-time polymerase chain reactions, hENT1 and hENT2 had the most abundant hNT transcripts in all cell lines. Cell lines also underwent 1) [(3)H]NBMPR equilibrium binding assays with or without 5-S-{2-(1-[(fluorescein-5-yl)thioureido]hexanamido)ethyl}-6-N-(4-nitrobenzyl)-5-thioadenosine, a membrane-impermeable NBMPR analog, to determine plasma membrane hENT1 levels, and 2) dose-response NBMPR inhibition of [(3)H]FLT uptake. MCF-7, A549, and Capan-2 cells displayed NBMPR IC(50) values that were smaller or equal to NBMPR K(d) values, suggesting that 50% inhibition of hENT1 reduced [(3)H]FLT uptake by at least 50%. A strong correlation between extracellular NBMPR binding sites/cell and [(3)H]FLT uptake was observed for all cell lines except MIA PaCa-2. These data suggest that plasma membrane hNTs (especially hENT1) are important determinants of cellular FLT uptake.

Fludarabine (F-ara-A) is widely used as palliative treatment in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Clinical resistance is frequently observed, and adverse effects are common. To date, no practical assay exists to identify patients likely to derive benefit from F-ara-A. We previously reported that high mRNA levels encoding human concentrative nucleoside transporter 3 (hCNT3) protein in CLL correlated with clinical resistance to F-ara-A. This study explores the value of immunohistochemistry (IHC) for hCNT3 as a marker of F-ara-A resistance in CLL. We studied 36 CLL patients who received F-ara-A monotherapy and had suitable pre-F-ara-A tissue available. IHC was performed with validated hCNT3-specific monoclonal antibodies and quantitatively scored by a hematopathologist blinded to clinical outcomes. Relationships between hCNT3 staining in CLL cells and time to progression (TTP), overall response (OR), and overall survival (OS) were assessed. Dichotomization of quantitative hCNT3 staining showed that subjects with high hCNT3 IHC scores had a significantly shorter TTP with F-ara-A treatment compared to those with a low score (hazard ratio, HR, 3.16; P=0.006). Median TTP was 4.7 vs 11.2 months, respectively. On multivariate analysis, hCNT3 score was the only clinical parameter independently associated with TTP (HR, 3.12; P=0.01). OR and OS did not differ significantly between the dichotomized groups. We found a strong relationship between IHC staining of hCNT3 and clinical resistance to F-ara-A therapy in CLL. If confirmed, IHC for hCNT3 may be routinely used to predict those patients unlikely to benefit from F-ara-A, thereby avoiding F-ara-A-related toxicities.

hENT1 (human equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1) is inhibited by nanomolar concentrations of various structurally distinct coronary vasodilator drugs, including dipyridamole, dilazep, draflazine, soluflazine and NBMPR (nitrobenzylmercaptopurine ribonucleoside). When a library of randomly mutated hENT1 cDNAs was screened using a yeast-based functional complementation assay for resistance to dilazep, a clone containing the W29G mutation was identified. Multiple sequence alignments revealed that this residue was highly conserved. Mutations at Trp29 were generated and tested for adenosine transport activity and inhibitor sensitivity. Trp29 mutations significantly reduced the apparent Vmax and/or increased the apparent Km values for adenosine transport. Trp29 mutations increased the IC50 values for hENT1 inhibition by dipyridamole, dilazep, NBMPR, soluflazine and draflazine. NBMPR and soluflazine displayed remarkably similar trends, with large aromatic substitutions at residue 29 resulting in the lowest IC50 values, suggesting that both drugs could interact via ring-stacking interactions with Trp29. The W29T mutant displayed a selective loss of pyrimidine nucleoside transport activity, which contrasts with the previously identified L442I mutant that displayed a selective loss of purine nucleoside transport. W29T, L442I and the double mutant W29T/L442I were characterized kinetically for nucleoside transport activity. A helical wheel projection of TM (transmembrane segment) 1 suggests that Trp29 is positioned close to Met33, implicated previously in nucleoside and inhibitor recognition, and that both residues line the permeant translocation pathway. The data also suggest that Trp29 forms part of, or lies close to, the binding sites for dipyridamole, dilazep, NBMPR, soluflazine and draflazine.

The concentrative nucleoside transporter (CNT) protein family in humans is represented by three members, hCNT1, hCNT2, and hCNT3. Belonging to a CNT subfamily phylogenetically distinct from hCNT1/2, hCNT3 mediates transport of a broad range of purine and pyrimidine nucleosides and nucleoside drugs, whereas hCNT1 and hCNT2 are pyrimidine and purine nucleoside-selective, respectively. All three hCNTs are Na+-coupled. Unlike hCNT1/2, however, hCNT3 is also capable of H+-mediated nucleoside cotransport. Using site-directed mutagenesis in combination with heterologous expression in Xenopus oocytes, we have identified a C-terminal intramembranous cysteine residue of hCNT3 (Cys-561) that reversibly binds the hydrophilic thiol-reactive reagent p-chloromercuribenzene sulfonate (PCMBS). Access of this membrane-impermeant probe to Cys-561, as determined by inhibition of hCNT3 transport activity, required H+, but not Na+, and was blocked by extracellular uridine. Although this cysteine residue is also present in hCNT1 and hCNT2, neither transporter was affected by PCMBS. We conclude that Cys-561 is located in the translocation pore in a mobile region within or closely adjacent to the nucleoside binding pocket and that access of PCMBS to this residue reports a specific H+-induced conformational state of the protein.

In mouse erythrocytes harbouring the malarial parasite Plasmodium yoelii, three processes contributed to inward fluxes of adenosine, one of which is attributed to the native nucleoside transporter, because of the inhibitory effects of nitrobenzylthioinosine (NBMPR). New (parasite-induced) permeation processes of low NBMPR-sensitivity were (i) saturable fluxes with preference for the D enantiomer (D-Ado) and (ii) apparently unsaturable fluxes that proceeded by a channel-like route without enantiomeric selectivity. Parasite-induced fluxes of L- and D-Ado were similarly inhibited by furosemide [IC50 (concn. causing half-maximal inhibition) 15-17 microM], whereas D-Ado fluxes in uninfected erythrocytes were 10-fold less sensitive.

Intracellular amino acid levels and the characteristics of amino acid transport were investigated in red blood cells of a primitive vertebrate, the Pacific hagfish (Eptatretus stouti Lockington). In contrast to red cells from euryhaline teleosts and elasmobranchs, which contain high concentrations of β-amino acids, those from hagfish exhibited an intracellular amino acid pool (approx. 100 mmol l−1 cell water) composed almost entirely of conventional α-amino acids. Red celkplasma distribution ratios for individual amino acids ranged from 219, 203 and 173 for alanine, α-amino-n-butyrate and proline, respectively, to 11 and 13 for lysine and arginine. Corresponding distribution ratios for Na+, K+ and Cl− were 0.043, 21 and 0.32, respectively. The cellular uptake of amino acids, with the exception of L-proline and glycine, was Na+-independent. Compared with mammalian and avian red cells, those from hagfish exhibited 104-fold higher rates of L-alanine transport. Uptake of this amino acid from the extracellular medium was concentrative, but occurred as a 1:1 exchange with intracellular amino acids. The L-alanine transport mechanism was identified as an asc type system on the basis of its Na+-independence and selectivity for neutral amino acids of intermediate size. A volume-sensitive amino acid channel, which is found in both euryhaline teleosts and in elasmobranchs, is absent from hagfish red cells.

Erythrocytes from individual common eels (Anguilla japonica Temminck and Schlegel) exhibited widely variable initial rates of cytochalasin-B-sensitive 3-O-methyl-D-glucose (3-OMG) zero-trans influx, in the range 0–19·5 mmol 1-cells−h−1 (5mmoll−1 extracellular concentration at 20°C, 50 animals tested). Storage of cells at 4°C in a glucose-containing medium for up to 72 h had no effect on 3-OMG uptake, and there was no correlation between the sugar permeabilities of erythrocytes from different fish and intracellular ATP levels. Adrenaline and noradrenaline increased cytochalasin-B-sensitive 3-OMG transport activity; half-maximal stimulation occurred at catecholamine concentrations in the region of 1 μmol 1−1. This catecholamine-induced stimulation of sugar transport appeared to be independent of the basal cytochalasin-B-sensitive 3-OMG permeability of the cells. Kinetically, catecholamines increased the Vm of transport without changing the apparent Km (approx. 1·4 mmol 1−1). Saturable 3-OMG influx was inhibited by phloretin, D-glucose, D-deoxyglucose and D-galactose, but not by D-fructose and L-glucose. Transporter stereoselectivity was confirmed by direct measurements of D-and L-glucose uptake. Erythrocytes from two other fish species, Monopterus albus Richardson (paddyfield eel) and Salmo gairdneri Richardson (rainbow trout), unlike those from the common eel, were uniformly deficient with respect to cytochalasin-B-sensitive 3-OMG and D-glucose transport activity. Catecholamines had no effect on sugar uptake in these species.

The SLC28 family of concentrative nucleoside transporter (CNT) proteins in mammalian cells contains members of two distinct phylogenic subfamilies. In humans, hCNT1 and hCNT2 belong to one subfamily, and hCNT3 to the other. All three CNTs mediate inwardly-directed Na(+)/nucleoside cotransport, and are either pyrimidine nucleoside-selective (hCNT1), purine nucleoside-selective (hCNT2), or broadly selective for both pyrimidine and purine nucleosides (hCNT3). While previous studies have characterized cation interactions with both hCNT1 and hCNT3, little is known about the corresponding properties of hCNT2. In the present study, heterologous expression in Xenopus oocytes in combination with radioisotope flux and electrophysiological techniques has allowed us to undertake a side-by-side comparison of hCNT2 with other hCNT family members. Apparent K (50) values for Na(+) activation were voltage-dependent, and similar in magnitude for all three transporters. Only hCNT3 was also able to couple transport of uridine to uptake of H(+). The Na(+)/nucleoside stoichiometry of hCNT2, as determined from both Hill coefficients and direct charge/flux measurements, was 1:1. This result was the same as for hCNT1, but different from that of hCNT3 (2:1). The charge-to-(22)Na(+) uptake stoichiometry was 1:1 for all three hCNTs. In parallel with their division into two separate CNT subfamilies, hCNT2 shares common cation specificity and coupling characteristics with hCNT1, which differ markedly from those of hCNT3.

Equilibrative nucleoside transporters (ENTs) are important for the metabolic salvage of nucleosides and the cellular uptake of antineoplastic and antiviral nucleoside analogs. Human equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (hENT1) is inhibited by nanomolar concentrations of structurally diverse compounds, including dipyridamole, dilazep, nitrobenzylmercaptopurine ribonucleoside (NBMPR), draflazine, and soluflazine. Random mutagenesis and screening by functional complementation for inhibitor-resistant mutants in yeast revealed mutations at Phe-334 and Asn-338. Both residues are predicted to lie in transmembrane segment 8 (TM 8), which contains residues that are highly conserved in the ENT family. F334Y displayed increased V(max) values that were attributed to increased rates of catalytic turnover, and N338Q and N338C displayed altered membrane distributions that appeared to be because of protein folding defects. Mutations of Phe-334 or Asn-338 impaired interactions with dilazep and dipyridamole, whereas mutations of Asn-338 impaired interactions with draflazine and soluflazine. A helical wheel projection of TM 8 predicted that Phe-334 and Asn-338 lie in close proximity to other highly conserved and/or hydrophilic residues, suggesting that they form part of a structurally important region that influences interactions with inhibitors, protein folding, and rates of conformational change during the transport cycle.

Malaria constitutes an enormous drain on the health and economies of many countries and causes more than a million deaths annually. Moreover, resistance to existing antimalarial drugs is a growing problem, rendering the search for new targets urgent. Protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium that cause malaria lack the ability to synthesise the purine ring de novo and so are reliant upon salvage of purines, including hypoxanthine, inosine and adenosine, from the host. The transport systems responsible for uptake of these precursors are therefore promising targets for novel antimalarial drugs. In humans, purine uptake into many cell types is mediated by members of the Equilibrative Nucleoside Transporter (ENT) family, in particular hENT1 and hENT2. Genome sequencing has revealed that P. falciparum and P. vivax, the species responsible for the majority of malaria cases, each also possesses four members of this family, and in P. falciparum transcripts of each are expressed in the erythrocytic stages of the parasite responsible for clinical disease. One of the proteins, PfENT1, is known to be present in the parasite plasma membrane, and the kinetic properties of the heterologously expressed transporter are consistent with its representing the major purine uptake system in the trophozoite. Importantly, its inhibitor specificity and permeant selectivity differ from those of the host. In this review we discuss the possibility of exploiting these differences to develop novel antimalarial drugs that either selectively inhibit purine uptake into the pararasite or are selectively delivered by the transporter to the parasite cytoplasm.

Nucleoside analogs are important components of treatment regimens for various malignancies. Nucleoside-specific membrane transporters mediate plasma membrane permeation of physiologic nucleosides and most nucleoside analogs, for which the initial event is cellular conversion of nucleosides to active agents. Understanding of the roles of nucleoside transporters in nucleoside drug toxicity and resistance will provide opportunities for potentiating anticancer efficacy and avoiding resistance. Because transportability is a possible determinant of toxicity and resistance of many nucleoside analogs, nucleoside transporter abundance might be a prognostic marker to assess drug resistance. Elucidation of the structural determinants of nucleoside analogs for interaction with transporter proteins as well as the structural features of transporter proteins required for permeant interaction and translocation will lead to “transportability guidelines” for the rational design and therapeutic application of nucleoside analogs as anticancer drugs. It should eventually be possible to develop clinical assays that predict sensitivity and/or resistance to nucleoside anti-cancer drugs and thus to identify those patient populations that will most likely benefit from optimal nucleoside analog treatments. This review discusses recent results from structure/function studies of human nucleoside transporters, the role of nucleoside transport processes in the cytotoxicity and resistance of several anticancer nucleoside analogs and strategies to improve the nucleoside transporter-related anticancer effects of nucleoside analogs.

Renal handling of physiological and pharmacological nucleosides is a major determinant of their plasma levels and tissue availabilities. Additionally, the pharmacokinetics and normal tissue toxicities of nucleoside drugs are influenced by their handling in the kidney. Renal reabsorption or secretion of nucleosides is selective and dependent on integral membrane proteins, termed nucleoside transporters (NTs) present in renal epithelia. The 7 known human NTs (hNTs) exhibit varying permeant selectivities and are divided into 2 protein families: the solute carrier (SLC) 29 (SLC29A1, SLC29A2, SLC29A3, SLC29A4) and SLC28 (SLC28A1, SLC28A2, SLC28A3) proteins, otherwise known, respectively, as the human equilibrative NTs (hENTs, hENT1, hENT2, hENT3, hENT4) and human concentrative NTs (hCNTs, hCNT1, hCNT2, hCNT3). The well characterized hENTs (hENT1 and hENT2) are bidirectional facilitative diffusion transporters in plasma membranes; hENT3 and hENT4 are much less well known, although hENT3, found in lysosomal membranes, transports nucleosides and is pH dependent, whereas hENT4-PMAT is a H+-adenosine cotransporter as well as a monoamine-organic cation transporter. The 3 hCNTs are unidirectional secondary active Na+-nucleoside cotransporters. In renal epithelial cells, hCNT1, hCNT2, and hCNT3 at apical membranes, and hENT1 and hENT2 at basolateral membranes, apparently work in concert to mediate reabsorption of nucleosides from lumen to blood, driven by Na+ gradients. Secretion of some physiological nucleosides, therapeutic nucleoside analog drugs, and nucleotide metabolites of therapeutic nucleoside and nucleobase drugs likely occurs through various xenobiotic transporters in renal epithelia, including organic cation transporters, organic anion transporters, multidrug resistance related proteins, and multidrug resistance proteins. Mounting evidence suggests that hENT1 may have a presence at both apical and basolateral membranes of renal epithelia, and thus may participate in both selective secretory and reabsorptive fluxes of nucleosides. In this review, the renal handling of nucleosides is examined with respect to physiological and clinical implications for the regulation of human kidney NTs and adenosine signaling, intracellular nucleoside transport, and nephrotoxicities associated with some nucleoside drugs.

The uptake of Urd into the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is mediated by Fui1p, a Urd-specific nucleoside transporter encoded by the FUI1 gene and a member of the yeast Fur permease family, which also includes the uracil, allantoin, and thiamine permeases. When Fui1p was produced in a double-permease knock-out strain (fur4Deltafui1Delta) of yeast, Urd uptake was stimulated at acidic pH and sensitive to the protonophore carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone. Electrophysiological analysis of recombinant Fui1p produced in Xenopus oocytes demonstrated that Fui1p-mediated Urd uptake was dependent on proton cotransport with a 1:1 stoichiometry. Mutagenesis analysis of three charged amino acids (Glu(259), Lys(288), and Asp(474) in putative transmembrane segments 3, 4, and 7, respectively) revealed that only Lys(288) was required for maintaining high Urd transport efficiency. Analysis of binding energies between Fui1p and different Urd analogs indicated that Fuip1 interacted with C(3')-OH, C(2')-OH, C(5)-H, and N(3)-H of Urd. Fui1p-mediated transport of Urd was inhibited by analogs with modifications at C-5', but was not inhibited significantly by analogs with modifications at C-3', C-5, and N-3 or inversions of configuration at C-2' and C-3'. This characterization of Fui1p contributes to the emerging knowledge of the structure and function of the Fur family of permeases, including the Fui1p orthologs of pathogenic fungi.

To better understand nucleoside transport processes and intracellular fates of nucleosides, we have developed a pair of fluorescent nucleoside analogues, FuPmR and dFuPmR, that differ only in the sugar moiety (ribofuranosyl versus 2'-deoxy, respectively), for real-time analysis of nucleoside transport into living cells by confocal microscopy. The binding and transportability of the two compounds were assessed for five recombinant human nucleoside transporters (hENT1/2, hCNT1/2/3) produced in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and/or oocytes of Xenopus laevis. The ribosyl derivative (FuPmR) was used to demonstrate proof of principle in live cell imaging studies in 11 cultured human cancer cell lines with different hENT1 activities. The autofluorescence emitted from FuPmR enabled direct visualization of its movement from the extracellular medium into the intracellular compartment of live cells, and this process was blocked by inhibitors of hENT1 (nitrobenzylmercaptopurine ribonucleoside, dipyridamole, and dilazep). Quantitative analysis of fluorescence signals revealed two stages of FuPmR uptake: a fast first stage that represented the initial uptake rate (i.e., transport rate) followed by a slow long-lasting second stage. The accumulation of FuPmR and/or its metabolites in nuclei and mitochondria was also visualized by live cell imaging. Measurements of fluorescence intensity increases in nuclei and mitochondria revealed rate-limited processes of permeant translocation across intracellular membranes, demonstrating for the first time the intracellular distribution of nucleosides and/or nucleoside metabolites in living cells. The use of autofluorescent nucleosides in time-lapse confocal microscopy is a novel strategy to quantitatively study membrane transport of nucleosides and their metabolites that will provide new knowledge of nucleoside biology.

2-Chloro-9-(2'-deoxy-2'-fluoro-beta-d-arabinofuranosyl)adenine (Cl-F-ara-A, clofarabine), a purine nucleoside analog with structural similarity to 2-chloro-2'-deoxyadenosine (Cl-dAdo, cladribine) and 9-beta-d-arabinofuranosyl-2-fluoroadenine (F-ara-A, fludarabine), has activity in adult and pediatric leukemias. Mediated transport of the purine nucleoside analogs is believed to occur through the action of two structurally unrelated protein families, the equilibrative nucleoside transporters (ENTs) and the concentrative nucleoside transporters (CNTs). The current work assessed the transportability of Cl-F-ara-A, Cl-dAdo, and F-ara-A in cultured human leukemic CEM cells that were either nucleoside transport-defective or possessed individual human nucleoside transporter types and in Xenopus laevis oocytes and Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast that produced individual recombinant human nucleoside transporter types. Cells producing hENT1 or hCNT3 exhibited the highest uptake of Cl-F-ara-A, whereas nucleoside transport-deficient cells and cells producing hCNT1 lacked uptake altogether. When Cl-F-ara-A transport rates by hENT1 were compared with those of Cl-dAdo and F-ara-A, Cl-dAdo had the highest efficiency of transport, although Cl-F-ara-A showed the greatest accumulation during 5-min exposures. In cytotoxicity studies with the CEM lines, Cl-F-ara-A was more cytotoxic to cells producing hENT1 than to the nucleoside transport-deficient cells. The efficiency of Cl-F-ara-A transport by oocytes with recombinant transporters was hCNT3 > hENT2 > hENT1 > hCNT2; no transport was observed with hCNT1. Affinity studies with recombinant transporters produced in yeast showed that hENT1, hENT2, and hCNT3 all had higher affinities for Cl-F-ara-A than for either Cl-dAdo or F-ara-A. These results suggest that the nature and activity of the plasma membrane proteins capable of inward transport of nucleosides are important determinants of Cl-F-ara-A activity in human cells.

This study investigated mRNA expression and protein localization of equilibrative and concentrative nucleoside transporters (ENTs, CNTs) in primary cultures of rat brain endothelial cells (RBEC) and rat choroid plexus epithelial cells (RCPEC). Reverse transcriptase PCR analysis revealed that RBEC and RCPEC contained mRNA for rENT1, rENT2 and rCNT2 and for rENT1, rENT2, rCNT2 and rCNT3, respectively. Immunoblotting of membrane fractions of RBEC, fresh RCPEC and primary cultures of RCPEC revealed the presence of rENT1, rENT2 and rCNT2 proteins in all samples. Measurement of [14C]adenosine uptake into cells grown as monolayers on permeable plastic supports revealed a polarized distribution of Na+-dependent adenosine uptake in that CNT activity was associated exclusively in membranes of RBEC facing the lower chamber (which corresponds to the surface facing the interstitial fluid in situ) and in membranes of RCPEC facing the upper chamber (which corresponds to the surface facing the cerebrospinal fluid in situ). In both RBEC and RCPEC, adenosine uptake from the opposite chambers was Na+-independent and partially inhibited by nitrobenzylthioinosine, indicating the presence of the equilibrative sensitive transporter rENT1.

The concentrative nucleoside transporter (CNT) protein family in humans is represented by three members, hCNT1, hCNT2, and hCNT3. hCNT3, a Na+/nucleoside symporter, transports a broad range of physiological purine and pyrimidine nucleosides as well as anticancer and antiviral nucleoside drugs, and belongs to a different CNT subfamily than hCNT1/2. H+-dependent Escherichia coli NupC and Candida albicans CaCNT are also CNT family members. The present study utilized heterologous expression in Xenopus oocytes to investigate the specificity, mechanism, energetics, and structural basis of hCNT3 cation coupling. hCNT3 exhibited uniquely broad cation interactions with Na+, H+, and Li+ not shared by Na+-coupled hCNT1/2 or H+-coupled NupC/CaCNT. Na+ and H+ activated hCNT3 through mechanisms to increase nucleoside apparent binding affinity. Direct and indirect methods demonstrated cation/nucleoside coupling stoichiometries of 2:1 in the presence of Na+ and both Na+ plus H+, but only 1:1 in the presence of H+ alone, suggesting that hCNT3 possesses two Na+-binding sites, only one of which is shared by H+. The H+-coupled hCNT3 did not transport guanosine or 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine and 2',3'-dideoxycytidine, demonstrating that Na+- and H+-bound versions of hCNT3 have significantly different conformations of the nucleoside binding pocket and/or translocation channel. Chimeric studies between hCNT1 and hCNT3 located hCNT3-specific cation interactions to the C-terminal half of hCNT3, setting the stage for site-directed mutagenesis experiments to identify the residues involved.

Human concentrative nucleoside transporter 3, hCNT3 (SLC28A3), which mediates transport of purine and pyrimidine nucleosides and a variety of antiviral and anticancer nucleoside drugs, was investigated to determine if there are single nucleotide polymorphisms in the coding regions of the hCNT3 gene.Ninety-six DNA samples from Caucasians (Coriell Panel) were sequenced and sixteen variants in exons and flanking intronic regions were identified, of which five were coding variants; three of these were non-synonymous (S5N, L131F, Y513F) and were further investigated for functional alterations of the resulting recombinant proteins in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Xenopus laevis oocytes. In yeast, immunostaining and fluorescence quantitation of the reference (wild-type) and variant CNT3 proteins showed similar levels of expression. Kinetic studies were undertaken in yeast with a high through-put semi-automated assay process; reference hCNT3 exhibited Km values of 1.7+/-0.3, 3.6+/-1.3, 2.2+/-0.7, and 2.1+/-0.6 muM and Vmax values of 1402+/-286, 1310+/-113, 1020+/-44, and 1740+/-114 pmol/mg/min, respectively, for uridine, cytidine, adenosine and inosine. Similar Km and Vmax values were obtained for the three variant proteins assayed in yeast under identical conditions. All of the characterized hCNT3 variants produced in oocytes retained sodium and proton dependence of uridine transport based on measurements of radioisotope flux and two-electrode voltage-clamp studies.These results suggested a high degree of conservation of function for hCNT3 in the Caucasian population.

The first mammalian examples of the equilibrative nucleoside transporter family to be characterized, hENT1 and hENT2, were passive transporters located predominantly in the plasma membranes of human cells. We now report the functional characterization of members of a third subgroup of the family, from human and mouse, which differ profoundly in their properties from previously characterized mammalian nucleoside transporters. The 475-residue human and mouse proteins, designated hENT3 and mENT3, respectively, are 73% identical in amino acid sequence and possess long N-terminal hydrophilic domains that bear typical (DE)XXXL(LI) endosomal/lysosomal targeting motifs. ENT3 transcripts and proteins are widely distributed in human and rodent tissues, with a particular abundance in placenta. However, in contrast to ENT1 and ENT2, the endogenous and green fluorescent protein-tagged forms of the full-length hENT3 protein were found to be predominantly intracellular proteins that co-localized, in part, with lysosomal markers in cultured human cells. Truncation of the hydrophilic N-terminal region or mutation of its dileucine motif to alanine caused the protein to be relocated to the cell surface both in human cells and in Xenopus oocytes, allowing characterization of its transport activity in the latter. The protein proved to be a broad selectivity, low affinity nucleoside transporter that could also transport adenine. Transport activity was relatively insensitive to the classical nucleoside transport inhibitors nitrobenzylthioinosine, dipyridamole, and dilazep and was sodium ion-independent. However, it was strongly dependent upon pH, and the optimum pH value of 5.5 probably reflected the location of the transporter in acidic, intracellular compartments.

Contigs 19-10196 and 19-20196 of the Stanford Candida albicans genome sequence databank encode two putative allelic isoforms of C. albicans CaCNT, a recently characterized 608 amino acid residue H+-coupled fungal member of the CNT family of concentrative nucleoside transport proteins. The single Ser/Gly difference between CaCNT/19-20196 and CaCNT occurs at position 328 in putative TM 7, and corresponds to a Ser/Gly substitution previously shown to contribute to the contrasting pyrimidine and purine nucleoside selectivities of human (h) and rat (r) Na+-dependent CNT1 and CNT2. CaCNT/19-10196 differs from CaCNT by four amino acids, but has Gly at position 328. These new proteins were recreated by site-directed mutagenesis of CaCNT and characterized functionally by heterologous expression in Xenopus laevis oocytes. In marked contrast to h/rCNT1/2, both CaCNT/19-10196 and CaCNT/19-20196 exhibited permeant selectivities for purine nucleosides (adenosine, guanosine and inosine) and uridine similar to that of CaCNT. However, although H+-coupled, CaCNT/19-20196 exhibited a approximately 10-fold higher apparent Km for uridine than either CaCNT or CaCNT/19-10196. CaCNT/19-20196 also exhibited a low apparent affinity for inosine. We conclude that the three proteins correspond to high-affinity (CaCNT, CaCNT/19-10196) and low-affinity (CaCNT/19-20196) allelic isoforms of the C. albicans CNT nucleoside transporter. This is the first example of a single amino acid residue substitution altering a CNT protein's overall apparent affinity for nucleosides.

The human equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (hENT1) is a member of the equilibrative nucleoside transporter family that mediates cellular entry of gemcitabine, cytarabine, and fludarabine. Deficiency in hENT1 confers resistance to toxicity of these drugs in a variety of model systems. Since some nucleoside analogs have a role in treating patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), this study was undertaken to assess hENT1 abundance in NHL. A total of 115 cases of NHL of various subtypes and 15 reactive lymph nodes were evaluated for the presence of hENT1 protein using immunohistochemistry applied to frozen tissues. Samples were considered positive when >or=50% of neoplastic cells showed immunostaining. In reactive lymph nodes, hENT1 was confined to the germinal centers, whereas mantle zone B-cells and interfollicular T-cells were negative. In NHL, a relatively high frequency of hENT1 positivity was found in Burkitt lymphoma/leukemia (63%), diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLCL; 45%), and follicular lymphoma (40%). In DLCL, 26% of cases were positive for CD10, and CD10-positive DLCL cases were more likely to be hENT1 positive than CD10-negative cases (P=0.025). A lower frequency of hENT1 positivity was found in mantle cell lymphoma (13%) and peripheral T-cell lymphomas (37%). All marginal zone lymphomas (n=5), chronic lymphocytic leukemia small lymphocytic lymphomas (n=10), plasmacytoma (n=3), acute lymphoblastic lymphoma/leukemia, and anaplastic large-cell lymphomas (n=5) were negative. In conclusion, hENT1 was most frequently found in benign and malignant follicular center cells. Prospective studies to assess the value of hENT1 immunostaining in predicting resistance to nucleoside chemotherapy for NHL are warranted.

Purpose: Gemcitabine monotherapy is the standard palliative chemotherapy for pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Gemcitabine requires plasma membrane nucleoside transporter proteins to efficiently enter cells and exert it cytotoxicity. In vitro studies have demonstrated that deficiency of human equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (hENT1), the most widely abundant and distributed nucleoside transporter in human cells, confers resistance to gemcitabine toxicity, but the distribution and abundance of nucleoside transporters in normal and malignant pancreatic tissue is unknown. Experimental Design: We studied tumor blocks from normal pancreas and 21 Alberta patients with gemcitabine-treated pancreatic cancer. Immunohistochemistry on the formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues was performed with specific hENT1 and human Concentrative Nucleoside Transporter 3 monoclonal antibodies and scored by a pathologist blinded to clinical outcomes. Results: hENT1 was detected in normal Langerhan cells and lymphocytes but not in normal glandular elements. Patients in whom all adenocarcinoma cells had detectable hENT1 had significantly longer median survivals from gemcitabine initiation than those for whom hENT1 was absent in a proportion (10 to 100%) of adenocarcinoma cells (median survival, 13 versus 4 months, P = 0.01). Immunohistochemistry for human Concentrative Nucleoside Transporter 3 revealed moderate to high-intensity staining in all adenocarcinoma tissue samples. Conclusions: Patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma with uniformly detectable hENT1 immunostaining have a significantly longer survival after gemcitabine chemotherapy than tumors without detectable hENT1. Immunohistochemistry for hENT1 shows promise as a molecular predictive assay to appropriately select patients for palliative gemcitabine chemotherapy but requires formal validation in prospective, randomized trials.

Resistance to fludarabine is observed in the clinic, and molecular predictive assays for benefit from chemotherapy are required. Our objective was to determine if expression of nucleoside transport and metabolism genes was associated with response to fludarabine therapy in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). CLL cells from 56 patients were collected prior to treatment with fludarabine. Quantitative reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed on sample RNA to determine the relative levels of mRNA of 3 nucleoside transporters that mediate fludarabine uptake (human equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 [hENT1], human equilibrative nucleoside transporter 2 [hENT2], and human concentrative nucleoside transporter 3 [hCNT3]), deoxycytidine kinase (dCK), and 3 5′-nucleotidases (ecto-5′nucleotidase [CD73], deoxynucleotidase-1 [dNT-1], and cytoplasmic high-Km 5-nucleotidase [CN-II]). Two-dimensional hierarchical cluster analysis of gene expression identified 2 distinct populations of CLL. Cluster 2 patients experienced a 3.4-fold higher risk of disease progression than cluster 1 patients (P = .0058, log-rank analysis). Furthermore, independent analysis of the individual genes of interest revealed statistically significant differences for risk of disease progression (adjusted hazard ratios [HRs]) with underexpression of dNT-1 (HR = 0.45; P = .042), CD73 (HR = 0.40; P = .022), and dCK (HR = 0.0.48; P = .035), and overexpression of hCNT3 (HR = 4.7; P = .0007) genes. Subjects with elevated hCNT3 expression experienced a lower complete response rate to fludarabine therapy (11% vs 69%; P = .002). No hCNT3-mediated plasma membrane nucleoside transport was detected in CLL samples expressing hCNT3 message, and hCNT3 protein was localized to the cytoplasm with immunohistochemical and confocal microscopy.

The genome of Caenorhabditis elegans encodes multiple homologues of the two major families of mammalian equilibrative and concentrative nucleoside transporters. As part of a programme aimed at understanding the biological rationale underlying the multiplicity of eukaryote nucleoside transporters, we have now demonstrated that the nematode genes ZK809.4 (ent-1) and K09A9.3 (ent-2) encode equilibrative transporters, which we designate CeENT1 and CeENT2 respectively. These transporters resemble their human counterparts hENT1 and hENT2 in exhibiting similar broad permeant specificities for nucleosides, while differing in their permeant selectivities for nucleobases. They are insensitive to the classic inhibitors of mammalian nucleoside transport, nitrobenzylthioinosine, dilazep and draflazine, but are inhibited by the vasoactive drug dipyridamole. Use of green fluorescent protein reporter constructs indicated that the transporters are present in a limited number of locations in the adult, including intestine and pharynx. Their potential roles in these tissues were explored by using RNA interference to disrupt gene expression. Although disruption of ent-1 or ent-2 expression alone had no effect, simultaneous disruption of both genes yielded pronounced developmental defects involving the intestine and vulva.

The sugar moiety of nucleosides has been shown to play a major role in permeant-transporter interaction with human equilibrative nucleoside transporters 1 and 2 (hENT1 and hENT2). To better understand the structural requirements for interactions with hENT1 and hENT2, a series of uridine analogs with sugar modifications were subjected to an assay that tested their abilities to inhibit [3H]uridine transport mediated by recombinant hENT1 and hENT2 produced in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. hENT1 displayed higher affinity for uridine than hENT2. Both transporters barely tolerated modifications or inversion of configuration at C(3'). The C(2')-OH at uridine was a structural determinant for uridine-hENT1, but not for uridine-hENT2, interactions. Both transporters were sensitive to modifications at C(5') and hENT2 displayed more tolerance to removal of C(5')-OH than hENT1; addition of an O-methyl group at C(5') greatly reduced interaction with either hENT1 or hENT2. The changes in binding energies between transporter proteins and the different uridine analogs suggested that hENT1 formed strong interactions with C(3')-OH and moderate interactions with C(2')-OH and C(5')-OH of uridine, whereas hENT2 formed strong interactions with C(3')-OH, weak interactions with C(5')-OH, and no interaction with C(2')-OH.

Facilitated glucose transporters (GLUTs) mediate transport of sugars across cell membranes by using the chemical gradient of sugars as the driving force. Improved cloning techniques and database analyses have expanded this family of proteins to a total of 14 putative members. In this work a novel hexose transporter isoform, GLUT7, has been cloned from a human intestinal cDNA library by using a PCR-based strategy (GenBank accession no. AY571960 ). The encoded protein is comprised of 524 amino acid residues and shares 68% similarity and 53% identity with GLUT5, its most closely related isoform. When GLUT7 was expressed in Xenopus oocytes, it showed high-affinity transport for glucose ( Km= 0.3 mM) and fructose (IC50= 0.060 mM). Galactose, 2-deoxy-d-glucose, and xylose were not transported. Uptake of 100 μM d-glucose was not inhibited by 200 μM phloretin or 100 μM cytochalasin B. Northern blotting indicated that the mRNA for GLUT7 is present in the human small intestine, colon, testis, and prostate. Western blotting and immunohistochemistry of rat tissues with an antibody raised against the predicted COOH-terminal sequence confirmed expression of the protein in the small intestine and indicated that the transporter is predominantly expressed in the enterocytes' brush-border membrane. The unusual substrate specificity and close sequence identity with GLUT5 suggest that GLUT7 represents an intermediate between class II GLUTs and the class I member GLUT2. Comparison between these proteins may provide key information as to the structural determinants for the recognition of fructose as a substrate.

A new CVT and the construction of prototypes are to be described. Objectives include: ○ Highest efficiency ○ Ease of ratio change ○ Large engine power capability ○ Rapid response to torque changes ○ Simple shapes for low manufacturing costs A single disc is arranged transversely between two traction gearing planetaries. The high efficiency of bodies in pure rolling (i.e. without spin) is used to effect clamping forces without the need for auxiliary power. Very little power is used to effect ratio changes because the power being transmitted through the transmission is used to effect the ratio changes in response to a slight change in the lateral position of the disc. A trade-off exists between size and efficiency. Large power capability is possible because there are no members being subjected to centrifugal forces as in belt drives, and because contact conditions involve very little spin losses with their attendant heat limitations as encountered in toroidal types of CVTs.

A genetic interaction network containing approximately 1000 genes and approximately 4000 interactions was mapped by crossing mutations in 132 different query genes into a set of approximately 4700 viable gene yeast deletion mutants and scoring the double mutant progeny for fitness defects. Network connectivity was predictive of function because interactions often occurred among functionally related genes, and similar patterns of interactions tended to identify components of the same pathway. The genetic network exhibited dense local neighborhoods; therefore, the position of a gene on a partially mapped network is predictive of other genetic interactions. Because digenic interactions are common in yeast, similar networks may underlie the complex genetics associated with inherited phenotypes in other organisms.

The clinical efficacy of anticancer nucleoside drugs depends on a complex interplay of transporters mediating entry of nucleoside drugs into cells, efflux mechanisms that remove drugs from intracellular compartments and cellular metabolism to active metabolites. Nucleoside transporters (NTs) are important determinants for salvage of preformed nucleosides and mediated uptake of antimetabolite nucleoside drugs into target cells. The focus of this review is the two families of human nucleoside transporters (hENTs, hCNTs) and their role in transport of cytotoxic chemotherapeutic nucleoside drugs. Resistance to anticancer nucleoside drugs is a major clinical problem in which NTs have been implicated. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in drug transporters may contribute to interindividual variation in response to nucleoside drugs. In this review, we give an overview of the functional and molecular characteristics of human NTs and their potential role in resistance to nucleoside drugs and discuss the potential use of genetic polymorphism analyses for NTs to address drug resistance.