Accelerated clearance of polyethylene glycol-modified proteins by anti-polyethylene glycol IgM.

Tumor therapy by the preferential activation of a prodrug at tumor cells targeted with an antibody-enzyme conjugate may allow improved treatment efficacy with reduced side effects. We examined antibody-mediated clearance of poly(ethylene glycol)-modified beta-glucuronidase (betaG-sPEG) as a method to reduce serum concentrations of enzyme and minimize systemic prodrug activation. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunoblot analysis of two monoclonal antibodies generated by immunization of BALB/c mice with an antibody-betaG-sPEG conjugate showed that mAb 1E8 (IgG1) bound betaG and betaG-sPEG whereas mAb AGP3 (IgM) bound poly(ethylene glycol). Neither antibody affected the betaG activity. mAb 1E8 and AGP3 were modified with 36 and 208 galactose residues (1E8-36G and AGP3-208G) with retention of 72 and 48% antigen-binding activity, respectively, to target immune complexes to the asialoglycoprotein receptor on liver cells. mAb 1E8 and AGP3 cleared betaG-PEG from the circulation of mice as effectively as 1E8-36G and AGP3-208G, respectively. mAb AGP3, however, cleared betaG-sPEG more completely and rapidly than 1E8, reducing the serum concentration of betaG-sPEG by 38-fold in 8 h. AGP3 also reduced the concentration of an antibody-betaG-sPEG conjugate in blood by 280-fold in 2 h and 940-fold in 24 h. AGP3-mediated clearance did not produce obvious damage to liver, spleen, or kidney tissues. In addition, AGP3 clearance of betaG-sPEG before administration of BHAMG, a glucuronide prodrug of p-hydroxyaniline mustard, prevented toxicity associated with systemic activation of the prodrug based on mouse weight and blood cell numbers. AGP3 should be generally useful for accelerating the clearance of PEG-modified proteins as well as for improving the tumor/blood ratios of antibody-betaG-PEG conjugates for glucuronide prodrug therapy of cancer.     

Production of D-p-hydroxyphenylglycine by N-carbamoyl-D-amino acid amidohydrolase-overproducing Escherichia coli strains.

The N-carbamoyl-D-amino acid amidohydrolase (D-carbamoylase) gene from Agrobacterium radiobacter NRRL B11291 has been successfully cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. Subcloning of the D-carbamoylase gene into different types of vectors and backgrounds of E. coli strains showed that the optimal expression level of D-carbamoylase was achieved in a ColE1-derived plasmid with a 150-fold increase in specific enzyme activity compared to that in a pSC101-derived plasmid. In addition, the recombinant plasmids were very stable in the E. coli strain ATCC11303 but not in JCL1258 tested here. Employing the recombinant E. coli strain DH5alpha/pAH61 for D-p-hydroxyphenylglycine production showed that the cell was capable of transforming N-carbamoyl-D-hydroxylphenylglycine to D-p-hydroxyphenylglycine with a molar conversion yield of 100% and a production rate of 1.9 g/(L h). In comparison with A. radiobacter NRRL B11291, this productivity approximates a 55-fold increase in D-hydroxyphenylglycine production. This result suggests the potential application of recombinant E. coli strains for the transformation reaction.     

Nucleosides VI: A Novel and Convenient Synthesis of Purine S-Cyclonucleosides Via Mitsunobu Reaction

Abstract

Two representative S-cyclonucleosides, 8,5′-anhydro-2′, 3′-O-isopropylidene-8-mercaptoadenosine (3) and 8,2′-anhydro-3′,5′-O-(tetraisopropyldisiloxane-1,3-diyl)-8-mercaptoguanosine (8), were prepared in good yields by dropwise addition of one equivalent each of triphenylphosphine and DEAD in DMF into a mixture of 2′,3′-O-isopropylidene-8-mercaptoadenosine (2) or 3′,5′-O-(tetra-iso-propyldisiloxane-1,3-diyl)-8-mercaptoguanosine (7), respectively, in DMF. Treatment of compound 2 with two equivalents each of triphenylphosphine and DEAD in DMF afforded N-[8,5′-anhydro-2′,3′-O-isopropylidene-8-mercaptopurin-6-yl]triphenylphospha-λ5-azene (4) in 87% yield.     

Enhancement of brain-type creatine kinase activity ameliorates neuronal deficits in Huntington's disease

Huntington's disease (HD) is a hereditary neurodegenerative disorder caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the huntingtin (HTT) gene. Brain-type creatine kinase (CKB) is an enzyme involved in energy homeostasis via the phosphocreatine–creatine kinase system. Although downregulation of CKB was previously reported in brains of HD mouse models and patients, such regulation and its functional consequence in HD are not fully understood. In the present study, we demonstrated that levels of CKB found in both the soma and processes were markedly reduced in primary neurons and brains of HD mice. We show for the first time that mutant HTT (mHTT) suppressed the activity of the promoter of the CKB gene, which contributes to the lowered CKB expression in HD. Exogenous expression of wild-type CKB, but not a dominant negative CKB mutant, rescued the ATP depletion, aggregate formation, impaired proteasome activity, and shortened neurites induced by mHTT. These findings suggest that negative regulation of CKB by mHTT is a key event in the pathogenesis of HD and contributes to the neuronal dysfunction associated with HD. In addition, besides dietary supplementation with the CKB substrate, strategies aimed at increasing CKB expression might lead to the development of therapeutic treatments for HD.     

Protein Synthesis in Isolated Mitochondria of Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Seedlings

For studies of in organello mitochondrial protein synthesis in rice, Oryza sativa L., conventional surface-sterilization procedures were demonstrated to be ineffective. Because of the over-whelmingly efficient [³⁵S]methionine utilization by contaminating bacteria, even “essentially bacteria-free” rice mitochondria were shown to be unsuitable for the study of in organello protein synthesis. We developed a procedure to obtain a bacteria-free preparation of rice mitochondria. Such mitochondria favored a membrane-dependent ATP-generating system over an external ATP-generating system as the energy supplement for in organello protein synthesis. Two distinct classes of [³⁵S]methionine-labeled, cycloheximide-insensitive products were detected: an electrophoretically unresolved population and a set of some 22 to 27 discrete polypeptide species, each with a characteristic electrophoretic mobility and relative abundance.     

Unusual conformational flexibility in N1-substituted uncommon purine nucleosides. Crystal structure of 1-allyl-isoguanosine and 1-allyl-xanthosine.

Several new N1-substituted uncommon purine nucleosides, including doridosine (1-methyl-isoguanosine; m-iG), 1-allyl-isoguanosine (a-iG) and 1-allyl-xanthosine (a-X), have been synthesized and tested as agonists for the adenosine receptors. Some have smooth muscle relaxant or negative chronotropic activities. The X-ray crystal structure of these compounds has been determined at atomic resolution in order to understand the structure-activity relationship. The structures were solved by direct methods and refined by full-matrix least-squares refinement procedure. The crystallographic parameters are: a-iG, space group P2(1), a = 10.573 (1) A, b = 21.955 (2) A, c = 14.360 (1) A, beta = 110.65 (1) degree, no. of 3 sigma Fo's = 4585, R = 0.047; a-X, space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), a = 16.015 (2) A, b = 16.239 (1) A, (1) A, c = 5.3723 (5) A, no. of 3 sigma Fo's = 1169, R = 0.031. In the a-iG crystal, there are 4 independent molecules (with different conformation) per asymmetric unit. While all 4 molecules adopt anti chi CN glycosyl torsion angle, their riboses have 3 distinct puckers (C2'-exo, C2'-endo and C1'-exo). In contrast, the a-X structure adopts a syn chi CN glycosyl torsion angle, which is stabilized by an intramolecular hydrogen bond between the N3 of purine base and the O5' of the ribose (in C2'-endo pucker). Both purine bases (a-iG and a-X) are mainly in the keto tautomer form. For the isoguanine base, the averaged N1-C2 bond distance (1.42 A) is significantly longer than that (1.375 A) of the guanine base. For the xanthine base, N3 nitrogen has an imino proton attached which is unambiguously located in the electron density map. The surprising flexibility in the ribose ring of these N1-substituted uncommon purine nucleosides suggests that the ribose moiety may not participate in the binding of nucleoside to the adenosine receptors.     

Canine erythrocyte pyruvate kinase. I. Properties of the normal enzyme

We have compared the kinetic, immunological, and electrophoretic properties of human and canine erythrocyte pyruvate kinase. Both enzymes are allosteric and subject to positive and negative regulation. The allosteric properties of the canine enzyme are more pronounced than those of the human enzyme; however, the properties of both enzymes are consistent with a regulatory function in the glycolytic pathway of their respective erythrocytes. Antiserum against the human enzyme gives precipitin lines of partial identity between the human and canine enzymes on immunodiffusion. The anti-human serum inactivates the enzymatic activity of both enzymes, although it is more effective against the human enzyme than the canine. The two enzymes have slightly different mobilities on starch gel electrophoresis. While we have demonstrated differences between erythrocyte pyruvate kinase from dogs and that from humans, we conclude that the enzymes are sufficiently similar in properties and function to allow use of the dog as a model for human erythrocyte pyruvate kinase deficiency.     

Nuclear translocation of AMPK-��1 potentiates striatal neurodegeneration in Huntington��s disease

Adenosine monophosphate–activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a major energy sensor that maintains cellular energy homeostasis. Huntington’s disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by the expansion of CAG repeats in the huntingtin (Htt) gene. In this paper, we report that activation of the α1 isoform of AMPK (AMPK-α1) occurred in striatal neurons of humans and mice with HD. Overactivation of AMPK in the striatum caused brain atrophy, facilitated neuronal loss, and increased formation of Htt aggregates in a transgenic mouse model (R6/2) of HD. Such nuclear accumulation of AMPK-α1 was activity dependent. Prevention of nuclear translocation or inactivation of AMPK-α1 ameliorated cell death and down-regulation of Bcl2 caused by mutant Htt (mHtt). Conversely, enhanced expression of Bcl2 protected striatal cells from the toxicity evoked by mHtt and AMPK overactivation. These data demonstrate that aberrant activation of AMPK-α1 in the nuclei of striatal cells represents a new toxic pathway induced by mHtt.     

A novel Gαs-binding protein,Gas-2 like 2, facilitates the signaling of the A2A adenosine receptor

The A_2A adenosine receptor (A_2AR) is a G-protein-coupled receptor that contains a long cytoplasmic carboxyl terminus (A_2AR-C). We report here that Gas-2 like 2 (G2L2) is a new interacting partner of A_2AR-C. The interaction between A_2AR and G2L2 was verified by GST pull-down, co-immunoprecipitation, immunocytochemical staining, and fluorescence resonance energy transfer. Expression of G2L2 increased the intracellular cAMP content evoked by A_2AR in an A_2AR-C-dependent manner. Immunoprecipitation and pull-down assays demonstrated that G2L2 selectively bound to A_2AR-C and the inactive form of Gαs to facilitate the recruitment of the trimeric G protein complex to the proximal position of A_2AR for efficient activation. Collectively, G2L2 is a new effector that controls the action of A_2AR by modulating its ability to regulate the Gαs-mediated cAMP contents.