title: Reductive alkylation of DNA by mitomycin A, a mitomycin with high redox potential.
abstract: The mitomycins are a group of antitumor antibiotics that covalently bind to DNA upon reductive activation. Mitomycin A (1b; MA) is more toxic than its clinically useful mitomycin C (1a; MC). The greater toxicity of mitomycin A has been previously attributed to its higher reduction potential. In this report, the DNA alkylation products of reductively activated MA were isolated and characterized by conversion to the known 7-amino mitosene-deoxyguanosine adducts. The three major adducts formed were identified as a monoadduct, N2-(2"beta-amino-7"-methoxymitosen-1"alpha-yl)- 2'-deoxyguanosine (5), a decarbamoyl monoadduct, N2-(2"beta-amino-10"-decarbamoyl-7"-methoxymitosen-1"alpha-y l)-2'- deoxyguanosine (6), and a bisadduct, N2-(2"beta-amino-10"-deoxyguanosin-N2-yl-7-methoxymitosen-1" alpha- yl)-2'-deoxyguanosine (7). Under all reductive activation conditions employed, MA selectively alkylated the 2-amino group of guanine in DNA, like MC. In addition, both MA and MC alkylated DNA and cross-linked oligonucleotides to a similar extent. However, variations in the reductive activation conditions (H2/PtO2, Na2S2O4, or enzymatic) affected the distribution of the three major MA adducts in a different manner than the distribution of MC adducts was affected. A mechanism is proposed wherein the 7-methoxy substituent of MA allows initial indiscriminate activation of either of the drugs' two electrophilic sites. While oxygen inhibited cross-linking by MC, similar aerobic conditions exhibited little influence on the cross-linking ability of MA. Hence, the greater toxicity of MA may be influenced by increased and nonselective activation and cross-link formation in both aerobic and anaerobic cells. This effect is a direct consequence of the higher redox potential of MA as compared to MC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027.
authors.forename: B F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: McGuinness
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lipman
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Goldstein
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakanishi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tomasz
mesh_terms: D000478:Alkylation; D001483:Base Sequence; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D016685:Mitomycin; D008937:Mitomycins / Q000737:chemistry*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009251:NADPH-Ferrihemoprotein Reductase / Q000378:metabolism; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction
chemical_list: D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D008937:Mitomycins; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D016685:Mitomycin; C046000:mitomycin A; D004247:DNA; D009251:NADPH-Ferrihemoprotein Reductase