Overcoming hERG issues for brain-penetrating cathepsin S inhibitors: 2-cyanopyrimidines. Part 2

We describe here orally active and brain-penetrant cathepsin S selective inhibitors, which are virtually devoid of hERG K(+) channel affinity, yet exhibit nanomolar potency against cathepsin S and over 100-fold selectivity to cathepsin L. The new non-peptidic inhibitors are based on a 2-cyanopyrimidine scaffold bearing a spiro[3.5]non-6-yl-methyl amine at the 4-position. The brain-penetrating cathepsin S inhibitors demonstrate potential clinical utility for the treatment of multiple sclerosis and neuropathic pain.     

Intracellular accumulation of trehalose and glycogen in an extreme oligotroph,Rhodococcus erythropolis N9T-4

An extreme oligotroph, Rhodococcus erythropolis N9T-4, showed intracellular accumulation of trehalose and glycogen under oligotrophic conditions. No trehalose accumulation was observed in cells grown on the rich medium. Deletion of the polyphosphate kinase genes enhanced the trehalose accumulation and decreases the intracellular glycogen contents, suggesting an oligotrophic relationship between among the metabolic pathways of trehalose, glycogen, and inorganic polyphosphate biosyntheses.     

Identification of two metabolites induced by a butyrolactone autoregulator IM-2 in Streptomyces sp. FRI-5

Abstract In order to determine whether non-elastase-producing strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa such as N-10, PA103 and IFO3080 can express foreign elastase genes, we introduced elastase genes from P. aeruginosa IFO3455 (elastase-producing) as well as from PA103 and N-10 into non-elastase-producing P. aeruginosa strains. Results suggested that gene expression, secretion, and precursor processing systems of elastase were essentially normal in P. aeruginosa N-10 and IFO3080. Our studies using various elastase genes showed that both the elastase structural gene and 5'-upstream regions of P. aeruginosa PA103 were also normal. This was confirmed by the finding that P. aeruginosa N-10 and IFO3080 which carry the PA103 elastase gene produced elastase. Several deleted or chimeric genes were constructed using the 5'-upstream regions of elastase genes from P. aeruginosa N-10 or PA103 and studies of expression revealed that two individual DNA bases seem to be important in suppressing P. aeruginosa N-10 elastase gene expression. Possible reasons for the lack of elastase in these non-elastase-producing strains are discussed.     

Microorganism Capable of Decomposing N-Acetylglucosaminyl Ribitol Teichoic Acid of Staphylococcus aureus

Enzyme(s) capable of decomposing N-acetylglucosaminyl ribitol teichoic acid prepared from the cell wall of Staphylococcus aureus FDA 209 P was obtained from the culture supernatant of a gram-negative, rod-shaped, spore-forming soil bacterium. Properties of the bacterium were very similar to those of Bacillus circulans.     

Cold shock proteins improve E. coli cell-free synthesis in terms of soluble yields of aggregation-prone proteins

Protein folding is usually slowed-down at low temperatures, and thus low-temperature expression is an effective strategy to improve the soluble yield of aggregation-prone proteins. In this study, we investigated the effects of a variety of cold shock proteins and domains (Csps) on an Escherichia coli cell extract-based cell-free protein synthesis system (CF). Most of the 12 Csps that were successfully prepared dramatically improved the protein yields, by factors of more than 5 at 16°C and 2 at 23°C, to levels comparable to those obtained at 30°C. Their stimulatory effects were complementary to each other, while CspD and CspH were inhibitory. The Csps’ effects correlated well with their Pfam CSD family scores (PF00313.22). All of the investigated Csps, except CspH, similarly possessed RNA binding and chaperon activities and increased the messenger RNA amount irrespective of their effect, suggesting that the proper balance between these activities was required for the enhancement. Unexpectedly, the 5′-untranslated region of cspA was less effective as the leader sequence. Our results demonstrated that the use of the Csps presented in this study will provide a simple and highly effective strategy for the CF, to improve the soluble yields of aggregation-prone proteins.     

N-Carboxymethyl-l-serine,a New Acidic Amino Acid from Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) Shoots

A strongly acidic amino acid—N-carboxymethyl-L-serine—, not previously known in nature, has been isolated from asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) shoots. Some unique properties of this amino acid, such as a much bigger mobility to anode on high voltage paper electrophoresis (pH 3.6) than aspartic acid and characteristic changes of NMR spectra in aqueous solution with various pD, were discussed in relation to its structure.     

δ-Hydroxylysine,Canavanine and Three α-Amino Acid Amides from Ladino Clover Seed (Trifolium repens L. var. giganteum)

The antibacterial effects of salivary nitrate/nitrite on the growth of three Desulfovibrio species were examined. The bacteria did not grow on plates with ≥0.2 mM nitrate or ≥1.0 mM nitrite. They were also incubated in filter-sterilized saliva. D. desulfuricans was reduced on the order of >10² compared with the control solution (phosphate-buffered saline) in nine out of the 10 participants.     

Differences in NMR Spectra between Some α- and γ-Glutamyl Dipeptides

A methanol-utilizing phototrophic bacterium, strain M402, was isolated from surface water of an acidic hot spring. The isolated strain was identified as Rhodopseudomonas acidophila from its morphological and physiological characters. Profiles of the utilization of non-aromatic compounds as carbon sources by this strain were in good agreement with those of some strains of R. acidophila reported by Pfennig [J. Bacteriol., 99, 597 (1969)]. However, strain M402 was found to be capable of utilizing vanillic acid, vanillin, vanillyl alcohol, ferulic acid, veratric acid, syringic acid, syringal-dehyde and benzyl alcohol as carbon sources under anaerobic-light conditions. Although Pfennig did not refer to these abilities of his strains, these notable characters of strain M402 seem to be additional new characters of R. acidophila.     

Mitochondrials complex I activity is reduced in latent adriamycin-induced cardiomyopathy of rat

We previously reported on the use of enzymatic analysis to impair fatty acid metabolism followed by reduced myocardial energy content, leading to severe heart failure in adriamycin (ADR)-treated rats. The aim of this study is to investigate whether impaired myocardial energy metabolism can also be detected by other methods; i.e. measuring mitochondrial complex I activity and myocardial ¹²⁵I-15-(p-iodophenyl)-3-(R,S)- methylpentadecanoic acid (BMIPP) accumulation in ADR-treated rats. Eight-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats received 6 intraperitoneal injections of ADR (total 15 mg/kg: group ADR) or saline (control group) over 2 weeks. Left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction was assessed using echocardiography at 3- and 6-weeks after ADR injection (3 weeks and 6 weeks, respectively). Myocardial fatty acid utilization was assessed at 3 weeks and 6 weeks. The myocardial counts of BMIPP were measured after intravenous BMIPP (370 kBq) injection, and ¹²⁵I counts were measured to calculate the uptake ratio. The enzymatic activity of complex I was assessed by monitoring the oxidation of nicotinamide-adenine-dinucleotide-disodium-salt (NADH). In rats treated with ADR, significant decrease in LV ejection fraction was observed only at 6 weeks compared to control (72.5 vs. 84.5%, p < 0.01rpar;. LV ejection fraction at 3 weeks was identical between group ADR and control (81.8 vs. 84.4%). However, at 3 weeks, complex I activity was already reduced significantly in group ADR as compared to control group (p = 0.03), but the reduction in BMIPP accumulation was not (p = 0.15). Our data indicated that reduced complex I activity in a phenomenon occurred in early phase of ADR-induced cardiomyopathy, and it might play an important role in the progression of ADR-induced heart failure.