Direct comparison of radiolabeled probes FMAU, FHBG, and FHPG as PET imaging agents for HSV1-tk expression in a human breast cancer model

2'-Deoxy-2'-fluoro-5-methyl-1-beta-D-arabinofuranosyluracil (FMAU), 9-(4-fluoro-3-hydroxy-methyl-butyl)guanine (FHBG) and 9-[(3-fluoro-1-hydroxy-2-propoxy)methyl]-guanine (FHPG) have been evaluated in a human breast cancer model as potential radiotracers for PET imaging of HSV1-tk gene expression. In vitro accumulation of [14C]FMAU, [18F]FHBG, and [18F]FHPG in HSV1-tk-expressing cells was 14- to 16-fold (p <.001), 9- to 13-fold (p <.001), and 2- to 3-fold (p <.05) higher than tk-negative control cells, respectively, between 30 and 240 min. Accumulation of FMAU and FHBG in vector-transduced cells was 10- to 14-fold and 6- to 10-fold higher than wild-type cells, respectively. At 2 hr, uptake of [(14)C]FMAU in tkpositive cells was 6.3-fold and 60-fold higher than [18F]FHBG and [18F]FHPG, respectively. In vivo, tumor uptake of [14C]FMAU in HSV1-tk-expressing cells was 3.7-fold and 5.5-fold (p <.001) higher than tk-negative control cells at 1 and 2 hr, respectively. Tumor uptake of [18F]FHBG was 4.2-fold and 12.6-fold higher (p <.001) than tk-negative cells at the same time points. Incorporation of [14C]FMAU in tk-positive tumor was 18-fold and 24-fold higher (p <.001) than [18F]FHBG at 1 and 2 hr, respectively. Micro-PET images support the biodistribution results and indicate that both [18F]FMAU and [18F]FHBG are useful for imaging HSV1-tk expression in breast cancer. Although FMAU demonstrates higher total incorporation (%dose/g) in tumor tissue compared with the other tracers, FHBG is superior in terms of specific accumulation in transfected cells at later time points.     

I型单纯疱疹病毒胸苷激酶真核表达载体的构建及其表达鉴定

为构建单纯疱疹病毒I型胸苷激酶(HSV1TK)的真核表达载体pcDNA3.1-EGFP/HSV1TK,鉴定其在真核细胞中的表达和功能.以pORF-HSV1TK为模板,PCR扩增的目的基因HSV1TK片段与pMD18-T载体相连接构建重组克隆pMD18-T/HSV1TK.再双酶切出HSV1TK片段,插入pcDNA3.1-EGFP多克隆位点,构建pcDNA3.1-EGFP/ HSV1TK真核表达载体并进行酶切、测序鉴定[1].分别用荧光显微镜观察和RT-PCR方法检测脂质体介导pcDNA3.1-EGFP/ HSV1TK在卵巢癌细胞SKOV3的表达;分别用MTT法和光镜检测胸苷激酶/丙氧鸟苷(HSV1TK/GCV)系统对SKOV3体外杀伤作用及旁观者效应.结果表明,重组载体酶切鉴定结果与预期结果一致,基因序列与GenBank上报道的HSV1TK基因序列完全一致.荧光显微镜观察转染后的细胞发出绿色荧光;RT-PCR结果表明HSV1TK基因能在SKOV3内有效表达.MTT和光镜结果显示转染HSV1TK基因的SKOV3细胞,加入前体药物丙氧鸟苷(GCV)处理后对其有明显的杀伤作用和旁观者效应.成功构建的真核表达载体pcDNA3.1-EGFP/ HSV1TK能在SKOV3细胞中稳定表达,且HSV1TK对卵巢癌细胞株SKOV3体外有强大的杀伤作用和旁观者效应.     

Synthesis and characterization of a C6 nucleoside analogue for the in vivo imaging of the gene expression of herpes simplex virus type-1 thymidine kinase (HSV1 TK)

The synthesis and biological evaluation of '6-(1,3-dihydroxyisobutyl)thymine' (DHBT; 1), which corresponds to 6-[3-hydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)propyl]-5-methylpyrimidine-2,4(1H,3H)-dione, is reported. DHBT (1) was designed as a new substrate for herpes simplex virus type-1 thymidine kinase (HSV1 TK). The compound was found to be exclusively phosphorylated by HSV1 TK, and to exhibit good binding affinity (Ki = 35.3+/-1.3 microM). Cell-proliferation assays with HSV1-TK-transduced human osteosarcoma cells (143B-TK+-HSV1-WT) and with both human-thymidine-kinase-1-negative (143B-TK-) and non-transduced parental (MG-63) cells indicate that 1 is less cytotoxic than the standard drug Ganciclovir. Thus, DHBT (1) represents a promising precursor of a nontoxic reporter probe for the monitoring of HSV1 TK gene expression by means of positron-emission tomography (PET).     

PET imaging of herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase (HSV1-tk) or mutant HSV1-sr39tk reporter gene expression in mice and humans using [18F]FHBG

The herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase (HSV1-tk) positron emission tomography (PET) reporter gene (PRG) or its mutant HSV1-sr39tk are used to investigate intracellular molecular events in cultured cells and to image intracellular molecular events and cell trafficking in living subjects. The expression of these PRGs can be imaged using 18F- or 124I-radiolabeled acycloguanosine or pyrimidine analog PET reporter probes (PRPs). This protocol describes the procedures for imaging HSV1-tk or HSV1-sr39tk PRG expression in living subjects with the acycloguanosine analog 9-4-[18F]fluoro-3-(hydroxymethyl)butyl]guanine ([18F]FHBG). [18F]FHBG is a high-affinity substrate for the HSV1-sr39TK enzyme with relatively low affinity for mammalian TK enzymes, resulting in improved detection sensitivity. Furthermore, [18F]FHBG is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration as an investigational new imaging agent and has been shown to detect HSV1-tk transgene expression in the liver tumors of patients. MicroPET imaging of each small animal can be completed in approximately 1.5 h, and each patient imaging session takes approximately 3 h.     

Index

Anticancer role of oxindole compounds is well documented. Here, we synthesized new derivatives of 3-hydroxy-2-oxindole functionalized at position 3 (1a–f) which are expected to have antiproliferative activity in cancer cells. Human prostate cancer cell line (DU145) was treated with the synthesized derivatives at 40-μM concentration for 24, 48, and 72 h. Compounds 1-ethyl-3-hydroxy-1,1′,3,3′-tetrahydro-2H,2′H-3,3′-biindole-2,2′-dione (1d), 5-bromo-1-ethyl-3-hydroxy-1,1′,3,3′-2H,2′H-3,3′-biindole-2,2′-dione (1e), and 5-chloro-1-ethyl-3-hydroxy-1,1′,3,3′-tetrahydro-2H,2′H-3,3′-biindole-2,2′-dione (1f) were found to significantly reduce DU145 cell viability at 48 and 72 h whereas no significant changes were observed up to 24 h. The compounds 1e and 1f showed the most cytotoxicity effect and had a similar antiproliferative activity on DU145 cell line. They have halogen and ethyl substitutions at positions 5 and 1, respectively. The IC₅₀ of compound 1e for DU145 and A375 cells at 48 h was determined. The apoptotic effects and cell cycle progression of compound 1e at 1/2 × IC₅₀ (55 μM) concentration in DU145 cells were investigated by nuclei staining, comet assay, flow cytometry, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results obtained showed that this compound increased the percentage of tail DNA, increased the occurrence of the sub-G1 phase, and induced G2M arrest and apoptosis in DU145 cells after exposure for 48 h to a 55-μM concentration. The SEM images revealed cell contraction at 24 h, cell condensation, plasma membrane blebbing, and formation of apoptotic bodies at 48 and 72 h. These observations suggest that the antiproliferative activity of compound 1e may be to induce apoptosis in DU145 cells.     

表达EGFP报告基因口蹄疫病毒亚基因组复制子的构建

【目的】构建含有EGFP报告基因的口蹄疫病毒(FMDV)亚基因组复制子系统。【方法】利用融合PCR方法,将EGFP报告基因替换O型FMDV全长c DNA克隆中的前导蛋白Lb和结构蛋白P1基因,构建含有EGFP报告基因的FMDV亚基因组复制子FMDV-EGFP。复制子质粒连续转化、测序检验复制子载体的稳定性。Not I线性化的复制子FMDV-EGFP用脂质体介导法转染表达T7 RNA聚合酶的BSR/T7细胞后,不同时间段观察EGFP荧光表达情况。转染的细胞用流式、间接免疫荧光、RT-PCR和Western blot检测该复制子载体的自主复制能力和口蹄疫病毒蛋白的表达情况。【结果】复制子质粒的连续转化及测序表明报告基因可以稳定存在。FMDV-EGFP复制子转染BSR/T7细胞3 h后在荧光显微镜下能够看到绿色荧光,EGFP荧光信号随着转染时间的延长逐渐增加,并且荧光信号可持续6 d以上。转染24 h后的细胞流式分析显示转染的细胞中有6.0%发出荧光,说明构建的复制子载体能够有效表达EGFP蛋白。另外,间接免疫荧光、RT-PCR和Western blot方法也检测到该复制子RNA在BSR/T7细胞中能够进行自主复制,并且能够表达病毒的非结构蛋白。【结论】含有EGFP报告基因的FMDV亚基因组复制子的成功构建为进一步研究病毒复制、翻译机制及筛选抗病毒药物等奠定了坚实的基础。     

Prostatic 25-hydroxyvitamin D-1alpha-hydroxylase and its implication in prostate cancer

Evidence suggests that vitamin D may have a protective role for prostate cancer. 1alpha,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D [1alpha,25(OH)(2)D] inhibits growth and induces differentiation of prostate cells. 25-Hydroxyvitamin D-1alpha-hydroxylase [1alpha-OHase], the enzyme that is responsible for the synthesis of 1alpha,25(OH)(2)D, is expressed in cultured prostate cells. We observed a marked decrease in 1alpha-OHase activity in prostate cancer cells, suggesting some defect of the 1alpha-OHase in these cells. To investigate whether the defect was due to dysregulation of the enzyme at the promoter level, a series of deletion constructs of the promoter was synthesized and incorporated upstream into the luciferase reporter gene. Two regions were identified with high basal activity in transfected normal prostate cell line (PZHPV-7), -1100 bp (AN2), and -394 bp (AN5) upstream of ATG start site of the 1alpha-OHase gene. When the reporter gene with either AN2 or AN5 was transfected into prostate cancer cell lines, we observed a lower basal promoter activity in PC-3 cells and DU145 cells than that found in PZHPV-7 cells for both constructs, and a loss of promoter activity in LNCaP cells. Thus, the results suggest that the defect in enzyme activity may result from the decreased promoter activity in prostate cancer cells.     

Nad-299 antagonises 5-HT-stimulated and spiperone-inhibited [35S]GTPgammaS binding in cloned 5-HT1A receptors

In Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells expressing cloned human 5-hydroxytryptamine1A A (5-HT1A) receptors, (R)-3-N,N-dicyclobutylamino-8-fluoro-[6-3H]-3,4-dihydro-2H-1-benzopyan-5-carboxamide ([3H]NAD-299) exhibited high affinity (Kd = 0.16 nM) and labeled 34% more receptors than 8-hydroxy-2-([2,3-3H]di-n-propylamino)tetralin ([3H]8-OH-DPAT). NAD-299 behaved as a silent antagonist in [35S]GTPgammaS binding similar to N-tert-butyl-3-(4-(2-methoxyphenyl)-piperazin-1-yl)-2-phenylpropanamide (WAY-100635) and (S)-5-fluoro-8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin ((S)UH-301). 5-HT and 5-carboxamidotryptamine (5-CT) stimulated [35S]GTPgammaS binding 2.5-fold while spiperone and methiothepin inhibited [35S]GTPgammaS binding 1.4-fold. Furthermore, NAD-299 antagonised both the 5-HT stimulated and the spiperone inhibited [35S]GTPgammaS binding to basal levels. The KiL/KiH ratios for spiperone (0.66), methiothepin (0.39), WAY-100635 (0.32), (S)UH-301 (0.94), NAD-299 (1.29), NAN-190 (1.23), (S)pindolol (5.85), ipsapirone (13.1), buspirone (24.6), (+/-)8-OH-DPAT (47.3), flesinoxan (55.8), 5-HT (200) and 5-CT (389) correlated highly significantly with the intrinsic activity obtained with [35S] GTPgammaS (r = 0.97).     

Transactivation of epidermal growth factor receptor by insulin-like growth factor 1 requires basal hydrogen peroxide

Insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) plays an important role in prostate cancer development. Recent studies suggest that IGF-1 has mitogenic action through epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). However, the mechanism remains largely unknown. Here, we demonstrated in prostate cancer DU145 cells that IGF-1 induced EGFR transactivation, leading to ERK activation. Matrix metalloproteinase-mediated shedding of heparin-binding EGF is involved in this process. Antioxidants and catalase inhibited IGF-1-stimulated EGFR phosphorylation, indicating that H(2)O(2) is required for EGFR activation. However, exogenous H(2)O(2) did not activate EGFR or IGF-1R in DU145 cells. IGF-1 did not induced production of H(2)O(2) in DU145 cells. Our results suggest that transactivation of EGFR by IGF-1 requires basal intracellular H(2)O(2) in DU145 cells.     

Photochemically enhanced adenoviral transduction in a multicellular environment.

Photochemical internalization (PCI) enhances adenovirus (Ad) transgene expression in a variety of cell lines in vitro. However, measurements of the photochemical effect on transduction in multicellular environments are lacking. In this study, spheroids of DU 145 prostate cancer cells were used as a model to evaluate Ad serotype 5 (Ad5) transduction in a multicellular environment in response to PCI treatment. Furthermore, the Ad5 was coated with poly(2-methyl-acrylic acid 2-[(2-(dimethylamino)-ethyl)-methyl-amino]-ethyl ester) (pDAMA) to evaluate whether physicochemical properties such as charge and size of viral vectors affect transduction of photochemically treated spheroids.Spheroids incubated with photosensitizer TPPS(2a) (1 microg ml(-1)) and infected with adenovirus contained 3-fold higher percentage of reporter gene expressing cells after exposure to blue light (0.42 J cm(-2)) compared to no light, as analysed by flow cytometry of dissociated spheroids two days after treatment. The cells within the infected spheroids were further divided into three sections corresponding to the interior, intermediate and peripheral layers of the spheroids. This was performed by staining the spheroids with a diffusion-limited dye prior to dissociation. Transduction of cells within photochemically treated and untreated spheroids was heterogeneous, with a radial reduction of transgene expression towards the inner section of the spheroid. The coating of Ad with pDAMA induced up to 2-fold decrease in transduction of cells in the interior section of spheroids compared to uncomplexed Ad, while transduction of the peripheral section remained unchanged. The decrease in transduction could be related to reduced diffusion due to the size of the Ad-pDAMA complexes.     

Constitutive and inducible expression of cytochromes P4501A (CYP1A1 and CYP1A2) in normal prostate and prostate cancer cells

Constitutive and benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) inducible expression of CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 in prostate cancer and normal prostate epithelial cells were examined by immunoblotting. Androgen independent prostate cancer cell lines DU145 and PC3 have constitutive expression of CYP1A and CYP1A1 and CYP1A2, respectively. Four micromolar B[a]P did not appear to induce CYP1A1 or CYP1A2 expression in DU145 or PC3 cells. The androgen dependent prostate cancer cell line, LnCap, also has constitutive expression of CYP1A1 and CYP1A2. However, both CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 are induced by treatment of LnCap cells with 4 microM B[a]P. Untreated normal prostate and primary prostate tumor cells have no detectable CYP1A1 expression. Treatment with 4 microM B[a]P induced CYP1A1 expression in both normal and primary tumor prostate cells. Constitutive CYP1A2 expression was detected in normal prostate cells with little or no induction by exposure to 4 microM B[a]P. Primary prostate tumor cells did not show constitutive expression of CYP1A2. However, CYP1A2 was induced by 4 microM B[a]P in primary prostate tumor cells. These observations indicate that hormonal and cancer specific factors affect the expression and induction of the phase I metabolic enzymes, CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 in prostate cells. These observations may be related to the potential smoking-linked higher risk of prostate cancer development and morbidity of prostate cancer patients who smoke.     

RGD targeted poly(L-glutamic acid)-cystamine-(Gd-DO3A) conjugate for detecting angiogenesis biomarker alpha(v) beta3 integrin with MRT, mapping

Cyclic Arg-Gly-Asp-D-Phe-Lys [c(RGDfK)] targeted poly(L-glutamic acid) (PGA)-(Gd-DO3A) conjugate with a biodegradable cystamine spacer was prepared and evaluated for in vivo detection of an angiogenesis biomarker, alpha(v)beta3 integrin, in neoplastic tissues with T1 mapping, a quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique. The binding activity of the c(RGDfK) containing conjugate was investigated using in vitro vitronectin assay with human prostate carcinoma DU145 cell line and Kaposi's sarcoma SLK cell line. The peptide c(RGDfK) and PGA-cystamine-(Gd-DO3A) conjugate were used as controls. The binding affinity of polymer bound c(RGDfK) was slightly lower than free c(RGDfK) peptide. The RGD targeted conjugate had higher binding affinity to the DU145 cells than the SLK cells, which was consistent to free c(RGDfK). The imaging of alpha(v)beta3 integrin with targeted PGA-cystamine-(Gd-DO3A) was evaluated in nude mice bearing DU145 and SLK xenografts at a dose of 5 micromol-Gd/kg. The targeted conjugate demonstrated higher in vivo binding affinity to the DU145 xenografts than the SLK xenografts, resulting in a significant decrease of T1 values of water protons in the periphery of the DU145 tumors as shown in the MR T1 maps. No significant decrease of T1 values was observed in the SLK tumor with the targeted conjugate and in both tumors with the non-targeted conjugate. The targeted polymeric Gd(III) chelate conjugate with a degradable spacer has the potential to be a new paradigm for safe and effective probes in molecular imaging with quantitative MR T1 mapping.     

禽流感H5N1病毒感染BALB/c小鼠的细胞免疫动态变化

[目的]测定H5N1病毒感染BALB/c的小鼠模型的细胞免疫动态变化,探讨病毒对机体免疫系统的影响。[方法]通过流式细胞仪测定CD3+T、CD4+T、CD8+T等细胞免疫变化。[结果]感染H5N1病毒的小鼠血液中CD3+T、CD4+T、CD8+T细胞数量下降(P<0.05),脾脏中T细胞数量下降的趋势与血液相同,CD4+T/CD8+T的比例上升,只是两者的时间有所差别。[结论]说明病毒对细胞免疫T细胞数量影响较大,而且CD8+T受到的影响更为明显,反应了机体特异性细胞免疫功能受抑制,并且彼此之间的平衡受到破坏。     

Anti-proliferative effects of paeonol on human prostate cancer cell lines DU145 and PC-3

Paeonol (Pae) is the main active ingredient from the root bark of Paeonia moutan and the grass of Radix Cynanchi Paniculati. Numerous reports indicate that Pae effectively inhibits several types of cancer lines. In this study, we report that Pae hinders prostate cancer growth both in vivo and in vitro. Human prostate cancer lines DU145 and PC-3 were cultured in the presence of Pae. The xenograft tumor in mice was established by subcutaneous injection of DU145 cells. Cell growth was measured by MTT, and the apoptosis was detected by the flow cytometry. Expression of Bcl-2, Bax, Akt, and mTOR were tested by western blotting assay. DU145 and PC-3 showed remarkable sensitivity to Pae, and exposure to Pae induced dose-and time-dependent growth inhibitory responses. Moreover, treatment of Pae promoted apoptosis and enhanced activities of caspase-3, caspase-8, and caspase-9 in DU145. Further work demonstrated Pae reduced expression of Bcl-2 and increased expression of Bax in DU145. Interestingly, we observed that Pae significantly decreased phosphorylated status of Akt and mTOR, and inhibitory effects of Pae and PI3K/Akt inhibitor on DU145 proliferation were synergistic. Finally, we confirmed that oral administration of Pae to the DU145 tumor-bearing mice significantly lowered tumor cell proliferation and led to tumor regression. Pae possesses inhibitory effects on prostate cancer cell growth both in vitro and in vivo, and the anti-proliferative effect may be closely related to its activation of extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathway and inhibition of the PI3K/Akt pathway.     

Human herpesvirus 8 open reading frame 21 is a thymidine and thymidylate kinase of narrow substrate specificity that efficiently phosphorylates zidovudine but not ganciclovir

Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8) open reading frame (ORF) 21 is predicted to encode a protein similar to the thymidine kinase (TK) enzyme of other herpesviruses. Expressed in mammalian cells, ORF 21 was found to have low TK activity, based on poor growth in media containing hypoxanthine-aminopterin-thymidine (HAT) and low incorporation of [(3)H]thymidine into high-molecular-weight DNA. Kinetic analysis using HHV8 TK as a purified glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion protein showed that the enzyme has a comparatively high K(m) for thymidine (dThd) of approximately 33.2 microM. Nearly 50% of the phosphorylated product of the reaction with dThd was thymidylate. This monophosphate kinase activity was more pronounced with 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine (AZT), in which 78% of the reaction product was AZT diphosphate. Thymidine analogs competitively inhibited dThd phosphorylation by HHV8 TK, while 2'-deoxyguanosine, 2'-deoxyadenosine, 2'-deoxycytidine, and corresponding analogs did not. Further competition experiments revealed that the nucleoside analog ganciclovir (GCV), at up to 1,000-fold molar excess, could not significantly inhibit dThd phosphorylation by the enzyme. In support of these data, 143B TK(-) cells expressing HHV8 TK phosphorylated GCV very poorly and were not susceptible to GCV toxicity compared to parental cells. Phosphorylation of [(3)H]GCV by a purified GST-HHV8 TK fusion protein was not detected by high-pressure liquid chromatography analysis. Structural features of HHV8 TK substrate recognition were investigated. Therapeutic implications of these findings are discussed.     

前列腺干细胞抗原(PSCA)的表达及其特异结合肽的筛选

通过反转录 PCR从人前列腺癌细胞中克隆了前列腺干细胞抗原 (PSCA)基因 ,在大肠杆菌中利用pQE30载体对截断型PSCA基因进行了可溶性表达。蛋白纯化后 ,利用噬菌体随机展示 12肽库筛选了PSCA蛋白的特异结合肽 ,通过与EGFP蛋白的耦联表达验证了结合肽的特异性。此特异结合肽的获得 ,为进一步研究针对PSCA的前列腺癌靶向免疫治疗奠定了基础     

西达本胺对人前列腺癌DU145及PC3细胞凋亡的影响

目的:研究西达本胺对前列腺癌DU145、PC3细胞生长抑制及凋亡调控的作用。方法:设置西达本胺浓度分别为4、8、16、32和64μmol/L的5个处理组和对照组(未加西达本胺),分别处理DU145、PC3细胞不同时间,采用MTT法检测细胞的增殖抑制情况,用倒置显微镜观察细胞形态,用流式细胞仪进行细胞凋亡分析,用免疫印迹法检测细胞内Bax、Bcl-2、caspase-3、caspase-9的表达水平。结果:与对照组比较,西达本胺处理组可使细胞明显变圆、体积缩小、脱壁细胞增多;MTT法检测显示,随着西达本胺浓度的增加和作用时间的延长,对DU145、PC3细胞的增殖抑制作用增强,并呈时间、剂量正相关(P<0.01);流式细胞术显示,对照组和16、64μmol/L西达本胺组细胞凋亡率分别为42.24%、50.23%;随着西达本胺浓度的增加,Bcl-2的表达呈下调趋势,Bax、caspase-3、caspase-9的表达呈上调趋势,呈剂量正相关。结论:西达本胺对前列腺癌DU145、PC3细胞生长具有明显的抑制作用,作用机制可能与Bax、Bcl-2、caspase-3及caspase-9凋亡信号通路有关。     

Evaluation of 2'-deoxy-2'-flouro-5-methyl-1-beta-D-arabinofuranosyluracil as a potential gene imaging agent for HSV-tk expression in vivo

2'-Deoxy-2'-flouro-5-methyl-1-beta-D-arabinofuranosyluracil (FMAU) has been evaluated in HT-29 cells as a potential positron emission tomography (PET) radiotracer for imaging HSV-tk gene expression in vivo. In vitro experiments demonstrate that the accumulation of [14C]-FMAU in HSV-tk-expressing cells is 2.4-fold (p < .02), 4.0-fold (p < .001), and 5.3-fold (p < .001) higher than the wild-type cells at 1, 3, and 5 hr, respectively. In vivo studies revealed that the tumor uptake in HSV-tk-expressing cells was 2.3-fold (p < .001), 3.0-fold (p < .001), and 5.5-fold (p < .001) higher than the control cells at 1, 2, and 5 hr, respectively. FMAU was found to be more sensitive compared to our earlier studies using 9-[(3-18F-fluoro-1-hydroxy-2-propoxy)methyl]-guanine ([18F]-FHPG) and 9-(4-[18F]-fluoro-3-hydroxy-methylbutyl)guanine ([18F]-FHBG) in the same cell lines, although, the specificity was less than FHBG. These results suggest that while FMAU labeled with PET isotopes may be useful for imaging HSV-tk-expressing tumors in vivo, multitracer studies across additional tumor models are necessary in order to identify an optimal PET radiotracer.     

Purification of the thromboxane A2/prostaglandin H2 receptor from human blood platelets

S-145 (5Z-7-(3-endo-phenylsulfonylamino-(2.2.1.)-bicyclohept -2-exo-yl) heptenoic acid) is a potent and selective antagonist for thromboxane A2/prostaglandin H2 receptor. Using this compound as an immobilized ligand for affinity chromatography and [3H]S-145 as a radioligand, we have purified the thromboxane A2/prostaglandin H2 receptor from the membranes of human blood platelets. The purification procedures consisted of solubilization of the receptor with 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate (CHAPS), affinity chromatographies on columns of S-145 affinity gel, wheat germ agglutinin agarose and red agarose, and repeated gel filtration high performance liquid chromatography on a TSK gel G-3000SW column. On the second gel filtration high performance liquid chromatography, the [3H]S-145 binding activity was eluted as a symmetrical peak which overlapped exactly with a peak of ultraviolet absorption at 280 nm. By these procedures, the receptor was purified about 8700-fold from the solubilized extract with a recovery of 6%. The final preparation showed a broad protein band at Mr 57,000 on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and maximally bound 19.2 nmol of [3H]S-145/mg protein with a Kd of 29.8 nM. The [3H]S-145 binding to the purified receptor was specifically displaced by several thromboxane A2/prostaglandin H2 analogues.