Effect of ammonium ion on pyrimidine synthesis de novo in isolated rat hepatocytes

Addition of ammonium ions to isolated rat hepatocytes stimulated the rate of synthesis of pyrimidines. Isolation and quantification of pyrimidine nucleotides orotic acid and the acid-hydrolyzed product of carbamoyl-aspartic acid by ion-exchange chromatography and high-pressure liquid chromatography show a marked stimulation in the incorporation of [14C]bicarbonate in incubations with added ammonium ions. The incorporation into total uridine nucleotides (sigma UMP) was increased twofold in the presence of 5 mM ammonium ion, and approximately eightyfold into orotic acid. There was a parallel increase in labelling of carbamoylaspartic acid from undetectable to a level similar to that of orotic acid. The specific activity of urea formed during the incubations did not change during incubations or in the presence of ammonium ions confirming that the change in labelling of pyrimidine was not due to a change in the specific activity of precursor. Despite the stimulation in incorporation of label into pyrimidines there was no increase in the hepatocyte content of sigma UMP, which was 11.5 mumol/g dry weight, although the orotic acid content increased from 0.09 mumol/g dry weight in the absence of added ammonium ions (but in the presence of 2 mM L-glutamine) to 8.6 mumol/g dry weight with 5 mM ammonium ion. The stimulated incorporation of [14C]bicarbonate in the presence of 5 mM and 10 mM ammonium ion was shown to be due to a stimulated synthesis of carbamoyl phosphate, since greater than 80% of label in the uracil ring was present at position C-2. Incubation of hepatocytes in basal medium (Eagles) containing 2.5% foetal calf serum and 20 mM bicarbonate showed that there was a significant stimulation of pyrimidine synthesis with 1 mM ammonium ion. The stimulatory effect of ammonium ions on incorporation of bicarbonate into pyrimidines was almost completely reversed by 5 mM L-ornithine and was partially reversed by 1 mM L-ornithine. Evidence for a contribution of the urea cycle carbamoyl phosphate synthetase to pyrimidine synthesis is discussed.