On the mechanism of deoxyribonucleoside toxicity in human T-lymphoblastoid cells. Reversal of growth inhibition by addition of cytidine

High levels of deoxyadenosine and deoxyguanosine in patients with inherited deficiency of either adenosine deaminase or purine-nucleoside phosphorylase, respectively, are considered to be responsible for the associated immunological disorder. The mechanism involves phosphorylation to the corresponding deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates which subsequently inhibit the CDP-reducing activity of ribonucleotide reductase. Addition of deoxycytidine protects cells from the cytotoxic effects of deoxyadenosine and deoxyguanosine by competition for phosphorylation and by replenishing dCTP, the apparent limiting DNA precursor. Addition of cytidine, but not uridine, led to a reversal of deoxyguanosine and thymidine growth inhibition, comparable to that obtained with deoxycytidine. Analysis of the intracellular nucleotide pools showed that increased levels of cytidine ribonucleotides were sufficient to overcome the inhibitory effects of dGTP and dTTP on CDP reduction, thereby circumventing a depletion of the dCTP pool. A partial reversal of deoxyadenosine toxicity was also obtained with addition of cytidine. In this case little change in the dCTP level was observed, but a decreased dGTP pool appeared to be correlated with growth inhibition. High cytidine ribonucleotide levels partially prevented this effect. The present results may encourage the use of cytidine in combination with deoxycytidine as a pharmacological regime in treatment of immunodeficiency disease associated with increased deoxyribonucleotide levels.