Interaction of poly A with phospholipid membranes using IR-spectroscopy

IR-spectra of poly-A phosphatidylcholine complexes in D2O were studied. It has been shown that in the absence of Mg2+ the spectrum was a superposition of spectra of poly-A and phosphatidylcholine. Introduction of MgCl2 to the concentration of 0.03 M led to the dramatic decrease of absorbance at 1629 cm-1 characteristic of backbone vibration of adenine. Further increase of the concentration of MgCl2 up to 0.08 M resulted in the additional absorbance maximum at 1627 cm-1. Under a variety of temperatures the position of the maximum did not change. It was assumed that on adding magnesium ions to the "poly-A-lipid" mixture in D2O the components formed a stable complex. At high Mg2+ concentration a partial disarrangement of stacking interactions in poly-A occurred that might be a consequence of the incorporation of nucleic bases into hydrophobic membrane phase.     

Poster Sessions CP09: Kinases and Phosphatases. Protein kinase C inhibitors counteract ethanol effects on myelin basic protein expression in CG‐4 oligodendrocytes

Abnormal myelin formation appears to be one defect contributing to the neuropathology associated with the fetal alcohol syndrome, the major cause of noncongenital mental retardation. Using the CG‐4 cell line we previously showed that 25–75 mm ethanol (EtOH) down‐regulates myelin basic protein (MBP) expression in differentiating oligodendrocytes (OLGs) without affecting the 2′,3′‐cyclic nucleotide 3′‐phosphodiesterase (CNP) expression or morphological development (Bichenkov and Ellingson 2001). Here we observed that a relatively low concentration of 12‐phorbol‐13‐myristate acetate (PMA) mimicked the EtOH‐caused inhibition of MBP expression without affecting CNP expression or morphology. The inhibition of MBP expression by 100 mm EtOH or 1 nm PMA was completely counteracted by three inhibitors of protein kinase C (PKC); bisinodoylmaleimide I, chelerythrine chloride, and calphostin C, indicating that EtOH down‐regulated MBP expression by activating PKC. We investigated whether the EtOH‐caused activation resulted in part from up‐regulation of the expression of PKC isozymes. Of 11 PKC isozymes examined, CG‐4 OLGs expressed nine; PKC α, β1, β2, δ, ε, λ, μ, nu and zeta; while PKC isozymes γ and theta were not detected. Only five PKC isozymes, α, β1, β2, μ, and nu, displayed developmental changes in expression. However, EtOH did not up‐regulate the early expression of any PKC isozyme during the first two days of differentiation, the developmental stage when it down‐regulates the MBP expression in CG‐4 cells. The results indicate that EtOH delays MBP expression by activating at least one phorbol ester‐sensitive PKC isozyme in differentiating oligodendrocytes without up‐regulating its expression. Acknowledgements: Support: NIAAA Grant AA072185.     

A Spiroligomer α-Helix Mimic That Binds HDM2, Penetrates Human Cells and Stabilizes HDM2 in Cell Culture

We demonstrate functionalized spiroligomers that mimic the HDM2-bound conformation of the p53 activation domain. Spiroligomers are stereochemically defined, functionalized, spirocyclic monomers coupled through pairs of amide bonds to create spiro-ladder oligomers [1]. Two series of spiroligomers were synthesized, one of structural analogs and one of stereochemical analogs, from which we identified compound 1, that binds HDM2 with a Kd value of 400 nM. The spiroligomer 1 penetrates human liver cancer cells through passive diffusion and in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner increases the levels of HDM2 more than 30-fold in Huh7 cells in which the p53/HDM2 negative feed-back loop is inoperative. This is a biological effect that is not seen with the HDM2 ligand nutlin-3a. We propose that compound 1 modulates the levels of HDM2 by stabilizing it to proteolysis, allowing it to accumulate in the absence of a p53/HDM2 feedback loop.     

Temporal and Quantitative Expression of the Myelin-Associated Lipids,Ethanolamine Plasmalogen,Galactocerebroside, and Sulfatide,in the Differentiating CG-4 Glial Cell Line

We determined the expression of three myelin-typical lipids in the continuous CG-4 glial cell line of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells, as the cells differentiated into oligodendrocytes. On 6 different days during the first 9 days of oligodendrocyte development, cells were labeled for 24 h with [³H]ethanolamine to label ethanolamine plasmalogens or with [³H]galactose to label the galactocerebroside and sulfogalactocerebroside; and the amount of labeled lipid expressed on each day was determined. Each labeled lipid was expressed with its own specific time course and in a defined amount on each day of differentiation. Increased labeling of plasmalogens and sulfogalactocerebroside started at early developmental stages, and increased labeling of galactocerebroside started at later stages. The results indicate that the differentiating CG-4 cell line provides a valuable system to investigate factors affecting the early time course of myelin-lipid expression and the amounts expressed.     

Effect of polynucleotide adsorption on characteristics of a planar phosphatidylcholine bilayer membrane

Interaction of DNA with planar bilayer phosphatidylcholine membrane in the presence of CaCl2 increases electric conductance of the membrane several times as a result of the formation of DNA-membrane complex. The same effect was observed in the cases of ribosomal RNA and synthetic homopolymers polyA, polyU and polyA X polyU double helix.     

Design,synthesis and SAR of new-di-substituted pyridopyrimidines as ATP-competitive dual PI3Kα/mTOR inhibitors

PI3Kα/mTOR ATP-competitive inhibitors are considered as one of the promising molecularly targeted cancer therapeutics. Based on lead compound A from the literature, two similar series of 2-substituted-4-morpholino-pyrido[3,2-d]pyrimidine and pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine analogs were designed and synthesized as PI3Kα/mTOR dual inhibitors. Interestingly, most of the series gave excellent inhibition for both enzymes with IC₅₀ values ranging from single to double digit nM. Unlike many PI3Kα/mTOR dual inhibitors, our compounds displayed selectivity for PI3Kα. Based on its potent enzyme inhibitory activity, selectivity for PI3Kα and good therapeutic index in 2D cell culture viability assays, compound 4h was chosen to be evaluated in 3D culture for its IC₅₀ against MCF7 breast cancer cells as well as for docking studies with both enzymes.