Anales RANF

Simposium 12: GUANINE-BASED PURINES IN HEALTH AND DISEASE Chairs : Francisco Ciruela (Barcelona, Spain) / Francesco Caciagli (Chieti, Italy) Content : Guanine-based purines (GBPs) exert a multitude of beneficial (i.e., neuroprotective, neurotrophic, antidepressant, anxiolytic) effects throughout the CNS, being key players in cell metabolism and in several models of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and Alzheimer’s diseases (AD). Moreover, these compounds seem to be involved in tumor progression, and their converting enzymes can both activate some anti-cancer pro-drugs and play new patho- physiological roles independent of their enzymatic activities. Indeed, methyl-thyo- adenosine phosphorylase (MTAP) knockdown increases invasion and migration of several tumor cell lines; ii) an over-expression of the cytosolic 5’-nucleotidase (cN-II) has been observed in some cancer cells; iii) not frequent polymorphisms of gene encoding purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) associated with a reduced enzymatic activity have been found in dysplastic or neoplastic alterations of marrow morphology or in prostate cancer. As no plasma-membrane receptor for GBPs have been described so far, these compounds are still considered orphan modulators of multiple functions, and many efforts should be made to elucidate the mechanism of action underlying their effects. In this context, the evaluation of the expression/activity of purine converting enzymes as well as the identification of specific receptors for GBPs could represent valuable diagnostic tools and innovative targets for the development of novel drugs and for new therapeutic approaches in neurological diseases and cancer. The talks of this symposium aim at giving a contribution to the knowledge of GBP roles in human diseases.