UK-73,093: A non-peptide neurotensin receptor antagonist

UK-73,093 was identified in a screening program as a compound able to displace [³H]-neurotensin from its bovine brain receptor. We describe the discovery of this compound, species differences in receptor affinity and its characterization as a functional neurotensin antogonist in vitro and in vivo.     

Resonance Raman spectroscopy of amicyanin, a blue copper protein from Paracoccus denitrificans

The copper binding site of amicyanin from Paracoccus denitrificans has been examined by resonance Raman spectroscopy. The pattern of vibrational modes is clearly similar to those of the blue copper proteins azurin and plastocyanin. Intense resonance-enhanced peaks are observed at 377, 392, and 430 cm-1 as well as weaker overtones and combination bands in the high frequency region. Most of the peaks below 500 cm-1 shift 0.5-1.5 cm-1 to lower energy when the protein is exposed to D2O. Based on the pattern of conserved amino acids, the axial type EPR spectrum, and the resonance Raman spectrum, it is proposed that the copper binding site in amicyanin contains a Cu(II) ion in a distorted trigonal planar geometry with one cysteine and two histidine ligands and an axial methionine ligand at a considerably longer distance. Furthermore, the presence of multiple intense Raman peaks in the 400 cm-1 region which are sensitive to deuterium substitution leads to the conclusion that the Cu-S stretch is coupled with internal ligand vibrational modes and that the sulfur of the cysteine ligand is likely to be hydrogen-bonded to the polypeptide backbone.     

Calcium dependence during single-cycle catalysis of the sarcoplasmic reticulum ATPase

We have investigated the kinetic and thermodynamic properties of the Ca2+-ATPase of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum under conditions that result in a single transport cycle. Simultaneous addition of ATP and EGTA to sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles, preincubated with calcium, resulted in a transient of intermediate species. In the presence of saturating Ca2+ levels, total E-P species reached a maximum of 2.3 nmol/mg at 100 ms, followed by a monoexponential decay with kobs = 3.6 s-1. The data are interpreted in terms of Ca2+ sequestration, either by occlusion as Ca2+ in the phosphorylated enzyme or chelation by EGTA. Maximum Ca2+ uptake was 8.3 nmol/mg with the release of 4.4 nmol/mg Pi. The ratio of Ca2+ uptake to Pi release approached 1.9 over a wide [Ca2+] range. Equilibrium Ca2+ binding, in the absence of ATP, showed a K0.5 of 0.88 microM with a Hill coefficient of 1.9. The Ca2+ concentration dependence of Ca2+ uptake during single-cycle catalysis showed a 10-fold enhanced affinity (K0.5 = 0.06 microM) and was noncooperative (nH = 0.9). Quench with excess EGTA (greater than 2 mM) decreased Ca2+ uptake to 1 nmol/mg, indicating an "off" rate of Ca2+ from high affinity sites that exceeds 100 s-1. The ATP concentration dependence for a single-cycle catalysis showed an apparent K0.5 of 1.1 microM, similar to that for ATP equilibrium binding. It is proposed that enzyme phosphorylation proceeds only following binding of a second calcium ion to externally oriented sites whose intrinsic affinity is in the same range as the calcium dependence of a single-cycle turnover.     

Properties of Paracoccus denitrificans amicyanin

Paracoccus denitrificans synthesizes an inducible, periplasmic, blue copper protein [Husain, M., & Davidson, V.L. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 14626-14629] that can be classified as an amicyanin on the basis of its ability to accept electrons from methylamine dehydrogenase. The amino acid composition and sequence of the 10 N-terminal residues of this protein have been determined. From these data, it is evident that amicyanin is structurally distinct from azurins as it contains no disulfide bond and an N-terminal sequence that is completely different from the highly conserved N-terminal azurin sequences. Dialysis of reduced amicyanin against potassium cyanide resulted in a nearly quantitative yield of apoamicyanin. Amicyanin and apoamicyanin exhibit fluorescence emission maxima at 314 nm when excited at 280 nm. Addition of 6 M guanidine hydrochloride shifts these emission maxima to 350 nm. The fluorescence intensity of apoamicyanin is 10-fold greater than that of amicyanin. Addition of copper to the apoprotein caused a stoichiometric quenching of fluorescence and restoration of visible absorbance with no concomitant change in absorbance at 280 nm. At least one cysteine residue, which reacts with 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) in apoamicyanin, does not react in the holoprotein, even in the presence of 6 M guanidine hydrochloride. Reductive and oxidative titrations of amicyanin indicate that it is a one-electron carrier. This amicyanin is also able to accept electrons from the methylamine dehydrogenase isolated from bacterium W3A1, which is taxonomically very different from P. denitrificans.     

Distinguishing between Nitrification and Denitrification as Sources of Gaseous Nitrogen Production in Soil

The source of N₂O produced in soil is often uncertain because denitrification and nitrification can occur simultaneously in the same soil aggregate. A technique which exploits the differential sensitivity of these processes to C₂H₂ inhibition is proposed for distinguishing among gaseous N losses from soils. Denitrification N₂O was estimated from 24-h laboratory incubations in which nitrification was inhibited by 10-Pa C₂H₂. Nitrification N₂O was estimated from the difference between N₂O production under no C₂H₂ and that determined for denitrification. Denitrification N₂ was estimated from the difference between N₂O production under 10-kPa C₂H₂ and that under 10 Pa. Laboratory estimates of N₂O production were significantly correlated with in situ N₂O diffusion measurements made during a 10-month period in two forested watersheds. Nitrous oxide production from nitrification was most important on well-drained sites of a disturbed watershed where ambient NO₃⁻ was high. In contrast, denitrification N₂O was most important on poorly drained sites near the stream of the same watershed. Distinction between N₂O production from nitrification and denitrification was corroborated by correlations between denitrification N₂O and water-filled pore space and between nitrification N₂O and ambient NO₃⁻. This technique permits qualitative study of environmental parameters that regulate gaseous N losses via denitrification and nitrification.     

Reversible inhibition of intercellular junctional communication by glycyrrhetinic acid

Intercellular gap-junctional communication was measured using metabolic co-operation in co-cultures of argininosuccinate synthetase-deficient and argininosuccinate lyase-deficient human fibroblasts. 18-alpha-glycyrrhetinic acid (AGA) was found to inhibit communication by more than 95% at concentrations as low as 2 microM. Concentrations up to 100 microM were not cytotoxic over a period of 2 hours. Communication inhibition was of rapid onset and was readily reversible. Communication remained continuously yet reversibly blocked in cells cultured in the presence of AGA for 20 days. The related compounds 18-beta-glycyrrhetinic acid and carbenoxolone also caused communication inhibition. The effect is probably not mediated via mineralocorticoid or glucocorticoid receptors since aldosterone and glucocorticoids had no effect on communication. AGA thus has properties of a useful inhibitor in the study of intercellular junctional communication.     

Potential antiradiation drugs containing no nitrogen, and related compounds

Capabilities are reported of di- and higher sulfides (RSnR') terminated by sulfinate functions [-S(O)O-] for protecting mice against otherwise lethal effects of ionizing radiation. With the use of congeners, structure-activity correlations are developed for the effects of esterification of the sulfinate function, of changing the length of the chain of sulfur atoms, of reduction to a mercapto sulfinate, and of changing the substituents R and R' to chiral and other types of groups. Neither a trisulfide nor a sulfinate by itself was significantly radioprotective. The key requirement for radio-protection in the series appears to be the presence of a sulfur function (-Sn-) from which a thiol can be engendered by a neighboring-group effect of an electron-donating group; sulfoxide functions may afford alternatives to sulfinate functions as such neighboring groups. The relevance of structure-activity relations to the chemical and biological mechanisms involved in the radioprotective activities is discussed.     

Preliminary X-ray crystallographic study of amicyanin from Paracoccus denitrificans

Single crystals have been prepared of Paracoccus denitrificans amicyanin, a blue copper protein that serves as an electron acceptor for methylamine dehydrogenase. The crystals belong to the monoclinic space group P2(1), and have unit cell parameters a = 20.90 A, b = 56.61 A, c = 27.55 A and beta = 96.41. There is one molecule in the asymmetric unit. The crystals diffract to beyond 1.5 A resolution.