FOLATE AND PTERIN METABOLISM BY CANCER-CELLS IN CULTURE

  • 1 January 1978
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 38  (8) , 2378-2384
Abstract
Mouse malignant cells grown in culture excrete into their growth medium a folate catabolite that can be seen as a blue-fluorescent region on paper chromatograms of such media. This folate catabolite was identified by paper chromatography, TLC and combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry as 6-hydroxymethylpterin and not as pterin-6-carboxaldehyde as previously reported. When pterin-6-carboxaldehyde was added to the growth medium of logarithmically growing malignant cells, it was primarily reduced to 6-hydroxymethylpterin. Pterin-6-carboxylate was the principal product formed from added pterin-6-carboxaldehyde by normal established cell lines in culture. These results were interpreted as indicative of a possible mechanism of folate catabolism in malignant cells. Folic acid or another folate derivative is oxidatively cleaved at the C-9.sbd.N-10 bond to yield pterin-6-carboxaldehyde as 1 of the products. This derivative is subsequently reduced to 6-hydroxymethylpterin, which is excreted into the growth medium.

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