High performance liquid chromatography analysis of a 4-anilinoquinazoline derivative (PD153035), a specific inhibitor of the epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase, in rat plasma

The quinazoline derivative, 4-N-(3'-bromo-phenyl)amino-6,7-dimethoxyquinazoline (PD153035), has recently been identified as a potential drug for the treatment of proliferative disease. Here, we report a sensitive high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-based quantitative detection method for measurement of PD153035 levels in rat plasma. Sample pretreatment involved a two-step extraction with chloroform. The analytes were separated on a column packed with OmniSpher C18 material and eluted with acetonitrile-0.1 M ammonium acetate, pH 7.2 (70:30, v/v). The column effluent was monitored by UV detection at 330 nm. A linear response was achieved over the concentration range 0.50-100.00 microM using multilevel calibration with an internal standard. The analytical method inter- and intra-run accuracy and precision were better than +/-15%. The lower limit of quantification was 0.50 microM. The method has been applied to study the preclinical pharmacokinetics of this compound in rats.     

Quantifying the contribution of defective ribosomal products to antigen production: a model-based computational analysis

Antigenic peptides (epitopes) presented on the cell surface by MHC class I molecules derive from proteolytic degradation of endogenous proteins. Some recent studies have proposed that the majority of epitopes stem from so-called defective ribosomal products (DRiPs), i.e., freshly synthesized proteins that are unable to adopt the native conformation and thus undergo immediate degradation. However, a reliable computational analysis of the data underlying this hypothesis was lacking so far. Therefore, we have applied kinetic modeling to derive from existing kinetic data (Princiotta et al. 2003, Immunity 18, 343-354) the rates of the major processes involved in the cellular protein turnover and MHC class I-mediated Ag presentation. From our modeling approach, we conclude that in these experiments 1) the relative share of DRiPs in the total protein synthesis amounted to approximately 10% thus being much lower than reported so far, 2) DRiPs may become the decisive source of epitopes within an early phase after onset of the synthesis of a long-lived (e.g., virus derived) protein, and 3) inhibition of protein synthesis by the translation inhibitor cycloheximide appears to be paralleled with an instantaneous decrease of protein degradation down to approximately 1/3 of the normal value.     

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms: analysis by mass spectrometry

Matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry has evolved as a powerful method for analyzing nucleic acids. Here we provide protocols for genotyping single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) by MALDI based on PCR and primer extension to generate allele-specific products. Furthermore, we present three different approaches for sample preparation of primer-extension products before MALDI analysis and discuss their potential areas of application. The first approach, the 'GOOD' assay, is a purification-free procedure that uses DNA-modification chemistry, including alkylation of phosphorothioate linkages in the extension primers. The other two approaches use either solid-phase extraction or microarray purification for the purification of primer-extension products. Depending on the reaction steps of the various approaches, the protocols take about 6-8 hours.     

Neurons and Neuronal Stem Cells Survive in Glucose-Free Lactate and in High Glucose Cell Culture Medium During Normoxia and Anoxia

Several questions concerning the survival of isolated neurons and neuronal stem and progenitor cells (NPCs) have not been answered in the past: (1) If lactate is discussed as a major physiological substrate of neurons, do neurons and NPCs survive in a glucose-free lactate environment? (2) If elevated levels of glucose are detrimental to neuronal survival during ischemia, do high concentrations of glucose (up to 40 mmol/L) damage neurons and NPCs? (3) Which is the detrimental factor in oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD), lack of oxygen, lack of glucose, or the combination of both? Therefore, in the present study, we exposed rat cortical neurons and NPCs to different concentrations of d-glucose ranging from 0 to 40 mmol/L, or 10 and 20 mmol/L l-lactate under normoxic and anoxic conditions, as well as in OGD. After 24 h, we measured cellular viability by biochemical assays and automated cytochemical morphometry, pH values, bicarbonate, lactate and glucose concentrations in the cell culture media, and caspases activities. We found that (1) neurons and NPCs survived in a glucose-free lactate environment at least up to 24 h, (2) high glucose concentrations >5 mmol/L had no effect on cell viability, and (3) cell viability was reduced in normoxic glucose deprivation to 50% compared to 10 mmol/L glucose, whereas cell viability in OGD did not differ from that in anoxia with lactate which reduced cell viability to 30%. Total caspases activities were increased in the anoxic glucose groups only. Our data indicate that (1) neurons and NPCs can survive with lactate as exclusive metabolic substrate, (2) the viability of isolated neurons and NPCs is not impaired by high glucose concentrations during normoxia or anoxia, and (3) in OGD, low glucose concentrations, but not low oxygen levels are detrimental for neurons and NPCs.     

Ant visitation to extrafloral nectaries decreases herbivory and increases fruit set in Chamaecrista debilis (Fabaceae) in a Neotropical savanna

Studies of ant–plant relationships elucidate how top-down effects of the third trophic level can affect the biomass, richness, and/or species composition of plants. Although widespread in the neotropics, few studies have so far examined the direct effects of ants on plant fitness. Here, through experimental manipulation (ant-exclusion) under natural conditions, we examined the effect of ant visitation to extrafloral nectaries on leaf herbivory and fruit set in Chamaecrista debilis in the Brazilian savanna. As opposed to other Chamaecrista species, our results showed that visiting ants (15 species) significantly reduce herbivory and increase fruit set by more than 50% compared to plants from which ants were excluded. This mutualistic system is facultative in nature, and corroborates the potential beneficial role of exudate-feeding ants as anti-herbivore agents of tropical plants.     

Structure and mechanism of the magnesium-independent aromatic prenyltransferase CloQ from the clorobiocin biosynthetic pathway

CloQ is an aromatic prenyltransferase from the clorobiocin biosynthetic pathway of Streptomyces roseochromogenes var. oscitans. It is involved in the synthesis of the prenylated hydroxybenzoate moiety of the antibiotic, specifically catalyzing the attachment of a dimethylallyl moiety to 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate. Herein, we report the crystal structure of CloQ and use it as a framework for interpreting biochemical data from both wild-type and variant proteins. CloQ belongs to the aromatic prenyltransferase family, which is characterized by an unusual core fold comprising five consecutive ααββ elements that form a central 10-stranded anti-parallel β-barrel. The latter delineates a solvent-accessible cavity where substrates bind and catalysis takes place. This cavity has well-defined polar and nonpolar regions, which have distinct roles in substrate binding and facilitate a Friedel-Crafts-type mechanism. We propose that the juxtaposition of five positively charged residues in the polar region circumvents the necessity for a Mg²⁺, which, by contrast, is a strict requirement for the majority of prenyltransferases characterized to date. Our structure of CloQ complexed with 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate reveals the formation of a covalent link between the substrate and Cys215 to yield a thiohemiketal species. Through site-directed mutagenesis, we show that this link is not essential for enzyme activity in vitro. Furthermore, we demonstrate that CloQ will accept alternative substrates and, therefore, has the capacity to generate a range of prenylated compounds. Since prenylation is thought to enhance the bioactivity of many natural products, CloQ offers considerable promise as a biocatalyst for the chemoenzymatic synthesis of novel compounds with therapeutic potential.     

Host specificity of a Brazilian mistletoe, Struthanthus aff. polyanthus (Loranthaceae), in cerrado tropical savanna

The aim of this study was to determine if the mistletoe Struthanthus aff. polyanthus shows host specificity, and if host abundance and twig architecture influence this specificity in Cerrado (senso strictu). An area of 1.3 ha of natural savanna was sampled for the occurrence of the mistletoe. The twigs of the hosts were classified as vertical or horizontal, and the bark as smooth or rough. We sampled a total of 666 trees in the study site and 118 individuals (17.7%) hosted S. aff. polyanthus. The abundance of mistletoe was significantly affected by the bark type, but not by the twigs inclination. In the cerrado, S. aff. polyanthus seems to be a generalist, with a tendency to be more common on some hosts (Kielmeyera coriacea, Pouteria ramiflora and Styrax ferrugineus), prefering that with rough bark type.     

Genetic and biochemical evidence for involvement of HOTHEAD in the biosynthesis of long-chain α-,ω-dicarboxylic fatty acids and formation of extracellular matrix

In plants, extracellular matrix polymers built from polysaccharides and cuticular lipids have structural and protective functions. The cuticle is found to be ten times thinner in Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh than in many other plants, and there is evidence that it is unusual in having a high content of α-,ω-dicarboxylic fatty acids (FAs) in its polyesters. We designated the new organ fusion mutant hth-12 after it appeared to be allelic to adhesion of calyx edges (ace) and hothead (hth), upon molecular cloning of the gene by transposon tagging. This mutant is deficient in its ability to oxidize long-chain ω-hydroxy FAs to ω-oxo FAs, which results in leaf polyesters in decreased α-,ω-dicarboxylic FAs and increased ω-hydroxy FAs. These chemical phenotypes lead to disorder of the cuticle membrane structure in hth-12. ACE/HTH is a single-domain protein showing sequence similarity to long-chain FA ω-alcohol dehydrogenases from Candida species, and we hypothesize that it may catalyze the next step after cytochrome P450 FA ω-hydroxylases in the ω-oxidation pathway. We show that ACE/HTH is specifically expressed in epidermal cells. It appears very likely therefore that the changes in the amount of α-,ω-dicarboxylic FAs in hth-12 reflect the different composition of cuticular polyesters. The ACE/HTH gene is also expressed in root epidermal cells which do not form a polyester membrane on the exterior surface, thereby making it possible that the end products of the pathway, α-,ω-dicarboxylic FAs, are generally required for the cross-linking that ensures the integrity of the outer epidermal cell wall.