Phosphorylation of the anti-hepatitis B nucleoside analog 1-(2'-deoxy-2'-fluoro-1-beta-D-arabinofuranosyl)-5-iodouracil (FIAU) by human cytosolic and mitochondrial thymidine kinase and implications for cytotoxicity.

The capacity of recombinant human cytosolic thymidine kinase (TK1) and bovine mitochondrial thymidine kinase (TK2) to phosphorylate the antiviral analogs 1-(2'-deoxy-2'-fluoro-1-beta-D-arabinofuranosyl)-5-iodouracil (FIAU) and 1-(2'-deoxy-2'-fluoro-1-beta-D-arabinofuranosyl)-5-methyluracil (FMAU) has been analyzed. The Vmax/Km ratios for FIAU and FMAU with TK2 are about 30% of that for deoxythymidine, while the corresponding values for TK1 are 2 and 5%, respectively. Thus, these two analogs are more efficient substrates for TK2 than for TK1, which may be part of the explanation for the mitochondrial toxicity associated with FIAU during treatment of hepatitis B infection.