A comparative study on the inhibition of human and bacterial kynureninase by novel bicyclic kynurenine analogues

A series of novel bicyclic analogues of kynurenine were synthesised as inhibitors of kynureninase. The tryptophan-induced bacterial enzyme from Pseudomonas. fluorescens was compared to the constitutive recombinant human enzyme expressed in a baculovirus/insect cell system, with regard to their inhibition by these compounds. All the compounds studied were found to be simple competitive, reversible inhibitors of kynureninase. It was found that altering the size of the second ring of the inhibitor affected the observed Ki values for both enzymes. The addition of an oxygen atom into the second ring had little effect on binding to the bacterial enzyme but gave a more potent inhibitor of human kynureninase. Of the compounds tested, a naphthyl analogue of desaminokynurenine was found to be the most potent inhibitor for both enzymes with Ki values of 5 and 22 microM for bacterial and human enzyme respectively. This report also describes an alternative system for the expression of recombinant human kynureninase which is more convenient for expression in mammalian cells and produces a relatively greater quantity of enzyme.     

Tryptophan Metabolism and Kynureninase Induction in Mutants of Neurospora crassa Resistant to 4-Methyl-Tryptophan

Mutants of Neurospora crassa that are resistant to 4-methyl-tryptophan were found to differ in ability to synthesize kynureninase in the presence of the inducers kynurenine, 3-OH-kynurenine, N-formyl-kynurenine, tryptophan, and indole. One strain (mtr26), although incapable of accumulating intracellular pools of these compounds, showed induced synthesis of kynureninase, whereas the second (mtr21) could neither accumulate nor be induced by them. Strain mtr21, with the suppressor su(mtr), could not be induced by indole but was induced by tryptophan and kynurenine derivatives. These results suggest that the mtr mutation, in addition to altering the ability of these strains to concentrate tryptophan and its metabolites, may have some effect on either the intracellular distribution of tryptophan or directly on the synthesis of kynureninase.     

An insight into the inhibitory selectivity of 4-(Pyrazol- 4-yl)-pyrimidines to CDK4 over CDK2

Revealing selectivity mechanism of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK) and their inhibitors is an important issue to develop potential anticancer drugs. The substituted 4-(Pyrazol-4-yl)-pyrimidines are potent inhibitors of CDK4 but not of the highly homologous CDK2. In order to reveal the inhibitory selectivity of these inhibitors to CDK4 over CDK2, we select one of substituted 4-(Pyrazol-4-yl)-pyrimidines as a representative (marked as A1 hereunder) and perform molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations and binding free energy analysis for CDK4/A1 and CDK2/A1, respectively. The electrostatic and van der Waals (vdW) interactions of the A1 inhibitor with CDK4/CDK2 are discussed. The computed binding free energies based on the MM-PBSA method are consistent with experimental bioactivity ranking of A1 inhibitor to CDK4/CDK2. On the other hand, the conformational characteristics of CDK2 and CDK4 induced by A1 inhibitor are analysed and revealed. Results demonstrate that the vdW interactions considerably contribute to binding of CDK4/CDK2 with A1 inhibitor and are similar in size. The hydrogen bonding between A1 inhibitor and CDK4/CDK2 is considerably favourable to the binding, in which the hydrogen bond between the NH group of the pyrazole group of A1 and the residue Asp158 of CDK4 plays a crucial role in inhibitory selectivity of A1 inhibitor to CDK4 over CDK2. The electrostatic interaction energy differences between the corresponding residues of CDK4/A1 and CDK2/A1 confirm the above inference. The conformational changes of CDK2 and CDK4 induced by A1 inhibitor influence the selectivity of A1 inhibitor to CDK4/CDK2.     

Selective inhibition of trypsin by (2R,4R)-4-phenyl-1-[Nalpha-(7- methoxy-2-naphthalenesulfonyl)-L-arginyl]-2-piperidinecarboxylic acid

Evidence is accumulating indicating that trypsin stimulates divergent cellular reactions through the proteinase-activated receptor, in addition to its role as the digestive enzyme. In this report, we introduce (2R,4R)- 4-phenyl-1-[N(alpha)-(7-methoxy-2-naphthalenesulfonyl)-l-arginyl]- 2-p iperidinecarboxylic acid as a potent and selective trypsin inhibitor. The agent inhibited trypsin competitively with the K(i) value of 0. 1 micrometer. It inhibited thrombin weakly (K(i) = 2 micrometer) and did not inhibit plasmin, plasma kallikrein, urokinase, and mast cell tryptase (K(i) values for these enzymes are >60 micrometer). Comparative studies with several established proteinase inhibitors revealed that the compound was the first small molecular weight trypsin inhibitor without tryptase inhibitory activity. A docking study has provided a plausible explanation for the molecular mechanism of the selective inhibition showing that the agent fits into the active site of trypsin without any severe collision but that it comes into clash at the 4-phenyl group of piperidine ring against the "60-insertion loop" of thrombin and at the 7-methoxy-2-naphthalenesulfonyl group against Gln(98) of tryptase.     

The effect of the aromatase inhibitor, 4-(phenylthio)-4-androstene-3,17-dione, on dimethylbenz(A)anthracene-induced rat mammary tumors

4-(Phenylthio)-4-androstene-3,17-dione (4-PTAD), a known inhibitor of human placental aromatase, was examined as a growth inhibitor of DMBA-induced rat mammary tumors. Subcutaneous administration of 4-PTAD at dose levels of 25 or 50 mg/kg/day caused a significant decrease in hormone-dependent tumor growth. Resumption of tumor growth occurred when either the administration of inhibitor was stopped or when inhibitor was coadministered with estradiol indicating that suppression of tumor growth was due to inhibition of estrogen biosynthesis. Additionally, plasma levels of estradiol were found to be lower in the animals treated with 4-PTAD. The major metabolite of 4-PTAD in vitro was identified as 4-(phenylthio)-4-androstene-17 beta-ol-3-one and was found to have 60% of the aromatase inhibitory activity of 4-PTAD.     

Kynurenine Disposition in Blood and Brain of Mice: Effects of Selective Inhibitors of Kynurenine Hydroxylase and of Kynureninase

Abstract: To study the regulation of the synthesis of quinolinic and kynurenic acids in vivo, we evaluated (a) the metabolism of administered kynurenine by measuring the content of its main metabolites 3-hydroxykynurenine, anthranilic acid, and 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid in blood and brain of mice; (b) the effects of ( m -nitrobenzoyl)alanine, a selective inhibitor of kynurenine hydroxylase and of ( o -methoxybenzoyl)alanine, a selective inhibitor of kynureninase, on this metabolism; and (c) the effects of ( o -methoxybenzoyl)alanine on liver kynureninase and 3-hydroxykynureninase activity. The conclusions drawn from these experiments are (a) the disposition of administered kynurenine preferentially occurs through hydroxylation in brain and through hydrolysis in peripheral tissues; (b) ( m -nitrobenzoyl)alanine, the inhibitor of kynurenine hydroxylase, causes the expected changes in brain kynurenine metabolism, such as a decrease of 3-hydroxykynurenine, and an increase of kynurenic acid; and (c) ( o -methoxybenzoyl)alanine, the kynureninase inhibitor, increases brain concentration of the cytotoxic compound 3-hydroxykynurenine, and unexpectedly does not reduce brain concentration of 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid, the direct precursor of quinolinic acid. Taken together, the experiments suggest that the systemic administration of a kynurenine hydroxylase inhibitor is a rational approach to increase the brain content of kynurenate and to decrease that of cytotoxic kynurenine metabolites, such as 3-hydroxykynurenine and quinolinic acid.     

Discovery of N-[[1-[2-(tert-butylcarbamoylamino)ethyl]-4-(hydroxymethyl)-4-piperidyl]methyl]-3,5-dichloro-benzamide as a selective T-type calcium channel (Cav3.2) inhibitor

The T-type calcium channel inhibitor Mibefradil was reported to protect the heart from atrial remodeling, a key process involved in the development of atrial fibrillation and arrhythmias. Mibefradil is not a selective T-type calcium channel inhibitor and also affects the function of different ion channels. Our aim was to develop a selective T-type calcium channel inhibitor to validate the importance of T-type-related pharmacology in atrial fibrillation. Structural optimisation of a previously disclosed hit series focussed on minimising exposure to the central nervous system and improving pharmacokinetic properties, while maintain adequate potency and selectivity. This resulted in the design of N-[[1-[2-(tert-butylcarbamoylamino)ethyl]-4-(hydroxymethyl)-4-piperidyl]methyl]-3,5-dichloro-benzamide, a novel, selective, peripherally restricted chemical probe to verify the role of T-type calcium channel inhibition on atrial fibrillation protection.     

Isolation and Characterization of Low-Kynureninase Mutants of Neurospora crassa

Two kynureninase activities are known in Neurospora crassa, one of which (kynureninase I) is inducible, the other (kynureninase II) being constitutive. A method is described for the isolation of low-kynureninase mutants of N. crassa. When grown on an inducer, the mutants show significantly less kynureninase I activity compared with wild type, whereas constitutive kynureninase II activity is unaffected. Since a low level of kynureninase I activity remains in the mutants examined, the mutations may be in a regulatory gene or genes. Other experiments are described concerning the molecular weights of the two enzymes and the intracellular localization and specificity of kynureninase II.     

Sulfonamido, azidosulfonyl and N-acetylsulfonamido analogues of rofecoxib: 4-[4-(N-acetylsulfonamido)phenyl]-3-(4-methanesulfonylphenyl)-2(5H)furanone is a potent and selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor

4-[4-(N-Acetylsulfonamido)phenyl]-3-(4-methanesulfonylphenyl)-2(5H)furanone, possessing a N-acetylsulfonamido pharmacophore, has been identified as a potent and selective COX-2 inhibitor that has the potential to acetylate the COX-2 isozyme.     

N-(3-(4-Hydroxyphenyl)-propenoyl)-amino acid tryptamides as SIRT2 inhibitors

A series of N-(3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-propenoyl)-amino acid tryptamides was based on a previously reported new SIRT2 inhibitor from our group, and it was designed to study if the molecular size of the compound could be reduced. The most potent compounds, N-(3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-propenoyl)-2-aminoisobutyric acid tryptamide and N-(3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-propenoyl)-L-alanine tryptamide, were equipotent, 30% smaller in molecular weight, and slightly more selective (SIRT2/SIRT1) than the parent compound.     

Design and synthesis of (Z)-1,2-diphenyl-1-(4-methanesulfonamidophenyl)alk-1-enes and (Z)-1-(4-azidophenyl)-1,2-diphenylalk-1-enes: novel inhibitors of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) with anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity

A group of novel (Z)-1,2-diphenyl-1-(4-methanesulfonamidophenyl)alk-1-enes was designed for evaluation as selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors. In vitro COX-1/COX-2 enzyme inhibition studies identified (Z)-1,2-diphenyl-1-(4-methanesulfonamidophenyl)oct-1-ene (8d) as a highly potent (IC50=0.03 microM), and an extremely selective [COX-2 SI (selectivity index)>3,333], COX-2 inhibitor that showed good anti-inflammatory (AI) activity (ID50=2.8 mg/kg). A molecular modeling (docking) study showed that the p-MeSO2NH group present in (Z)-8d inserts deep inside the 2 degrees-pocket of the COX-2 binding site, it undergoes a hydrophobic interaction with Ala516 and Gly519, and one of the O-atoms of the MeSO2 group participates in a weak hydrogen bonding interaction with the NH2 of Arg513 (distance= 3.85 angstroms). Similar in vitro COX-1/COX-2 enzyme inhibition studies showed that the azido compound 1-(4-azidophenyl)-1,2-diphenyloct-1-ene (9c) is also a potent and selective COX-2 inhibitor (COX-2 IC50=0.11 microM: SI>909) that exhibits good AI activity (ID50=5.0 mg/kg). A docking experiment to determine the orientation of (Z)-9c within the COX-2 binding site showed that the linear p-N3 group inserts into the COX-2 2 degrees-pocket, where it undergoes an ion-ion (electrostatic) interaction with Arg513. Structure-activity data acquired indicate that an olefin having either a C-1 p-MeSO2NH-phenyl, or a p-N3-phenyl, substituent, that is, cis to a C-2 unsubstituted phenyl substituent, in conjunction with C-1 unsubstituted phenyl and C-2 alkyl substituents, provides a novel template to design acyclic olefinic COX-2 inhibitors.     

Structural study of porcine pancreatic elastase complexed with 7-amino-3-(2-bromoethoxy)-4-chloroisocoumarin as a nonreactivatable doubly covalent enzyme-inhibitor complex

The complex of porcine pancreatic elastase (PPE) with 7-amino-3-(2-bromoethoxy)-4-chloroisocoumarin, a potent mechanism-based inhibitor, was crystallized and the crystal structure determined at 1.9-A resolution with a final R factor of 17.1%. The unbiased difference Fourier electron density map showed continuous density from O gamma of Ser 195 to the benzoyl carbonyl carbon atom and from N epsilon 2 of His 57 to the carbon atom at the 4-position of the isocoumarin ring in the inhibitor. This suggested unambiguously that the inhibitor was doubly covalently bound to the enzyme. It represents the first structural evidence for irreversible binding of an isocoumarin inhibitor to PPE through both Ser 195 and His 57 in the active site. The PPE-inhibitor complex is only partially activated in solution by hydroxylamine and confirms the existence of the doubly covalently bound complex along with the acyl enzyme. The benzoyl carbonyl oxygen atom of the inhibitor is not situated in the oxyanion hole formed by the amide (greater than NH) groups of Gly 193 and Ser 195. The complex is stabilized by the hydrogen-bonding interactions in the active site (from the N epsilon 2 of Gln 192 to the bromine atom in the inhibitor and the amino group at the 7-position of the isocoumarin ring to the carbonyl oxygen of Thr 41) and by van der Waals interactions. The inhibition rates of several 7-substituted 4-chloro-3-(bromoalkoxy)isocoumarins toward PPE were measured.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Phenoxypyrimidine inhibitors of p38alpha kinase: synthesis and statistical evaluation of the p38 inhibitory potencies of a series of 1-(piperidin-4-yl)-4-(4-fluorophenyl)-5-(2-phenoxypyrimidin-4-yl) imidazoles

As a continuation of our work with 1,4,5 substituted imidazole inhibitors of p38alpha, we report a series of 1-(4-piperidinyl)-4-(4-fluorophenyl)-5-(2-phenoxy-4-pyrimidinyl) imidazoles related to 7. The compounds have IC50's for inhibition of p38alpha ranging from 6.0 to 650nM. Statistical analysis of the p38beta inhibitor potencies shows a correlation of IC50's with the electron donating strength of low molecular weight substituents.     

2(S)-(Cycloalk-1-enecarbonyl)-1-(4-phenyl-butanoyl)pyrrolidines and 2(S)-(aroyl)-1-(4-phenylbutanoyl)pyrrolidines as prolyl oligopeptidase inhibitors

In order to replace the P2-P1 amide group, different 1-cycloalkenyls and 2-aryls were studied in the place of the P1 pyrrolidine group of a 4-phenylbutanoyl-L-Pro-pyrrolidine structure, which is a well-known prolyl oligopeptidase inhibitor SUAM-1221. The 1-cyclopentenyl and the 2-thienyl groups gave novel compounds, which were equipotent with the corresponding pyrrolidine-analog SUAM-1221. It was shown that the P2-P1 amide group of POP inhibitors can be replaced by an alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl group or the aryl conjugated carbonyl group.     

Triazole analog 1-(1-benzyl-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)-2-(4-bromophenylamino)-1-(4-chlorophenyl)ethanol induces reactive oxygen species and autophagy-dependent apoptosis in both in vitro and in vivo breast cancer models

Autophagy is considered as an important cell death mechanism that closely interacts with other common cell death programs like apoptosis. Critical role of autophagy in cell death makes it a promising, yet challenging therapeutic target for cancer. We identified a series of 1,2,3-triazole analogs having significant breast cancer inhibition property. Therefore, we attempted to study whether autophagy and apoptosis were involved in the process of cancer cell inhibition. The lead molecule, 1-(1-benzyl-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)-2-(4-bromophenylamino)-1-(4-chlorophenyl)ethanol (T-12) induced significant cell cycle arrest, mitochondrial membrane depolarization, apoptosis and autophagy in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. T-12 increased reactive oxygen species and its inhibition by N-acetyl-l-cysteine protected breast cancer cells from autophagy and apoptosis. Autophagy inhibitor, 3-methyladenine abolished T-12 induced apoptosis, mitochondrial membrane depolarization and reactive oxygen species generation. This suggested that T-12 induced autophagy facilitated cell death rather than cell survival. Pan-caspase inhibition did not abrogate T-12 induced autophagy, suggesting that autophagy precedes apoptosis. In addition, T-12 inhibited cell survival pathway signaling proteins, Akt, mTOR and Erk1/2. T-12 also induced significant regression of tumor with oral dose of as low as 10 mg/kg bodyweight in rat mammary tumor model without any apparent toxicity. In presence of reactive oxygen species inhibitor (N-acetyl-l-cysteine) and autophagy inhibitor (chloroquine), T-12 induced tumor regression was significantly decreased. In conclusion, T-12 is a potent inducer of autophagy-dependent apoptosis in breast cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo and can serve as an important lead in development of new anti-tumor therapy.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic assay of human lymphocyte kynureninase activity levels

Human lymphocyte kynureninase activity was assessed in homogenized cells by determination of 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid production as a function of time after addition of the substrate, 3-hydroxykynurenine. The product, 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid, was determined by isocratic high-performance liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection. Mean (± S.D.) lymphocyte kynureninase activity in a group (n = 12) of vitamin B₆-deficient men was 5.04 ± 0.81 pmol 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid formed per mg protein per min, which was significantly (p=0.005) lower than the 6.69 ± 1.70 pmol 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid formed per mg protein per min in men with a normal vitamin B₆ status. This indicates that lymphocyte kynureninase activity is depressed during a vitamin B₆ deficiency.     

猪miR-331-3p过表达载体的构建及其对细胞增殖的影响

本研究旨在阐明猪miR-331-3p对细胞增殖的影响,探讨其对细胞增殖的作用机制首先构建了miR-331-3p的过表达载体pcDNA 3.1 (+)-miR-331-3p,并将将PK15细胞分为4组,分别为实验组、实验组对照组、抑制剂组和抑制剂对照组。实验组和对照组分别转染pcDNA 3.1(+)-miR-331-3p和pcDNA 3.1(+)。抑制剂组和抑制剂对照组分别转染miR-331-3p Inhibitor和miR-331-3p阴性对照(miR-331-3p NC)。通过在各组添加CCK-8试剂绘制细胞增殖曲线,并使用PI染色检测细胞所处周期比例。同时,利用实时荧光定量PCR(Quantitative real-time PCR,qPCR)检测生长抑制蛋白家族成员5 (Inhibitor of growth family member 5,ING5)、细胞周期蛋白依赖性激酶2 (Cyclin dependent kinase 2,CDK2)、细胞周期蛋白依赖性激酶3 (Cyclin dependent kinase 3,CDK3)、细胞周期蛋白依赖性激酶4 (Cyclin dependent kinase 4,CDK4)、细胞周期蛋白B (Cyclin B)和细胞周期蛋白依赖性激酶抑制剂1A(Cyclindependentkinaseinhibitor1A,CDKN1A)的表达变化。结果表明,实验组miR-331-3p表达量显著升高,细胞增殖曲线表明48 h和72 h时细胞数目均呈现出实验组实验对照组和抑制剂对照组抑制剂组的趋势(P0.05)。与实验对照组相比,实验组处于G0/G1期的细胞比例下调,S期和G2/M细胞的比例上调,抑制剂对照组趋势与之相反;同时,实验组中与促进增殖的基因CDK2、CDK3、CDK4和CyclinB的mRNA表达水平均显著升高,而抑制增殖的基因ING5和CDKN1A均表现出显著下降的趋势。本研究成功构建了miR-331-3p过表达载体,且发现miR-331-3p具有促进猪肾上皮细胞增殖的能力,研究结果为深入研究miR-331-3p在猪生长发育中的作用机制奠定了基础。     

Crystal structure of Homo sapiens kynureninase

Kynureninase is a member of a large family of catalytically diverse but structurally homologous pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) dependent enzymes known as the aspartate aminotransferase superfamily or alpha-family. The Homo sapiens and other eukaryotic constitutive kynureninases preferentially catalyze the hydrolytic cleavage of 3-hydroxy-l-kynurenine to produce 3-hydroxyanthranilate and l-alanine, while l-kynurenine is the substrate of many prokaryotic inducible kynureninases. The human enzyme was cloned with an N-terminal hexahistidine tag, expressed, and purified from a bacterial expression system using Ni metal ion affinity chromatography. Kinetic characterization of the recombinant enzyme reveals classic Michaelis-Menten behavior, with a Km of 28.3 +/- 1.9 microM and a specific activity of 1.75 micromol min-1 mg-1 for 3-hydroxy-dl-kynurenine. Crystals of recombinant kynureninase that diffracted to 2.0 A were obtained, and the atomic structure of the PLP-bound holoenzyme was determined by molecular replacement using the Pseudomonas fluorescens kynureninase structure (PDB entry 1qz9) as the phasing model. A structural superposition with the P. fluorescens kynureninase revealed that these two structures resemble the "open" and "closed" conformations of aspartate aminotransferase. The comparison illustrates the dynamic nature of these proteins' small domains and reveals a role for Arg-434 similar to its role in other AAT alpha-family members. Docking of 3-hydroxy-l-kynurenine into the human kynureninase active site suggests that Asn-333 and His-102 are involved in substrate binding and molecular discrimination between inducible and constitutive kynureninase substrates.     

Inhibition of bovine dihydrofolate reductase and enhancement of methotrexate sensitivity by N4-(2-acetoxyethoxymethyl)-2-acetylpyridine thiosemicarbazone

N4-(2-Acetoxyethoxymethyl)-2-acetylpyridine thiosemicarbazone (AATSC) belongs to a series of molecules known to have broad antimicrobial inhibitory activity. These molecules contain the 2-acetoxyethoxy moiety which could conceivably take up a conformation analogous to that of the ribosyl group. Moreover, the thiosemicarbazone moiety, when in the presence of a suitable enzymatic site, could mimic the triazine group, which is found in a number of antifolate drugs. AATSC, which has both bacterial inhibitory activity and water solubility, was accordingly evaluated for its antifolate activity against the bovine liver dihydrofolate reductase. AATSC is shown to be a fully uncompetitive inhibitor of that enzyme. Furthermore, AATSC enhances the activity of methotrexate. Such a potentiation could be useful for therapeutic purposes.     

The effect of pyridoxine deficiency on the metabolism of the aromatic amino acids by isolated rat liver cells

The total activity of three key enzymes and the flux through eight steps of aromatic amino acid metabolism have been determined in liver cells isolated from rats fed either control or pyridoxine-free diet for 5-6 weeks. The pyridoxine-free diet caused a decrease in the catabolism of tyrosine and phenylalanine because of a drop in the flux through tyrosine aminotransferase. This decrease of expressed cellular tyrosine aminotransferase activity can be fully explained in terms of loss of cofactor. Larger decreases in the catabolism of tryptophan were seen after pyridoxine deprivation. The decreased extent of tryptophan catabolism can be solely attributed to loss of cofactor or increased degradation of kynureninase. Inhibition of tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase was seen in pyridoxine deficiency, probably because of the buildup of the kynurenine metabolites. The control strength of kynureninase, for flux through kynureninase, was calculated to be less than or equal to 0.004, but 0.41 after pyridoxine deprivation. The sensitivity of the three pathways to pyridoxine deprivation is interpreted and discussed in terms of the different affinities for pyridoxal phosphate and the control strengths of the pyridoxal phosphate-dependent enzymes, tyrosine aminotransferase and kynureninase.