Loss of murine tumor thymidine kinase activity in vivo following 5-fluorouracil (FUra) treatment by incorporation of FUra into RNA

The effects of 5-fluorouracil (FUra) treatment on thymidine kinase (TKase) activity were examined in vivo in CD8F1 mice bearing first generation CD8F1 mouse mammary tumors. TKase activity was not affected by low dose FUra25 (25 mg/kg), a dose which substantially inhibited thymidylate synthase (TSase), but was severely inhibited 24 hr following treatment with FUra100, a weekly maximally tolerated dose, as judged by activity measurements and labeling of DNA with [3H]thymidine. The amount of (FU)RNA was increased markedly with increasing FUra dose from 0.4 nmol/mg DNA at FUra25 to 2.2 nmol/mg DNA at FUra100. At FUra100, TKase activity gradually declined over 24 hr to less than 10% of the control value, remained low for a further 48 hr, and then was gradually restored to control levels by 168 hr. The loss of TKase activity followed the incorporation of FUra into RNA which peaked at 4-5 hr. TKase activity was not restored by removal of endogenous inhibitors but was restored by treatment with uridine. TKase activity was not inhibited by therapeutic levels of methotrexate (300 mg/kg). TKase from murine colon 38 carcinoma was also severely inhibited, but the activity from colon 26 was only partially (50%) inhibited. Ornithine decarboxylase was also inhibited by FUra100 treatment in the CD8F1 tumor. These results demonstrate that certain short-lived, proliferation-related enzymes are affected by FUra doses higher than those required for TSase inhibition, and this effect appears to correlate with incorporation of FUra into RNA. Thus, in some tumors high doses of FUra can inhibit salvage as well as de novo synthesis of thymidylate providing an increased block of DNA synthesis and increased therapeutic advantage.