In the presence of Mg' + the ecto-(nucleoside diphosphatase) on intact vascular endothelial or smooth muscle cells in culture selectively catabolises the PS diastereoisomer of adenosine 5'-[~-thio]diphosphate, (PSI-ADP [aS], and the ecto-(nucleoside triphosphatase) selectively catabolises the PS isomer of adenosine 5'- [P-thio] [l]) have proved to be powerful tools with which to analyse the stereochemical course of phosphorylation of phosphohydrolase reactions. The presence of stereoselectivity towards one isomer makes it likely that the enzyme under investigation recognises an Mg-nucleotide complex at its active site, selectivity being imposed because Mg2+ preferentially binds to oxygen rather than to sulphur in the analogues. This can be demonstrated unequivocally, and the conformation of the Mg(I1)-nucleotide complex involved at the active site assigned, by comparing the observed stereoselectivity in the presence of different bivalent metal cations with known preferences for co-ordination to oxygen or sulphur ligands. Previous studies of this type have used purified enzymes, usually kinases (e. g. [2 -51). In our study of the characteristics of ectonucleotidases on vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cells we found that each cell type possesses distinct nucleoside triphosphatase, nucleoside diphosphatase and 5'-nucleotidase ectoenzymes whose activity can be assayed using intact cells in culture. We also noted that catabolism of ATP [pS] Enzymes. Nucleoside triphosphatase (EC 3.6.1.15); nucleoside diphosphatasc (EC 3.6.1.6); 5'-nucleotidase (EC 3.1.3.5).
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Cell cultureEndothelial and smooth muscle cells were separately isolated from the aortas of newborn pigs and cultured as previously described [9, 101. Cells were used for experiments after 2 -17 passages. They were grown to confluence on the surface of 16-mm-diameter wells of 24-well tissue-culture trays (Nunc) and used after briefly rinsing twice with bivalentcation-free phosphate-buffered saline. Replicate incubations at 37°C were then carried out in the same saline containing the appropriate phosphorothioate analogue (100 pM) and 0.8 mM M g Z f , CO" or Cd' '. Subsamples of the incubation solutions were removed at timed intervals and stored at -20 "C until required.
Analogues and measurement of metabolitesThe PR and PS diastereoisomers of ADP [aS], ATP [aS] and ATP [pS] were synthesised and purified as previously described [l, 7, 111. Catabolism of each isomer was assessed directly by HPLC separation of non-extracted subsamples of the incubation solutions, using reversed-phase HPLC [7]. Rates of catabolism were measured by analysis of the peak heights or areas on the HPLC recordings.
RESULTSEssentially similar results were found for both endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells; we have therefore presented data for endothelial cells alone. Since we were working with limited numbers of intact cells, rather than purified enzymes, we could not practicably determine K , and V,,, values for each isomer (both of which are likely to ...