Elsevier

Biochemical Pharmacology

Volume 15, Issue 10, October 1966, Pages 1435-1438, in1-in4, 1439-1442
Biochemical Pharmacology

The effects of 1-β-d-arabinofuranosylcyto-sine on the developing chick embyro

https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-2952(66)90188-2Get rights and content

Abstract

1-β d-Arabinofuranosylcytosine (CA) inhibits the development of the chick embryo when it is injected into the yolk sac on day 4 of incubation. The LD50 is about 0.025 mgegg; those embryos surviving to 18 days are stunted, and the developmental abnormalities consist of facial coloboma, absence of the pelvic skeleton and other bone deletions, corneal cysts, and feather inhibition. Embryos injected at later stages show progressively less severe abnormalities. In those treated on day 8 and later, weight inhibition, feather disturbances, and cerebellar atrophy were the major detectable defects by gross examination. The effects of CA resemble those caused by 2'-deoxy-guanosine and are presumed to be due to a dCDP deficiency caused by a block in the reduction of CDP to dCDP, thus interfering with DNA synthesis. Qualitatively these effects are similar to those caused by other antimetabolites inhibiting, in various ways, the availability of precursors necessary for the synthesis of DNA.

References (35)

  • L.I. Pizer et al.

    J. biol. Chem.

    (1960)
  • M.Y. Chu et al.

    Biochemical Pharmac.

    (1962)
  • M.Y. Chu et al.

    Biochem. Pharmac.

    (1965)
  • R.W. Talley et al.

    Blood

    (1963)
  • G.W. Camiener et al.

    Biochem. Pharmac.

    (1965)
  • J.S. Evans et al.

    Biochem. Pharmac.

    (1964)
  • D.A. Karnofsky et al.

    Biochem. Pharmac.

    (1961)
  • H.E. Renis et al.
  • G.E. Underwood
  • F. Rapp et al.

    Science

    (1965)
  • G.E. Underwood et al.

    Archs Ophthal., N.Y.

    (1964)
  • L. Slechta
  • J.H. Kim et al.

    Cancer Res.

    (1965)
  • S. Silagi

    Cancer Res.

    (1965)
  • J.S. Evans et al.
  • J.S. Evans et al.

    Cancer Res.

    (1964)
  • R.L. Dixon et al.

    Cancer Chemother. Rep.

    (1965)
  • Cited by (0)

    This work was supported in part by Grants CA 03192 and CA 08748 from the National Cancer Institute, and Grant T40 from the American Cancer Society.

    View full text