Differential incorporation of 2'-deoxyadenosine into human peripheral lymphocytes

Human peripheral lymphocytes incubated with 2'-deoxycoformycin and 2'-deoxyadenosine (dAdo) reached a plateau in dATP accumulation after 4 hr that lasted for up to 24 hr. Total dATP accumulation did not exceed 15% of the control ATP concentration in the lymphocytes. In contrast, the human CCRF-CEM T lymphoblastic cell line and human erythrocytes showed a nearly linear pattern of dATP formation throughout the incubation period. By 6 hr the dATP concentration in the CCRF-CEM cells exceeded the control ATP concentration. A comparison of dATP accumulation in purified peripheral T and B lymphocytes indicated differences between these cells that favor greater dATP formation in the B lymphocytes. Incorporation studies with several adenosine analogs demonstrated that arabinosyladenine, 2-F-arabinosyladenine, tubercidin, formycin A, and 9-(2'-deoxy-2'-fluoro-beta-D-ribofuranosyl)adenine form corresponding amounts of analog triphosphate in the T and B cell-enriched lymphocytes. 9-(2'-Deoxy-2'-fluoro-beta-D-arabinofuranosyl)adenine (2'-F-araA) was the only compound to show an incorporation pattern similar to that observed with dAdo by forming analog triphosphate only in the B cell-enriched lymphocyte population. Nucleoside kinase measurements showed no significant differences in dAdo, adenosine, or 2'-deoxycytidine kinase activities between the T and B lymphocytes. The inability of the T cells to incorporate dAdo or the analog 2'-F-araA into their nucleotide pools may indicate the existence of a highly specific catabolic enzyme(s).