Comparative study of 6-mercaptopurine metabolism in human leukemic leukocytes and L1210 cells.

Leukocytes from patients with leukemia and L1210 cells from mice were examined for the rate of formation and cellular concentration of phosphoribosylpyrophosphate, the rate of thioinosinic acid formation, and a number of selected enzymes involved in purine nucleotide synthesis. The amount of thioinosinic acid formed in L1210 cells was much higher than that in human leukemic leukocytes. In cell extracts, the synthesis of thioinosinic acid was similar in both cell types, and the amount of purine phosphoribosyltransferase was not rate limiting in either case. Much higher concentrations and rates of formation of phosphoribosylpyrophosphate were found in L1210 cells than in human leukemic leukocytes. The difference in response to 6-mercaptopurine between L1210 cells and human leukemic leukocytes might be attributed to their difference in supply of phosphoribosylpyrophosphate. Phosphoribosylpyrophosphate-amidotransferase was found to be high in L1210 cells, but was not detected in human leukemic leukocytes.