Beneficial role of a nonpathogenic orbi-like virus: studies on the interfering effect of M14 virus in mice and mosquitoes infected with Japanese encephalitis virus

M14 virus, isolated from Culex tritaeniorhynchus mosquitoes collected in a Beijing suburb, was identified as a noncytopathogenic orbi-like virus. It was found to interfere with the growth of Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus, a mosquito-borne virus which infects humans, pigs, and horses in much of Asia, including China. JE virus is transmitted by C. tritaeniorhynchus mosquitoes and causes encephalitis in humans and horses and abortion in pigs. Because it had potential as an interfering agent for the biological control of JE, the M14 virus was characterized and its interfering effect was studied in mice and in C. tritaeniorhynchus mosquitoes.

Nasal absorption of testosterone in rats

Testosterone levels in the blood were determined in rats following nasal, intravenous, and intraduodenal administration of 25-micrograms and 50-micrograms doses. The results indicated that the drug levels after nasal and intravenous administration were similar, whereas intraduodenal administration resulted in considerably lower levels. The bioavailability of the nasally administered drug was calculated to be 99% and 90% at the 25-micrograms and 50-micrograms doses, respectively. The intraduodenal bioavailability was only 1% at the dose studied.

Pressure-jump kinetics of bovine beta-casein micellization

Two samples of highly purified bovine beta-casein supplied to us by Dr. T.A.J. Payens of the National Institute for Dairy Research, Ede, The Netherlands, were studied over a range of concentration from just below the critical micelle concentration (CMC) to 0.46%, in 0.2 ionic strength phosphate buffer (pH 7.0), at 20 and 25 degrees C. The relaxation process studied by pressure jump using a 90 degree scattered light detector was also confirmed by the temperature-jump method. In the pressure-jump experiments, the process could be separated into two general time domains, with an approximate ratio of 10-25:1, a behavior reminiscent of that found for synthetic micellar systems. The faster relaxation process was still exhibited below the CMC, however. The concentration dependence of the faster relaxation time agreed very satisfactorily with predictions from the micelle model described in the companion paper.

Deoxyribonucleic acid breaks produced by 4'-(9-acridinylamino)methanesulfon-m-anisidide and copper

We have demonstrated that 4'-(9-acridinyl-amino)methanesulfon-m-anisidide (mAMSA), in the presence of Cu(II) ion, causes the breakage of plasmid pDPT275 and pBR322 superhelical form I DNA. In neutral pH, the degradative product was nicked, relaxed form II DNA, resulting from single-stranded DNA breakage. The extent of DNA breakage was both mAMSA concentration and Cu(II) concentration dependent. DNA breakage increased with increasing time of drug treatment. The mAMSA-Cu(II)-induced DNA breakage varied with pH values and also with the nature of the buffer systems. In both Tris-HCl and borate buffers the extent of DNA breakage increased with increasing pH. In Tris-HCl buffer (pH 7-9), only single-strand breaks were obtained, whereas in borate buffer (pH 9-10.5), linear form III DNA was obtained. At equivalent pH, the optimum buffer was borate. No breakage was observed at pH values below 6. The interaction of Cu(II) with mAMSA was examined by using absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies. Interaction of Cu(II) with mAMSA was characterized by a decrease in the absorption at 435 and 420 nm with a simultaneous increase at 330 nm. A highly fluorescent product was obtained upon reacting mAMSA with Cu(II), with an emission spectrum (excitation at 400 nm) showing a doublet at 430 and 450 nm and a shoulder around 480 nm. The spectral changes are also dependent similarly on the pH and the nature of buffer. Other divalent metal ions such as Co(II), Cd(II), Ni(II), and Zn(II) do not induce DNA breakage or spectral changes. The oAMSA isomer, which has no antitumor activity, is less effective in inducing DNA breakage than the mAMSA.

Mechanism of deoxyribonucleic acid breakage induced by 4'-(9-acridinylamino)methanesulfon-m-anisidide and copper: role for cuprous ion and oxygen free radicals

4'-(9-Acridinylamino)methanesulfon-m-anisidide (mAMSA) interacts with Cu(II) ion, as indicated by changes in the mAMSA absorption spectrum induced by Cu(II). The spectral changes are due to the oxidation of mAMSA by Cu(II), resulting in an oxidized mAMSA product and Cu(I). Two lines of evidence for the oxidation of mAMSA are as follows: (1) The spectral changes induced by manganese oxide, an oxidizing agent, were similar to those induced by Cu(II), and (2) the Cu(II)-induced spectral changes were reversed by a reducing agent, NADPH. Thin-layer chromatographic studies showed the oxidized mAMSA product to be N1-methylsulfonyl-N4-(9-acridinyl)-3-methoxy-2,5-cyclohexadiene-1, 4-diimine (mAQDI). The involvement of Cu(I) in the reaction was demonstrated by the use of two Cu(I)-specific chelating agents, neocuproine and bathocuproine. Neocuproine or bathocuproine chelated the Cu(I) ions in the mixture, producing Cu(neocuproine)2+ complex or Cu(bathocuproine)2+ complex. The stoichiometry of mAMSA-Cu(II) interactions was determined by titrating the mAMSA-Cu(II) mixtures with bathocuproine. Job plots of the absorbance at 480 nm showed a clear end point at a Cu(II)/mAMSA ratio of 1.5/1, indicating that 1.5 equiv of Cu(II) reacts with 1 equiv of mAMSA to produce 1.5 equiv of Cu(I). Cu(I) plays an important role in the mAMSA-Cu(II)-induced DNA breakage, since in the presence of neocuproine the DNA breakage is inhibited. Up to 200 microM, Cu(I) by itself is virtually ineffective, in contrast to the mixture of mAMSA and Cu(II).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Humoral antibody response to individual viral proteins after murine cytomegalovirus infection

The purpose of this study was to identify viral proteins that played an important role in the humoral immune response to murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV). Viral proteins were separated from a purified virus preparation on polyacrylamide gels, were blotted onto nitrocellulose strips, and were reacted with antisera collected from mice on various days post infection. No antibody response was detected in serum obtained 5 days post infection, but by 10 days there was a faint response to five different proteins. Thereafter, the number of proteins eliciting an antibody response, as well as the intensity of the response, increased with time so that by 42 days post infection a response to 13 major antigens was detected. This method provides a means of separating out important immunogens from the more than 30 different MCMV proteins originally identified by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Such information may improve our understanding of the pathogenesis of MCMV infection as well as host immune responses to the virus.

Humoral antibody response to individual viral proteins after murine cytomegalovirus infection

The purpose of this study was to identify viral proteins that played an important role in the humoral immune response to murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV). Viral proteins were separated from a purified virus preparation on polyacrylamide gels, were blotted onto nitrocellulose strips, and were reacted with antisera collected from mice on various days post infection. No antibody response was detected in serum obtained 5 days post infection, but by 10 days there was a faint response to five different proteins. Thereafter, the number of proteins eliciting an antibody response, as well as the intensity of the response, increased with time so that by 42 days post infection a response to 13 major antigens was detected. This method provides a means of separating out important immunogens from the more than 30 different MCMV proteins originally identified by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Such information may improve our understanding of the pathogenesis of MCMV infection as well as host immune responses to the virus.

Bladder instillation of adriamycin in the treatment of bladder cancer

Intravesical Adriamycin instillation was used in 10 patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder as postoperative prophylactic treatment against recurrence. The protocol for bladder instillation was 20 mg/10 ml of Adriamycin twice weekly for a total of eight doses. One patient developed recurrence in 3 months and three, in 6 months. The main local side-effects were frequency and dysuria which occurred in four cases. Leukopenia and increased SGOT and SGPT values each occurred in one case. No cases of cardiotoxicity, fibrosis, or atrophy of the bladder mucosa were found. Further studies are necessary to achieve the best possible results.

Demonstration of antibodies to Mycoplasma pneumoniae attachment protein in human sera and respiratory secretions

Antibodies specific to the attachment protein of Mycoplasma pneumoniae were demonstrated in sera and respiratory secretions of human patients. The results indicate that the attachment protein is a major immunogen.

Intermolecular cross-linking of DNA through bifunctional intercalation of an antitumor antibiotic, luzopeptin A (BBM-928A)

A bifunctional intercalator may intercalate with DNA in at least two ways. Both intercalating moieties may intercalate with the same DNA molecule (type I, intramolecular cross-linking) or with two separate DNA molecules (type II, intermolecular cross-linking). Production of type I is often assumed. Type II biintercalation has been suggested, but no direct evidence has been reported. In the present study, endonuclease-restricted PM2 phage or pBR322 plasmid DNA fragments were treated with the bifunctional intercalative antitumor antibiotics, luzopeptin A (BBM-928A) and echinomycin, and analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis. Luzopeptin A treatment produced additional DNA bands which were the products of type II biintercalation. The types of restriction fragments involved were identified. Maximal type II biintercalation occurred at a luzopeptin A/DNA range of 0.14 to 0.18, at which more than 50% of the total DNA molecules were involved. Type II products were converted gradually to type I products upon prolonged incubation at 37 degrees, probably due to the tendency for intermolecular bonds to disrupt. Echinomycin treatment failed to produce type II products, probably because of a DNA-binding affinity weaker than that of luzopeptin A. Thus, it is possible to use the present gel system to demonstrate the type II biintercalation for strong biintercalators, but milder systems are needed for weak biintercalators.

Effects of DNA superhelical changes induced by ethidium bromide on the DNA-degrading activity of two antitumor antibiotics, bleomycin and phleomycin

The effects of changes in the conformational state of DNA on the single-strand and double-strand breakage activity of two antitumor antibiotics, bleomycin (BLM) A2 and phleomycin D1, have been studied by the gel electrophoretic analysis of the drug-degraded PM2 phage superhelical DNA pretreated with an intercalating agent, ethidium bromide (EB). Both the single-strand and double-strand breakage activities of BLM A2 increased as the negatively superhelical turns of native PM2 DNA were gradually removed by intercalation with increasing EB concentrations. The activities peaked when DNA was completely relaxed and gradually decreased as the higher concentrations of EB twisted DNA into the positively superhelical form. The decrease in breakage activity was not due to any inhibitory effect of EB at higher concentrations, since treatment of the relaxed Form I0 DNA with low EB concentrations also reduced the activity. In contrast to BLM A2, phleomycin D1 responded minimally to DNA conformational changes, which suggested further that the two drugs may react with DNA differently. The differential responses of BLM A2 activity towards different DNA conformational states may have biological implications, since DNA in cells may exist in different conformational states relating to various gene functions. The current study may serve as a model for studying combined effects of intercalative and nonintercalative antitumor antibiotics which are used frequently in combination treatments of cancer.

Chemical cross-linking of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase and its dissimilar subunits

Previous kinetic studies have demonstrated that the activation of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase by cyclic AMP involves the formation of a ternary complex of cyclic AMP, the regulatory subunit (R) and the catalytic subunit (C). It is suggested that only this ternary complex breaks down to liberate the enzymically active catalytic subunit. We have performed cross-linking experiments with the holoenzyme and its dissimilar subunits in the presence of MgATP and various concentrations of cyclic AMP. Results from these cross-linking studies indicate that regulatory subunits exist as dimers in the native form. Moreover, dissociation of the holoenzyme or the reconstituted enzyme is promoted by cyclic AMP, and the effect of MgATP is to stabilize the enzyme in the tetrameric form. The success in cross-linking the regulatory and the catalytic subunits of protein kinase with the lysine-specific bifunctional cross-linking reagent dimethyl suberimidate may be attributed to the presence of a large number of lysine residues in the enzyme.

Disposition of sulfadimethoxine in swine: inclusion of protein binding factors in a pharmacokinetic model

Sulfadimethoxine was administered intravenously and orally to five swine. More than 75% of the dose was excreted into urine as the acetyl metabolite with 4-6% excreted unchanged. Plasma and urine data were not consistent when a linear pharmacokinetic model was used to describe the data. Sulfadimethoxine has a high affinity for plasma protein, and the data were subsequently fitted to a nonlinear model, which included saturable protein binding. The choice of a nonlinear model was further supported by a minimum value for the Akaike information criteria. The protein binding constant obtained was 2.8 X 10(4) M-1 and the total protein binding site concentration in plasma was 4.6 X 10(-4) M. Both values are comparable with in vitro data. This result suggests that the nonlinear model involving protein binding can be successfully applied to pharmacokinetic data. The apparent biological half-life of sulfadimethoxine (free and bound) in plasma was 14 hr; however, the half-life of elimination of free drug was 1.25 hr. Following oral administration, all of the dose was absorbed with an apparent absorption half-life of 2.9 hr.

Bifunctional intercalation of antitumor antibiotics BBM-928A and echinomycin with deoxyribonucleic acid. Effects of intercalation on deoxyribonucleic acid degradative activity of bleomycin and phleomycin

The binding of peptide antitumor antibiotics, BBM-928A and echinomycin, to superhelical PM2 DNA and the effects of the resulting conformational changes of DNA on the DNA-degradative activity of two related antitumor antibiotics, bleomycin A2 and phleomycin D1, have been studied. The bifunctional intercalative mode of the DNA binding of BBM-928A concluded previously from viscometric and fluorometric studies has been confirmed by gel electrophoretic analysis. Under the employed electrophoretic conditions, DNA-bound BBM-928A showed little dissociation whereas echinomycin and ethidium bromide showed partial and nearly complete dissociation, respectively. BBM-928A induced neither single-strand nor double-strand breaks in DNA. Competitive binding studies by fluorescence changes suggested that binding sites on DNA molecules for BBM-928A (or echinomycin) may differ from those for ethidium bromide, since binding to DNA by the two drugs was not competitive even at saturating concentrations. The lack of such a competition between the two drugs is not consistent with the neighbor-exclusion principle. The DNA-degradative activity of both bleomycin A2 and phleomycin D1 increased with the removal of the negative superhelicity of DNA by the BBM-928A intercalation and decreased with the formation of positive superhelical turns induced by high concentrations of BBM-928A. Thus the degradative activity of both bleomycin A2 and phleomycin D1 is sensitive in a similar manner to the degree of superhelicity rather than the double helicity of DNA, although there are differences between these two drugs in interaction with DNA.

Bleomycin and talisomycin sequence-specific strand scission of DNA: a mechanism of double-strand cleavage

Computer analyses of DNA sequencing data obtained using various restriction fragments of pBR 322 DNA indicate that a trinucleotide sequence (-Pyr-G-C-) is the most preferred site for cleavage by the antitumor antibiotic bleomycin A2. Talisomycin A, a structurally related bleomycin analog, cleaved at the sequences -G-T/A- most preferentially. However, the presence of a pyrimidine at the 5' side of guanine at the cleavage site did not increase the probability of that site being cleaved by talisomycin. Using denaturing and nondenaturing polyacrylamide gel analyses of the drug-DNA reaction products. The sites of both single- and double-strand breaks have been localized and differentiated. The results indicate that a major determinant for location of a site-specific double-strand break is the production of two closely spaced sequence-specific single-strand breaks by the drugs on opposite strands of the DNA. A four-base pair sequence is proposed for the optimal sequence for bleomycin-induced double-strand breaks.

Monoclonal antibodies to human sperm antigens

To elucidate the molecular nature of human sperm autoantigens, attempts were made to raise monoclonal antibodies against these antigens, by hybridoma techniques. After successive immunizations with the particulate fractions of human sperm extract in BALB/c mice, the spleen cells were fused with P3-X63-Ag8 myeloma cells. Several clones and their subclones were obtained and shown by microplate radioimmunoassay to produce antibodies against human sperm antigens. When SDS gel/protein blot radioimmunobinding was used for further molecular analysis, three independently derived clones were shown to produce antibodies, all of which cross-reacted with the same two human sperm antigens with a molecular weight of about 10,000. Using an indirect immunofluorescence assay, antibodies produced by these clones were shown to react with antigens localized on the acrosomal regions of human spermatozoa. Monoclonal antibodies produced by other clones, however, showed no cross-reactivity with any of the blotted proteins from SDS gels of human spermatozoa. Some possible reasons for this are presented.

Inhibition of PM-2 DNA degradation by a human serum protein

A unique DNA-binding protein was detected that inhibited DNA degradation induced by bleomycin and was decreased in sera of cancer patients. The protein from normal human serum was purified to homogeneity by ammonium sulfate precipitation and DEAE-cellulose and DNA-cellulose column chromatography. Two-dimensional isoelectric focusing gel electrophoresis revealed a single protein spot with a molecular weight of 64,000 and a pI at pH 5.9. The NH2 terminus was lysine, and the ratio of acidic to basic residues was 1.2. DNA binding was demonstrated by column chromatography, agarose gel electrophoresis, fluorescence quenching, and circular dichroism. The inhibitory activity was abolished by treatment with Pronase but not by RNase or DNase I. FeCl2 caused a partial loss of inhibitory activity. The inhibition of DNA degradation was more effective for breakage induced by bleomycin than neocarzinostatin, macromomycin, or DNase I. Evidence from DNA-binding studies suggests the inhibition is due to binding of the protein to sites on DNA preferred by bleomycin. Thus, the protein could be useful for studies on the mechanism of action of bleomycin and other antitumor agents, the cytotoxic effects of which are due primarily to damage of cellular DNA. The protein was decreased significantly in sera of cancer patients, and its potential use as a diagnostic tool for neoplasias is being investigated further.

Structure-activity relationships involved in the site-specific fragmentation of linear duplex DNAs by talisomycin and bleomycin analogs

The fragmentation of Hind III- and Pst I-digested PM2 DNA and of Hind III-digested pBR322 DNA by bleomycin A2 and B2 and talisomycins A, B, S2b, and S10b was investigated. As observed by electrophoresis on agarose gels, the ethidium bromide staining band patterns produced following incubation of the various restriction endonuclease-digested DNAs with the compounds were different for the bleomycin analogs and for the talisomycin analogs. Quantitation of the degree of fragmentation of various segments of linear PM2 DNA by either bleomycin A2 or talisomycin A indicated that certain segments of the PM2 genome serve as better substrates than other segments for double-strand fragmentation by either of the two antitumor antibiotics. These results show that in this system bleomycin and talisomycin analog treatment of linear PM2 or pBR322 DNA resulted in breakage of DNA, producing different-length DNA fragments, and demonstrate the importance of the two amino acids and the 4-amino-4,6-dideoxy-L-talose sugar, which are located near the bithiazole in talisomycin but absent in the bleomycin structure in conferring a different site-specificity for DNA fragmentation to talisomycin than to bleomycin.

Comparison of the sequences at specific sites on DNA cleaved by the antitumor antibiotics talisomycin and bleomycin

We have investigated the site-specific cleavage of DNA by the antitumor antibiotics talisomycin and bleomycin by using 5'- or 3'-terminal 32P-labeled restriction fragments of pBR 322 DNA. Both drugs cleaved DNA preferentially at G-C and G-T sequences. However, the relative amounts of cleavage at particular cleavage sites differed between talisomycin and bleomycin at concentrations of the drugs which produced similar extents of total cleavage. In addition, talisomycin produced specific cleavages at G-A sequences which were relatively resistant to cleavage by bleomycin. Within a preferred sequence group (i.e., G-C sequences), some sites were cleaved to a greater extent relative to others by both talisomycin and bleomycin, suggesting that a greater degree of specificity than that provided by only two nucleotides is involved in the site-specific recognition and cleavage of DNA by these drugs.

Viscometric and fluorometric studies of deoxyribonucleic acid interactions of several new anthracyclines

Interactions involved in the binding of the anthracycline analogues adriamycin, carminomycin, pyrromycin, musettamycin, marcellomycin, and aclacinomycin to calf thymus DNA and covalently closed circular PM-2 DNA have been studied. Fluorescence quenching experiments revealed that denaturation of calf thymus DNA and increasing ionic strength each resulted in a marked decrease in the DNA binding affinities of all of the anthracyclines studied. These results suggest that intercalative and electrostatic interactions are both important in the DNA binding of these analogues. Viscometric studies indicated that under high ionic strength conditions which negated electrostatic effects, all of the anthracyclines induced an unwinding--rewinding process of the closed superhelical PM-2 DNA typically observed for DNA intercalators. Relative to the 26 degrees unwinding angle of ethidium bromide, anthracyclines with a daunomycinone-like aglycon induced an unwinding angle of approximately 13 degrees. This differed slightly from the unwinding angles of 10.3 degrees-11.1 degrees which were induced by anthracyclines with a pyrromycinone-like aglycon. Increases in the length of the glycosidic side chain did not elicit significant differences in PM-2 DNA unwinding ability, implying a lack of effect of glycosidic side chain length on the anthracycline intercalation process. The unwinding angles also showed little sensitivity to decreases in ionic strength, suggesting that the fraction of bound anthracycline molecules which are in a nonintercalated state is similar to the fraction of bound ethidium bromide molecules which are in a nonintercalated state.

DNA breakage activity of the methanol extract of auromomycin

The constituents of the antitumor agent auromomycin have been analyzed to determine their DNA-breakage activities. Spectral analysis showed that the methanol extract contained 70% of the non-peptide chromophore, whereas the residue contained 20%. Amino acid analysis of the methanol extract showed that it contained 21%-26% of the original auromomycin polypeptides. The DNA-degradation activity of the extract was 121% +/- 28% of that of the untreated auromomycin, whereas that of the residue was only 22% +/- 3.8%. Mixing of the residue and the methanol extract resulted in the loss of three-fourths of the total activity. Agarose gel electrophoretic analysis showed that the single-strand DNA breakage activity of the methanol extract was 6.5-fold greater than that of the double-strand DNA-breakage activity. The difference in the total DNA-cleavage activity of the untreated, methanol-treated, and remixed auromomycin preparations may suggest the occurrence of certain non-peptide chromophore-polypeptide interactions in both the untreated and the remixed preparations. This is consistent with the fluorescent changes observed upon mixing of the extract and residue. Fractionation of the methanol extract by Sephadex chromatography revealed that several column fractions which were enriched with non-peptide chromophore relative to the polypeptides contained in them still had significant DNA-degradation activity. These studies suggest that the non-peptide chromophore in the auromomycin preparation may contribute to most of the observed DNA breakage activity.

Inhibition of bleomycin-induced DNA breakage by superoxide dismutase

Inhibition of bleomycin (BLM)-induced DNA breakage by superoxide dismutase (SOD) has been reported and presumed to be due to its removal of the superoxide free radicals generated by BLM in the presence of iron(II). We have studied the possibility that the inhibitory effect might result from DNA-binding of SOD. The effect of copper-zinc SOD on BLM-induced DNA degradation was investigated using the PM-2 DNA fluorescence technique. PM-2 DNA was incubated with BLM in the presence or absence of native and heat-inactivated copper-zinc SOD as determined by the epinephrine autoxidation method. The concentrations of SOD required to inhibit 50% PM-2 DNA degradation for the native and the inactivated SOD were 100 and 120 microgram/ml, respectively. Analysis of the reaction mixture by agarose gel electrophoresis confirmed the absence of DNA degradation by BLM in the presence of either form of SOD. PM-2 DNA was shown to bind native or inactivated SOD by Sephadex G-100 column chromatography, fluorescence-quenching studies, and agarose gel electrophoresis. Thus, these results indicate that SOD is able to bind to PM-2 DNA and inhibit BLM-induced degradation independently of its free radical-scavenging activity. The inhibitor was more effective against BLM than other compounds which degrade PM-2 DNA. This suggests that SOD may bind to BLM-binding and/or BLM degradation sites in PM-2 DNA, and the observed inhibition is unrelated to its effects on free radicals.

[DNP-peptidase activity in the rabbit ovary (author's transl)]

To examine the possible roles of collagenolytic enzymes in the follicular wall at ovulation, we measured in rabbit ovaries collagenolytic enzymes by using synthetic substrates, DNP-Pro-Gln-Gly-Ile-Ala-Gly-Gln-D-Arg OH supposed to be specific for vertebrate collagenase. Our results clearly demonstrated that DNP-peptidase activity existed, with its optimal pH7.6-pH7.8 in rabbit ovarian follicles. DNP-peptidase activity steadily increased for nine hours following the hCG injection. After nine hours of enzyme activity decreased sharply until about the tenth hour, at which time ovulation had occurred. This pattern of enzyme activities indicates that the DNP-peptidase was consumed for degradation of collagen fibers. After collagen fibers have been completely degraded, this enzyme was increased again. These changes of DNP-peptidase activities at ovulation were similar to cathepsin B1 activities with its optimal pH6.0. It is concluded that DNP-peptidase could be one of ovulatory enzymes in the rabbit.

Single-strand and double-strand deoxyribonucleic acid breaks produced by several bleomycin analogues

Production of single-strand breaks (ssb) and double-strand breaks (dsb) of PM2 phage DNA by several structurally related bleomycin (BLM) analogues was studied by gel electrophoresis. BLM A2 and BLM B2 produced a comparable extent of dsb. In various experiments, BLM A2 and BLM B2, at 22-41 ng/mL, degraded 50% of the form I DNA into 33-38% form II and 12-17% form III DNA. BLM B1' produced ssb and dsb at a ratio similar to that of BLM A2, but both at a rate less than half that of BLM A2. Phleomycin (PLM) D1 induced an equivalent amount of ssb but only one-eighth of dsb induced by BLM B2. The relatively lower extent dsb production for PLM D1 was observed either in borate buffer (pH 9.5) or in Tris-HCl buffer (pH 7.5) and in the presence or absence of exogenous Fe(II). Deamido-BLM A2 produced ssb to an extent approximately half that of BLM A2 and dsb to less than one-eighth that of BLM A2. The following conclusions were drawn. (1) BLM analogues produced ssb and dsb to different extents and ratios. (2) The ratio of dsb to ssb varied depending on the analogue, indicating a lack of a direct correlation between ssb and dsb. (3) The extent of ssb and dsb was affected by modifications on both the C- and N-terminal half-molecules of BLM: modification of either the N-terminal amide or the bithiazole greatly reduced dsb, whereas changes in structure or charge in the C-terminal amine affected ssb and dsb to a similar extent.

Interactions of a new antitumor antibiotic BBM-928A with deoxyribonucleic acid. Bifunctional intercalative binding studied by fluorometry and viscometry

A new actinoleukin-like antitumor antibiotic, BBM-928A, has been shown to interact with isolated DNA molecules. BBM-928A contains two substituted quinolines linked by a cyclic decapeptide. Quenching effects of the covalently closed superhelical PM2 DNA on the BBM-928A fluorescence revealed a strong interaction with an apparent association constant of 1.93 x 10(7) M-1 and with 11 deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) nucleotides per BBM-928A binding site. Viscometric studies indicated the BBM-928A induced an unwinding-rewinding process of the closed superhelical PM2 DNA typically observed for DNA intercalators. The unwinding angle (43 degrees) induced by BBM-928A was almost twice that of the ethidium bromide (26 degrees), a monofunctional intercalator. The BBM-928A-induced increase of the helix length of sonicated rodlike calf thymus DNA was approximately 1.5-fold that induced by the ethidium bromide. On the basis of these observations, we concluded that BBM-928A bifunctionally intercalated with DNA in a manner similar to the bifunctional intercalation of echinomycin.

Comparison of DNA damage and single- and double-strand breakage activities on PM-2 DNA by talisomycin and bleomycin analogs

Single- and double-strand breakage of isolated PM-2 DNA by structural analogs of the glycopeptide antitumor antibiotics bleomycin (BLM) and talisomycin (TLM) was investigated. Breakage of PM-2 DNA was determined by two systems: an ethidium bromide fluorescence assay; and agarose gel electrophoresis. The fluorescence assay, which measures total breakage of DNA including single- and double-strand breakage and alkaline labile damage, showed that the BLM's, A2 and B2 induced more total DNA breakage than did the TLM's A, B, S2b, and S10b. As measured by the comparison of the concentration of analog required to cause 50% breakage of superhelical DNA, BLM's A2 and B2 were 10 times more active than TLM's S2b and S10b and 25 times more active than TLM's A and B. Gel electrophoresis, which measures the extent of both single- and double-strand breakage of DNA, showed that at equivalent levels of breakage of superhelical DNA each of the TLM's caused more double-strand breakage of DNA than did the BLM's. Thus, the structural alterations near the bithiazole in the TLM's, which distinguish them structurally from the BLM's, result in a reduction of the total PM-2 DNA breakage activity and enhanced production of double-strand breaks relative to single-strand breaks by TLM when compared to BLM.

Effects of second-generation platinum analogs on isolated PM-2 DNA and their cytotoxicity in vitro and in vivo

Using PM-2 DNA and cytotoxicity assay systems, we have studied several second-generation platinum analogs and compared these to the parent compound cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II). These results indicate that all planar platinum(II) congeners induced similar effects upon interaction with PM-2 DNA, i.e., alteration of the tertiary DNA conformations. The reactivity of the analogs with DNA depended on the activity of the leaving groups. Octahedral platinum(IV) compounds, however, induced breakage of covalently closed circular PM-2 DNA, and the effects were not inhibited by either chloride or ethylenediaminetetraacetate. This suggests that breakage of isolated PM-2 DNA may be related to the axial trans bonds rather than the equatorial cis bonds of the solvated platinum(IV) compounds, since the activity of the dichloroplatinum(II) compounds has been shown to be inhibited by chloride ions. Studies on the in vitro and in vivo cytotoxicity of the platinum analogs demonstrated that the reactivity of analogs against PM-2 DNA correlated with in vitro and in vivo potencies. The reactivity with PM-2 DNA appeared to depend on the characteristics of the leaving group.

Interaction of cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) with PM-2 DNA

The interaction of cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) (CDDP) with PM-2 DNA was studied using two techniques: (a) agarose gel electrophoresis of PM-2 DNA conformation isomers after CDDP binding; and (b) viscometric measurement of different forms of CDDP-bound PM-2 DNA. In both systems, the results indicated that the DNA isomers interacted differently with CDDP. CDDP induced a decrease of viscosity upon interacting with single-strand broken relaxed circular (Form II) and double-strand broken linear (Form III) PM-2 DNA's. These observations are consistent with a "DNA shortening effect" proposed by Cohen et al. [Science (Wash. D. C.), 203: 1014-1016, 1979] and Macquet et al. [Biochimie (Paris), 60: 901-914, 1978] When covalently closed circular (Form I) PM-2 DNA was used, increasing concentrations of CDDP induced an initial slight increase and then decrease of electrophoretic mobility to the degree that it comigrated with CDDP-bound Form II DNA. Further addition of CDDP restored the electrophoretic mobility of Form I DNA. Corresponding changes in the viscosity of CDDP-bound Form I DNA showed an initial decrease, then an increase, and a final prolonged decrease of viscosity. These effects are similar but not identical to those induced by either DNA intercalators (e.g., ethidium bromide) or certain DNA denaturating agents (e.g., formaldehyde, ultraviolet light, alkali trichloroacetate, methylmercuric hydroxide, and carbodiimide). Thus, CDP may induce a DNA superhelix-unwinding process followed either by rewinding or a denaturation process or both. Quantitative analysis of the agarose gel electrophoretic pattern plus sucrose density gradient centrifugation studies also indicated that there was little DNA strand breakage induced by CDDP treatment.

Changes in RNA polymerase II in a cell cycle-specific temperature-sensitive mutant of hamster cells

tsAF8 cells are a temperature-sensitive mutant of BHK cells that arrest at the nonpermissive temperature in the G1 phase of the cell cycle. The activity of solubilized RNA polymerase II and its ability to bine [3H]-gamma-amanitin decrease in tsAF8 cells at 40.6 degrees, with a half-life of approximately 10 hr. No appreciable changes occur in these two parameters in tsAF8 cells at 34 degrees or in BHK cells at either 34 degrees or 40.6 degrees. Protein synthesis is not appreciably affected for at least 24 hr after tsAF8 cells are shifted to 40.6 degrees. These results indicate that in tsAF8 cells at the nonpermissive temperature, there is a defect in either the synthesis, the assembly, or the stability of RNA polymerase II, and that the loss of RNA polymerase II molecules is not due to widespread cellular damage.

Transcription and circular dichroism of chromatin in lymphoblastoid cell lines during proliferation and quiescence

RNA polymerase activity of nuclei and positive circular dichroism ellipticity in the 250--300 nm region of chromatin were studied in three lymphoblastoid cell lines: HRI, an Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) positive virus-producing line; Raji, and EBV positive virus-producing line; Raji, an EBV positive non-producer line; and SU-AMB-1, and EBV negative line. Raji consistently exhibited the highest and SU-AMB-1 the lowest polymerase activity and ellipticity. All lines showed higher RNA polymerase activity and positive ellipticity when exponentially growing than when stationary. In Raji it was shown that changes in RNA polymerase activity and chromatin ellipiticity were parallel. The changes in RNA polymerase activity of nuclei and circular dichroism ellipticity correlated with those of the proliferative state but not with the number of viral genomes or the production of virus or viral antigens.

Evidence for an essential arginine recognition site on adenosine 3':5'-cyclic monophosphate-dependent protein kinase of rabbit skeletal muscle

On the basis of the chemical and structural features of the amino acid sequences in the vicinities of phosphorylatable hydroxyamino acid residues in several of the well-known protein substrates for skeletal-muscle cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase, it is hypothesized that the phosphorylatable residue at position i and arginine residue at position i-3 of these protein substrates are located on a peptide turn on the hydrophilic protein surface. It is further hypothesized that there is an arginine-recognition site near the active centre on the protein kinase. This site is essential for the function of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase, for, not only does it recognize specifically the exposed arginine residue of the protein substrate, but, more importantly, via the interaction with arginine-(i--3), it may help to steer the topologically adjacent serine-i into proper orientation on the nearby active centre for phosphorylation. Model-building and kinetic data that provide support for the proposed hypotheses are presented.

Analysis of the prodrug 7-acetylacroninium perchlorate in presence of the parent compound acronine

Analysis of acronine and the prodrug acetylacroninium perchlorate in parenteral solutions is described. The unstable prodrug reacts quantitatively with the nucleophilic agent aniline by an unusual mechanism to form a phenylimino derivative of acronine. This derivative and acronine itself were determined by a spectrophotometric two-component method.