'Rod and ring' formation from IMP dehydrogenase is regulated through the one-carbon metabolic pathway

'Rods and rings' (RRs) are conserved, non-membrane-bound intracellular polymeric structures composed, in part, of inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH), a key enzyme leading to GMP and GTP biosynthesis. RR formation is induced by IMPDH inhibitors as well as glutamine deprivation. They also form upon treatment of cells with glutamine synthetase inhibitors. We now report that depriving cells of serine and glycine promotes RR formation, and we have traced these effects to dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) and serine hydroxymethyltransferase-2 (SHMT2), pivotal enzymes in one-carbon metabolism and nucleotide biosynthesis. RR assembly is likewise induced upon DHFR inhibition by methotrexate or aminopterin as well as siRNA-mediated knockdown of DHFR or SHMT2. Because RR assembly occurs when guanine nucleotide biosynthesis is inhibited, and because RRs rapidly disassemble after the addition of guanine nucleotide precursors, RR formation might be an adaptive homeostatic mechanism, allowing IMPDH to sense changes in the one-carbon folate pathway.