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© The Author(s) 2025. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the "License"). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

The toxicity of purine bases adenine and guanine is mostly recognized when associated with inborn errors of purine metabolism such as Lesch-Nyhan syndrome, and metabolic diseases with a lifestyle component including gout. In these pathologies, the peripheral toxicity of purine bases is attributed to the accumulation of their catabolite uric acid in the kidneys, causing nephrolithiasis or crystalluria, and the joints, causing gout. However, inborn errors of purine metabolism also present neurological and neurobehavioral abnormalities including motor disabilities, seizures, hypotonia and dystonia, and self-injurious behaviour. The mechanisms underlying these pathologies is less well-understood but does not seem to be caused by uric acid. In a different context, adenine and guanine have been shown to be cytotoxic and antiproliferative, highlighting their potential use in cancer chemotherapies, but the underlying mechanisms have not been identified. In our previous investigations, we have shown that adenine, a molecule classified as acutely toxic, is an inhibitor of 1-carbon metabolism and biological methylations. Using the same experimental paradigm based on real-time luminometry with mouse embryonic fibroblasts to probe in real-time the potential biological activity of small molecules, complemented with metabolite quantifications, in silico docking predictions, kinase assays and phosphoproteomics, we now reveal that guanine and to a lesser extent adenine are direct inhibitors of c-Jun N-terminal kinases, which may contribute to their toxicity and to the symptoms of Lesch-Nyhan syndrome.

Details

Title
Guanine is an inhibitor of c-jun terminal kinases
Author
Treeby, Jessica 1 ; El-Sayed, Sherihan 2 ; Morgan, Samuel 1 ; Maddock, Sophie 1 ; Taylor, George 3 ; Warwood, Stacey 3 ; Selley, Julian 3 ; Knight, David 3 ; Saer, Benjamin 1 ; Bryce, Richard A. 4 ; Fustin, Jean-Michel 1 

 Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Centre for Biological Timing, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK (ROR: https://ror.org/027m9bs27) (GRID: grid.5379.8) (ISNI: 0000 0001 2166 2407) 
 Division of Pharmacy and Optometry, School of Health Sciences, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, M13 9PT, Manchester, UK (ROR: https://ror.org/027m9bs27) (GRID: grid.5379.8) (ISNI: 0000000121662407); Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Zagazig University, 44519, Zagazig, Egypt (ROR: https://ror.org/053g6we49) (GRID: grid.31451.32) (ISNI: 0000 0001 2158 2757) 
 FBMH Platform Sciences, The University of Manchester, Enabling Technologies & Infrastructure, BioMS, Manchester, UK (ROR: https://ror.org/027m9bs27) (GRID: grid.5379.8) (ISNI: 0000 0001 2166 2407) 
 Division of Pharmacy and Optometry, School of Health Sciences, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, M13 9PT, Manchester, UK (ROR: https://ror.org/027m9bs27) (GRID: grid.5379.8) (ISNI: 0000000121662407) 
Pages
29374
Section
Article
Publication year
2025
Publication date
2025
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20452322
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
3238566476
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2025. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the "License"). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.