Binding of influenza virus hemagglutinin to analogs of its cell-surface receptor, sialic acid: analysis by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography

An O-glycoside of sialic acid derivative that inhibits both hemagglutinin and sialidase activities of influenza viruses

The compound Neu5Ac3alphaF-DSPE (4), in which the C-3 position was modified with an axial fluorine atom, inhibited the catalytic hydrolysis of influenza virus sialidase and the binding activity of hemagglutinin. The inhibitory activities to sialidases were independent of virus isolates examined. With the positive results obtained for inhibition of hemagglutination and hemolysis induced by A/Aichi/2/68 virus, the inhibitory effect of Neu5Ac3alphaF-DSPE (4) against MDCK cells was examined, and it was found that 4 inhibits the viral infection with IC50 value of 5.6 microM based on the cytopathic effects. The experimental results indicate that compound 4 not only inhibits the attachment of virus to the cell surface receptor but also disturbs the release of the progeny viruses from infected cells by inhibiting both hemagglutinin and sialidase of the influenza viruses. The study suggested that the compound is a new class of bifunctional drug candidates for the future chemotherapy of influenza.

Use of pseudotyped retroviral vectors to analyze the receptor-binding pocket of hemagglutinin from a pathogenic avian influenza A virus (H7 subtype)

The hemagglutinin (HA) protein of influenza virus binds to terminal sialic acid residues present on cell surface glycoproteins and glycolipids. The specific amino acids involved in this interaction have been identified for a H3 subtype HA from the human non-pathogenic virus, A/Aichi/2/68, by both crystallographic and mutagenesis studies. We were interested to examine the receptor-binding pocket of a H7 subtype protein from the avian pathogenic virus A/FPV/Rostock/34. Accordingly, we made amino acid substitutions at six conserved residues (Y88, T126, H174, E181, L185, and G219), suggested by comparison with the receptor-binding pocket of the H3 protein, and analyzed the resulting proteins using pseudotyped retroviral vectors. The use of these vectors enabled us to quantitate both the ability of the mutant HA proteins to bind with receptor-expressing cells, and also to promote virus-cell fusion by measuring vector titer. Using this system, we identified a subset of mutants with impaired receptor-binding activity and a corresponding decrease in titer, but which retained the ability to induce syncytia in low pH cell-cell fusion assays. The most severely affected mutants contained more than one substitution, with the triple mutant Y88F/E181Q/G219K being the most defective. These observations highlight the importance of multiple contact points for the interaction between sialic acid and HA.

Systematic structure-based design and stereoselective synthesis of novel multisubstituted cyclopentane derivatives with potent antiinfluenza activity

The design and synthesis of novel, orally active, potent, and selective inhibitors of influenza neuraminidase differing structurally from existing neuraminidase inhibitors are described. X-ray crystal structures of complexes of neuraminidase with known five- and six-membered ring inhibitors revealed that potent inhibition of the enzyme is determined by the relative positions of the interacting inhibitor substituents (carboxylate, glycerol, acetamido, hydroxyl) rather than by the absolute position of the central ring. This led us to design potential neuraminidase inhibitors in which the cyclopentane ring served as a scaffold for substituents (carboxylate, guanidino, acetamido, alkyl) that would interact with the four binding pockets of the neuraminidase active site at least as effectively as those of the established six-membered ring inhibitors such as DANA (2), zanamivir (3), and oseltamivir (4). A mixture of the isomers was prepared initially. Protein crystallography of inhibitor-enzyme complexes was used to screen mixtures of isomers in order to identify the most active stereoisomer. A synthetic route to the identified candidate 50 was developed, which featured (3 + 2) cycloaddition of 2-ethylbutyronitrile oxide to methyl (1S,4R)-4[(tert-butoxycarbonyl)amino]cyclopent-2-ene-1-carboxylate (43). Structures of the synthetic compounds were verified by NMR spectroscopy using nuclear Overhauser effect methodology. Two new neuraminidase inhibitors discovered in this work, 50 and 54, have IC(50) values vs neuraminidase from influenza A and B of <1 and <10 nM, respectively. These IC(50) values are comparable or superior to those for zanamivir and oseltamivir, agents recently approved by the FDA for treatment of influenza. The synthetic route used to prepare 50 and 54 was refined so that synthesis of pure active isomer 54, which has five chiral centers, required only seven steps from readily available intermediates. Further manipulation was required to prepare deoxy derivative 50. Because the activities of the two compounds are comparable and 54 [RWJ-270201 (BCX-1812)] is the easier to synthesize, it was selected for further clinical evaluation.

Synchronized activation and refolding of influenza hemagglutinin in multimeric fusion machines

At the time of fusion, membranes are packed with fusogenic proteins. Do adjacent individual proteins interact with each other in the plane of the membrane? Or does each of these proteins serve as an independent fusion machine? Here we report that the low pH-triggered transition between the initial and final conformations of a prototype fusogenic protein, influenza hemagglutinin (HA), involves a preserved interaction between individual HAs. Although the HAs of subtypes H3 and H2 show notably different degrees of activation, for both, the percentage of low pH-activated HA increased with higher surface density of HA, indicating positive cooperativity. We propose that a concerted activation of HAs, together with the resultant synchronized release of their conformational energy, is an example of a general strategy of coordination in biological design, crucial for the functioning of multiprotein fusion machines.

X-ray structures of H5 avian and H9 swine influenza virus hemagglutinins bound to avian and human receptor analogs

The three-dimensional structures of avian H5 and swine H9 influenza hemagglutinins (HAs) from viruses closely related to those that caused outbreaks of human disease in Hong Kong in 1997 and 1999 were determined bound to avian and human cell receptor analogs. Emerging influenza pandemics have been accompanied by the evolution of receptor-binding specificity from the preference of avian viruses for sialic acid receptors in alpha2,3 linkage to the preference of human viruses for alpha2,6 linkages. The four new structures show that HA binding sites specific for human receptors appear to be wider than those preferring avian receptors and how avian and human receptors are distinguished by atomic contacts at the glycosidic linkage. alpha2,3-Linked sialosides bind the avian HA in a trans conformation to form an alpha2,3 linkage-specific motif, made by the glycosidic oxygen and 4-OH of the penultimate galactose, that is complementary to the hydrogen-bonding capacity of Gln-226, an avian-specific residue. alpha2,6-Linked sialosides bind in a cis conformation, exposing the glycosidic oxygen to solution and nonpolar atoms of the receptor to Leu-226, a human-specific residue. The new structures are compared with previously reported crystal structures of HA/sialoside complexes of the H3 subtype that caused the 1968 Hong Kong Influenza virus pandemic and analyzed in relation to HA sequences of all 15 subtypes and to receptor affinity data to make clearer how receptor-binding sites of HAs from avian viruses evolve as the virus adapts to humans.

Molecular basis for high virulence of Hong Kong H5N1 influenza A viruses

In 1997, an H5N1 influenza A virus was transmitted from birds to humans in Hong Kong, killing 6 of the 18 people infected. When mice were infected with the human isolates, two virulence groups became apparent. Using reverse genetics, we showed that a mutation at position 627 in the PB2 protein influenced the outcome of infection in mice. Moreover, high cleavability of the hemagglutinin glycoprotein was an essential requirement for lethal infection.

Stochastic simulation of hemagglutinin-mediated fusion pore formation

Studies on fusion between cell pairs have provided evidence that opening and subsequent dilation of a fusion pore are stochastic events. Therefore, adequate modeling of fusion pore formation requires a stochastic approach. Here we present stochastic simulations of hemagglutinin (HA)-mediated fusion pore formation between HA-expressing cells and erythrocytes based on numerical solutions of a master equation. The following elementary processes are taken into account: 1) lateral diffusion of HA-trimers and receptors, 2) aggregation of HA-trimers to immobilized clusters, 3) reversible formation of HA-receptor contacts, and 4) irreversible conversion of HA-receptor contacts into stable links between HA and the target membrane. The contact sites between fusing cells are modeled as superimposed square lattices. The model simulates well the statistical distribution of time delays measured for the various intermediates of fusion pore formation between cell-cell fusion complexes. In particular, these are the formation of small ion-permissive and subsequent lipid-permissive fusion pores detected experimentally (R. Blumenthal, D. P. Sarkar, S. Durell, D. E. Howard, and S. J., J. Cell Biol. 135:63-71). Moreover, by averaging the simulated individual stochastic time courses across a larger population of cell-cell-complexes the model also provides a reasonable description of kinetic measurements on lipid mixing in cell suspensions (T. Danieli, S. L. Pelletier, Y.I. Henis, and J. M. White, 1996, J. Cell Biol. 133:559-569).

Identification of amino acids of influenza virus HA responsible for resistance to a fusion inhibitor, Stachyflin

We have recently described a novel hemagglutinin (HA) conformational change inhibitor of human influenza virus, Stachyflin (Yoshimoto et al, Arch. Virol., 144, 1-14, 1999). Stachyflin-resistant variants of human influenza A/WSN/33 (H1N1) virus were isolated in vitro and the nucleotide sequences of their HA genes were determined. The relation of amino acid substitutions and Stachyflin resistance was analyzed with in vitro membrane fusion between HA-expressing cells and octadecylrhodamine (R18)-labelled chick erythrocytes (RBC). The amino acid substitutions, lysine to arginine at position 51 or lysine to glutamic acid at position 121 of the HA2 subunit of the HA protein was enough to confer a Stachyflin-resistant phenotype of HA protein. The molecular mechanism of anti-HA conformational change activity of Stachyflin is discussed.

Receptor binding and membrane fusion in virus entry: the influenza hemagglutinin

Hemagglutinin (HA) is the receptor-binding and membrane fusion glycoprotein of influenza virus and the target for infectivity-neutralizing antibodies. The structures of three conformations of the ectodomain of the 1968 Hong Kong influenza virus HA have been determined by X-ray crystallography: the single-chain precursor, HA0; the metastable neutral-pH conformation found on virus, and the fusion pH-induced conformation. These structures provide a framework for designing and interpreting the results of experiments on the activity of HA in receptor binding, the generation of emerging and reemerging epidemics, and membrane fusion during viral entry. Structures of HA in complex with sialic acid receptor analogs, together with binding experiments, provide details of these low-affinity interactions in terms of the sialic acid substituents recognized and the HA residues involved in recognition. Neutralizing antibody-binding sites surround the receptor-binding pocket on the membrane-distal surface of HA, and the structures of the complexes between neutralizing monoclonal Fabs and HA indicate possible neutralization mechanisms. Cleavage of the biosynthetic precursor HA0 at a prominent loop in its structure primes HA for subsequent activation of membrane fusion at endosomal pH (Figure 1). Priming involves insertion of the fusion peptide into a charged pocket in the precursor; activation requires its extrusion towards the fusion target membrane, as the N terminus of a newly formed trimeric coiled coil, and repositioning of the C-terminal membrane anchor near the fusion peptide at the same end of a rod-shaped molecule. Comparison of this new HA conformation, which has been formed for membrane fusion, with the structures determined for other virus fusion glycoproteins suggests that these molecules are all in the fusion-activated conformation and that the juxtaposition of the membrane anchor and fusion peptide, a recurring feature, is involved in the fusion mechanism. Extension of these comparisons to the soluble N-ethyl-maleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) protein complex of vesicle fusion allows a similar conclusion.

Coiled coils: a highly versatile protein folding motif

The alpha-helical coiled coil is one of the principal subunit oligomerization motifs in proteins. Its most characteristic feature is a heptad repeat pattern of primarily apolar residues that constitute the oligomer interface. Despite its simplicity, it is a highly versatile folding motif: coiled-coil-containing proteins exhibit a broad range of different functions related to the specific 'design' of their coiled-coil domains. The architecture of a particular coiled-coil domain determines its oligomerization state, rigidity and ability to function as a molecular recognition system. Much progress has been made towards understanding the factors that determine coiled-coil formation and stability. Here we discuss this highly versatile protein folding and oligomerization motif with regard to its structural architecture and how this is related to its biological functions.

The anti-influenza virus agent 4-GU-DANA (zanamivir) inhibits cell fusion mediated by human parainfluenza virus and influenza virus HA

4-GU-DANA (zanamivir) (as well as DANA and 4-AM-DANA) was found to inhibit the neuraminidase activity of human parainfluenza virus type 3 (HPF3). The viral neuraminidase activity is attributable to hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN), an envelope protein essential for viral attachment and for fusion mediated by the other envelope protein, F. While there is no evidence that HN's neuraminidase activity is essential for receptor binding and syncytium formation, we found that 4-GU-DANA prevented hemadsorption and fusion of persistently infected cells with uninfected cells. In plaque assays, 4-GU-DANA reduced the number (but not the area) of plaques if present only during the adsorption period and reduced plaque area (but not number) if added only after the 90-min adsorption period. 4-GU-DANA also reduced the area of plaques formed by a neuraminidase-deficient variant, confirming that its interference with cell-cell fusion is unrelated to inhibition of neuraminidase activity. The order-of-magnitude lower 50% inhibitory concentrations of 4-GU-DANA (and also DANA and 4-AM-DANA) for plaque area reduction and for inhibition in the fusion assay than for reducing plaque number or blocking hemadsorption indicate the particular efficacy of these sialic acid analogs in interfering with cell-cell fusion. In cell lines expressing influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) as the only viral protein, we found that 4-GU-DANA had no effect on hemadsorption but did inhibit HA2b-red blood cell fusion, as judged by both lipid mixing and content mixing. Thus, 4-GU-DANA can interfere with both influenza virus- and HPF3-mediated fusion. The results indicate that (i) in HPF3, 4-GU-DANA and its analogs have an affinity not only for the neuraminidase active site of HN but also for sites important for receptor binding and cell fusion and (ii) sialic acid-based inhibitors of influenza virus neuraminidase can also exert a direct, negative effect on the fusogenic function of the other envelope protein, HA.

An analysis of the helix-to-strand transition between peptides with identical sequence

An analysis of peptide segments with identical sequence but that differ significantly in structure was performed over non-redundant databases of protein structures. We focus on those peptides, which fold into an alpha-helix in one protein but a beta-strand in another. While the study shows that many such structurally ambivalent peptides contain amino acids with a strong helical preference collocated with amino acids with a strong strand preference, the results overwhelmingly indicate that the peptide's environment ultimately dictates its structure. Furthermore, the first naturally occurring structurally ambivalent nonapeptide from evolutionary unrelated proteins is described, highlighting the intrinsic plasticity of peptide sequences. We even find seven proteins that show structural ambivalence under different conditions. Finally, a computer algorithm has been implemented to identify regions in a given sequence where secondary structure prediction programs are likely to make serious mispredictions.

Stereochemical metrics of lectin-carbohydrate interactions: comparison with protein-protein interfaces

A global census of stereochemical metrics including interface size, hydropathy, amino acid propensities, packing and hydrogen bonding was carried out on 32 x-ray-elucidated structures of lectin-carbohydrate complexes covering eight different lectin families. It is shown that the interactions at primary binding subsites are more efficient than at other subsites. Another salient behavior found for primary subsites was a marked negative correlation between the interface size and the polar surface content. It is noteworthy that this demographic rule is delineated by lectins with unrelated phylogenetic origin, indicating that independent interface architectures have evolved through common optimization paths. The structural properties of lectin-carbohydrate interfaces were compared with those characterizing a set of 32 protein homodimers. Overall, the analysis shows that the stereochemical bases of lectin-carbohydrate and protein-protein interfaces differ drastically from each other. In comparison with protein-protein complexes, lectin-carbohydrate interfaces have superior packing efficiency, better hydrogen bonding stereochemistry, and higher interaction cooperativity. A similar conclusion holds in the comparison with protein-protein heterocomplexes. We propose that the energetic consequence of this better interaction geometry is a larger decrease in free energy per unit of area buried, feature that enables lectins and carbohydrates to form stable complexes with relatively small interface areas. These observations lend support to the emerging notion that systems differing from each other in their stereochemical metrics may rely on different energetic bases.

Delay of influenza hemagglutinin refolding into a fusion-competent conformation by receptor binding: a hypothesis

Two subunits of influenza hemagglutinin (HA), HA1 and HA2, represent one of the best-characterized membrane fusion machines. While a low pH conformation of HA2 mediates the actual fusion, HA1 establishes a specific connection between the viral and cell membranes via binding to the sialic acid-containing receptors. Here we propose that HA1 may also be involved in modulating the kinetics of HA refolding. We hypothesized that binding of the HA1 subunit to its receptor restricts the major refolding of the low pH-activated HA to a fusion-competent conformation and, in the absence of fusion, to an HA-inactivated state. Dissociation of the HA1-receptor connection was considered to be a slow kinetic step. To verify this hypothesis, we first analyzed a simple kinetic scheme accounting for the stages of dissociation of the HA1/receptor bonds, inactivation and fusion, and formulated experimentally testable predictions. Second, we verified these predictions by measuring the extent of fusion between HA-expressing cells and red blood cells. Three experimental approaches based on 1) the temporal inhibition of fusion by lysophosphatidylcholine, 2) rapid dissociation of the HA1-receptor connections by neuraminidase treatment, and 3) substitution of membrane-anchored receptors by a water-soluble sialyllactose all provided support for the proposed role of the release of HA1-receptor connections. Possible biological implications of this stage in HA refolding and membrane fusion are being discussed.

Influenza virus infection of desialylated cells

Sialic acid has long been considered to be the sole receptor for influenza virus. The viral hemagglutinin (HA) is known to bind cell surface sialic acid, and sialic acids on viral glyco-proteins are cleaved by the viral neuraminidase (NA) to promote efficient release of progeny virus particles. However, NWS-Mvi, a mutant virus completely lacking NA, grows well in MDCK cells continuously treated with exogenous neuraminidase (sialidase). Exogenous sialidase quantitatively releases all sialic acids from purified glycoproteins and glycolipids of MDCK cells and efficiently removes surface sialic acid from intact cells. Binding of NWS-Mvi and parent influenza viruses to MDCK cells is indistinguishable, and is only partially reduced by sialidase treatment of the cells. Both mutant and wild-type viruses enter enzymatically desialylated cells and initiate transcription. The ability of influenza A reassortant viruses to infect desialylated cells is shared by recent H3N2 clinical isolates, suggesting that this may be a general property of influenza A viruses. We propose that influenza virus infection can result from sialic acid-independent receptors, either directly or in a multistage process. When sialic acid is present, it may act to enhance virus binding to the cell surface to increase interaction with secondary receptors to mediate entry. Understanding virus entry will be critical to further efforts in infection control and prevention.

An unusual carbohydrate binding site revealed by the structures of two Maackia amurensis lectins complexed with sialic acid-containing oligosaccharides

Seeds from the legume tree Maackia amurensis contain two lectins that can agglutinate different blood cell types. Their specificity toward sialylated oligosaccharides is unique among legume lectins; the leukoagglutinin preferentially binds to sialyllactosamine (alphaNeuAc(2-3)betaGal(1-4)betaGlcNAc), whereas the hemagglutinin displays higher affinity for a disialylated tetrasaccharide (alphaNeuAc(2-3)betaGal(1-3)[alphaNeuAc(2-6)]alphaG alNAc). The three-dimensional structure of the complex between M. amurensis leukoagglutinin and sialyllactose has been determined at 2.75-A resolution using x-ray crystallography. The carbohydrate binding site consists of a deep cleft that accommodates the three carbohydrate residues of the sialyllactose. The central galactose sits in the primary binding site in an orientation that has not been observed previously in other legume lectins. The carboxyl group of sialic acid establishes a salt bridge with a lysine side chain. The glucose residue is very efficiently docked between two tyrosine aromatic rings. The complex between M. amurensis hemagglutinin and a disialylated tetrasaccharide could be modeled from the leukoagglutinin/sialyllactose crystal structure. The substitution of one tyrosine by an alanine residue is responsible for the difference in fine specificity between the two isolectins. Comparison with other legume lectins indicates that oligosaccharide specificity within this family is achieved by the recycling of structural loops in different combinations.

Influenza A viruses lacking sialidase activity can undergo multiple cycles of replication in cell culture, eggs, or mice

Influenza A viruses possess both hemagglutinin (HA), which is responsible for binding to the terminal sialic acid of sialyloligosaccharides on the cell surface, and neuraminidase (NA), which contains sialidase activity that removes sialic acid from sialyloligosaccharides. Interplay between HA receptor-binding and NA receptor-destroying sialidase activity appears to be important for replication of the virus. Previous studies by others have shown that influenza A viruses lacking sialidase activity can undergo multiple cycles of replication if sialidase activity is provided exogenously. To investigate the sialidase requirement of influenza viruses further, we generated a series of sialidase-deficient mutants. Although their growth was less efficient than that of the parental NA-dependent virus, these viruses underwent multiple cycles of replication in cell culture, eggs, and mice. To understand the molecular basis of this viral growth adaptation in the absence of sialidase activity, we investigated changes in the HA receptor-binding affinity of the sialidase-deficient mutants. The results show that mutations around the HA receptor-binding pocket reduce the virus's affinity for cellular receptors, compensating for the loss of sialidase. Thus, sialidase activity is not absolutely required in the influenza A virus life cycle but appears to be necessary for efficient virus replication.

Synthesis of a polymeric 4-N-linked sialoside which inhibits influenza virus hemagglutinin

A multiple sialic acid-bearing polymer 7 has been made in which a novel 4-N-substituted sialoside 5 has been coupled to polyacrylamide. The conjugate 7 has been found to inhibit the agglutination of influenza virus to red blood cells with HAI inhibition constants of around 10(-6) M, based on the sialic acid concentration.

In vitro selection and characterisation of influenza B/Beijing/1/87 isolates with altered susceptibility to zanamivir

We describe the in vitro selection and characterisation of virus derived from B/Beijing/1/87 passaged in the presence of zanamivir. During zanamivir passage, the phenotype of virus isolates was either drug dependent or drug resistant in plaque reduction assays. The susceptibility of the neuraminidase of the drug-dependent isolates was unchanged from that of the wild-type enzyme. The drug-dependent isolates contained two mutations in the viral haemagglutinin: V90A, close to the proposed secondary sialic acid-binding site, and L240Q, close to the primary sialic acid-binding site. Virus isolates that were drug resistant contained the same mutations in the haemagglutinin but also contained the mutation E116G in the neuraminidase. For the drug-dependent viruses, zanamivir susceptibility could not be measured because plaque numbers increased with increasing drug concentration. The in vitro zanamivir susceptibility of drug-resistant viruses was lower than that of the wild-type virus by a factor of 275- to >2532-fold. Neuraminidase containing the E116G mutation has a 33-fold lower affinity for zanamivir than the wild-type enzyme. The finding that the same haemagglutinin mutations are found in both drug-dependent and drug-resistant viruses confirms that the same changes to the receptor binding function can contribute to both phenotypes. This observation demonstrates the interplay between the influenza virus haemagglutinin and neuraminidase in escape from zanamivir inhibition in vitro.

Efficacy of exogenous oral zinc in treatment of patients with carbonic anhydrase VI deficiency

BACKGROUND

We previously described a disorder in 18 patients with decreased parotid saliva gustin/carbonic anhydrase (CA) VI secretion associated with loss of taste (hypogeusia) and smell (hyposmia) and distorted taste (dysgeusia) and smell (dysosmia). Because gustin/CAVI is a zinc-dependent enzyme we instituted a study of treatment with exogenous zinc to attempt to stimulate synthesis/secretion of gustin/CAVI and thereby attempt to correct the symptoms of this disorder.

METHODS

Fourteen of the 18 patients with this disorder completed the study. They were treated with 100 mg of exogenous zinc daily for 4 to 6 months, in an open clinical trial. Both before and after treatment, measurements were obtained of parotid saliva gustin/CAVI, parotid saliva, serum and urine zinc, taste and smell function, and, in some patients, examination of circumvallate taste buds by electron microscopy.

RESULTS

Treatment success was predicated upon significant increases in parotid saliva gustin/CAVI. This occurred in 10 of the 14 patients who were labeled responders; they also exhibited improvement in taste and smell acuity, a diminution in dysgeusia and dysosmia and increased zinc concentrations in parotid saliva, serum, and urine. Taste bud morphology returned to normal in each responder in whom it was measured. No increase in gustin/CAVI occurred in 4 patients who were labeled nonresponders; they exhibited no improvement in taste or smell acuity and no increases in parotid saliva zinc. However, serum and urine zinc increased to levels similar to those measured in the 10 responders. Two of 4 nonresponders reported diminution in dysgeusia and dysosmia. Taste bud morphology did not change from the abnormal state in the 1 nonresponder in whom it was measured.

CONCLUSIONS

Zinc treatment is effective in patients in whom this trace metal increases synthesis/secretion of gustin/CAVI and ineffective in those in whom it does not. Increased gustin/CAVI in this disorder is probably associated with zinc stimulation of the gene responsible for the synthesis/secretion of gustin/CAVI. Among nonresponders, zinc was ineffective for several possible reasons, including resistance to zinc and possible sialylation of gustin/CAVI, which may render it functionally ineffective. Results suggest the hypothesis that gustin/CAVI is a trophic factor that promotes growth and development of taste buds through its action on taste bud stem cells.

Identification of a conserved receptor-binding site on the fiber proteins of CAR-recognizing adenoviridae

The human adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5) is used widely for applications in human gene therapy. Cellular attachment of Ad5 is mediated by binding of the carboxyl-terminal knob of its fiber coat protein to the Coxsackie adenovirus receptor (CAR) protein. However, Ad5 binding to CAR hampers the development of adenovirus vectors capable of specifically targeting (diseased) tissues or organs. Through sequence analysis and mutagenesis, a conserved receptor-binding region was identified on the side of three divergent CAR-binding knobs. The feasibility of simultaneous CAR ablation and redirection of an adenovirus to a new receptor is demonstrated.

Structure and conformation of complex carbohydrates of glycoproteins, glycolipids, and bacterial polysaccharides

For nuclear magnetic resonance determinations of the conformation of oligosaccharides in solution, simple molecular mechanics calculations and nuclear Overhauser enhancement measurements are adequate for small oligosaccharides that adopt single, relatively rigid conformations. Polysaccharides and larger or more flexible oligosaccharides generally require additional types of data, such as scalar and dipolar coupling constants, which are most conveniently measured in 13C-enriched samples. Nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation data provide information on the dynamics of oligosaccharides, which involves several different types of internal motion. Oligosaccharides complexed with lectins and antibodies have been successfully studied both by X-ray crystallography and by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The complexes have been shown to be stabilized by a combination of polar hydrogen bonding interactions and van der Waals attractions. Although theoretical calculations of the conformation and stability of free oligosaccharides and of complexes with proteins can be carried out by molecular mechanics methods, the role of solvent water for these highly polar molecules continues to present computational problems.

Effects of egg-adaptation on the receptor-binding properties of human influenza A and B viruses

Propagation of human influenza viruses in embryonated chicken eggs (CE) results in the selection of variants with amino acid substitutions near the receptor-binding site of the hemagglutinin (HA) molecule. To evaluate the mechanisms by which these substitutions enable human virus growth in CE, we studied the binding of 10 human influenza A (H1N1, H3N2) and B strains, isolated and propagated solely in MDCK cells, and of their egg-adapted counterparts to preparations of cellular membranes, gangliosides, sialylglycoproteins, and sialyloligosaccharides. All egg-adapted variants differed from nonadapted strains by increased binding to the plasma membranes of chorio-allantoic (CAM) cells of CE and by the ability to bind to CAM gangliosides. In addition, there was no decrease in affinity for inhibitors within allantoic fluid. These findings indicate that growth of human influenza viruses in CE is restricted because of their inefficient binding to receptors on CAM cells and that gangliosides can play an important role in virus binding and/or penetration. The effects of the egg-adaptation substitutions on the receptor-binding properties of the viruses include (i) enhancement of virus binding to the terminal Sia(alpha2-3)Gal determinant (substitutions in HA positions 190, 225 of H1N1 strains and in position 186 of H3N2 strains); (ii) a decrease of steric interference with more distant parts of the Sia(alpha2-3Gal)-containing receptors (a loss of glycosylation sites in positions 163 of H1 HA and 187 of type B HA); and (iii) enhanced ionic interactions with the negatively charged molecules due to charged substitutions at the tip of the HA [187, 189, 190 (H1), and 145, 156 (H3)]. Concomitantly with enhanced binding to Sia(alpha2-3)Gal-terminated receptors, all egg-adapted variants decreased their affinity for equine macroglobulin, a glycoprotein bearing terminal 6'-sialyl(N-acetyllactosamine)-moieties.

The surface glycoproteins of H5 influenza viruses isolated from humans, chickens, and wild aquatic birds have distinguishable properties

In 1997, 18 confirmed cases of human influenza arising from multiple independent transmissions of H5N1 viruses from infected chickens were reported from Hong Kong. To identify possible phenotypic changes in the hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) of the H5 viruses during interspecies transfer, we compared the receptor-binding properties and NA activities of the human and chicken H5N1 isolates from Hong Kong and of H5N3 and H5N1 viruses from wild aquatic birds. All H5N1 viruses, including the human isolate bound to Sia2-3Gal-containing receptors but not to Sia2-6Gal-containing receptors. This finding formally demonstrates for the first time that receptor specificity of avian influenza viruses may not restrict initial avian-to-human transmission. The H5N1 chicken viruses differed from H5 viruses of wild aquatic birds by a 19-amino-acid deletion in the stalk of the NA and the presence of a carbohydrate at the globular head of the HA. We found that a deletion in the NA decreased its ability to release the virus from cells, whereas carbohydrate at the HA head decreased the affinity of the virus for cell receptors. Comparison of amino acid sequences from GenBank of the HAs and NAs from different avian species revealed that additional glycosylation of the HA and a shortened NA stalk are characteristic features of the H5 and H7 chicken viruses. This finding indicates that changes in both HA and NA may be required for the adaptation of influenza viruses from wild aquatic birds to domestic chickens and raises the possibility that chickens may be a possible intermediate host in zoonotic transmission.

Elongation of the N-acyl side chain of sialic acids in MDCK II cells inhibits influenza A virus infection

The interaction of influenza A virus with sialyated receptor components is one of the best characterized ligand-receptor interactions. We pretreated MDCK II host cells with three different N-acyl-modified sialic acid precursor analogues, N-propanoyl, N-butanoyl or N-pentanoyl D-mannnosamine. Cellular sialic acid biosynthesis yielded 18-35% of new, modified sialic acids on cell surface glycoconjugates, N-propanoyl, N-butanoyl or N-pentanoyl neuraminic acid, respectively. The elongation of the N-acyl group of sialic acids resulted in an inhibition of influenza A virus (strain X31) binding and subsequent infection of up to 80%. In contrast, the sialic acid-independent infection of vesicular stomatitis virus was unaffected in these cells. Molecular modeling studies based on the crystal structure of the influenza A virus hemagglutinin complexed with sialyllactose suggest a steric hindrance of hemagglutinin binding to aliphatically elongated N-acyl groups. We propose that biosynthetic sialic acid modification in conjunction with molecular modeling is a potent tool to further analyze the influenza A virus-receptor interaction.

Crystal structure of the ligand-binding domain of the receptor tyrosine kinase EphB2

The Eph receptors, which bind a group of cell-membrane-anchored ligands known as ephrins, represent the largest subfamily of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs). They are predominantly expressed in the developing and adult nervous system and are important in contact-mediated axon guidance, axon fasciculation and cell migration. Eph receptors are unique among other RTKs in that they fall into two subclasses with distinct ligand specificities, and in that they can themselves function as ligands to activate bidirectional cell-cell signalling. We report here the crystal structure at 2.9 A resolution of the amino-terminal ligand-binding domain of the EphB2 receptor (also known as Nuk). The domain folds into a compact jellyroll beta-sandwich composed of 11 antiparallel beta-strands. Using structure-based mutagenesis, we have identified an extended loop that is important for ligand binding and class specificity. This loop, which is conserved within but not between Eph RTK subclasses, packs against the concave beta-sandwich surface near positions at which missense mutations cause signalling defects, localizing the ligand-binding region on the surface of the receptor.

Molecular mechanisms of serum resistance of human influenza H3N2 virus and their involvement in virus adaptation in a new host

H3N2 human influenza viruses that are resistant to horse, pig, or rabbit serum possess unique amino acid mutations in their hemagglutinin (HA) protein. To determine the molecular mechanisms of this resistance, we characterized the receptor-binding properties of these mutants by measuring their affinity for total serum protein inhibitors and for soluble receptor analogs. Pig serum-resistant variants displayed a markedly decreased affinity for total pig serum sialylglycoproteins (which contain predominantly 2-6 linkage between sialic acid and galactose residues) and for the sialyloligosaccharide 6'-sialyl(N-acetyllactosamine). These properties correlated with the substitution 186S-->I in HA1. The major inhibitory activity in rabbit serum was found to be a beta inhibitor with characteristics of mannose-binding lectins. Rabbit serum-resistant variants exhibited decreased sensitivity to this inhibitor due to the loss of a glycosylation sequon at positions 246 to 248 of the HA. In addition to a somewhat reduced affinity for 6'-sialyl(N-acetyllactosamine)-containing receptors, horse serum-resistant variants lost the ability to bind the viral neuraminidase-resistant 4-O-acetylated sialic acid moieties of equine alpha2-macroglobulin because of the mutation 145N-->K/D in their HA1. These results indicate that influenza viruses become resistant to serum inhibitors because their affinity for these inhibitors is reduced. To determine whether natural inhibitors play a role in viral evolution during interspecies transmission, we compared the receptor-binding properties of H3N8 avian and equine viruses, including two strains isolated during the 1989 to 1990 equine influenza outbreak, which was caused by an avian virus in China. Avian strains bound 4-O-acetylated sialic acid residues of equine alpha2-macroglobulin, whereas equine strains did not. The earliest avian-like isolate from a horse influenza outbreak bound to this sialic acid with an affinity similar to that of avian viruses; a later isolate, however, displayed binding properties more similar to those of classical equine strains. These data suggest that the neuraminidase-resistant sialylglycoconjugates present in horses exert selective pressure on the receptor-binding properties of avian virus HA after its introduction into this host.

Delineation of the epitope recognized by an antibody specific for N-glycolylneuraminic acid-containing gangliosides

P3 is a mouse monoclonal antibody (mAb) that binds to several NeuGc-containing gangliosides. It also reacts with antigens expressed in human breast tumors (Vázquez et al. (1995) Hybridoma , 14, 551-556). In this work, the binding specificity of P3 has been characterized in more detail using a panel of glycolipids that included several disialylated gangliosides and several chemical derivatives of NeuGc-GM3. The carboxyl group and the nitrogen function of sialic acid were found to play important roles in the antibody binding, whereas the glycerol tail appears to be nonrelevant. Molecular modeling was used to analyze the binding data, including the finding that P3 selectively recognizes the internal NeuGc in GD3. For this purpose, conformational studies of GD3 were performed using molecular dynamics. It was concluded that sialic acid binds the P3 antibody through its upper face (the one on which the carboxyl group is exposed) and the C4-C5 side of the sugar ring, whereas none or very little contact between the galactose residue and the protein is evident. Conformational analysis of GD3 revealed that, despite the large flexibility of the NeuGcalpha8NeuGc linkage, the P3 binding epitope on the external sialic acid is not well exposed for any of the possible conformations this linkage can adopt, whereas the internal sialic acid presents the epitope in a proper way for several of these conformations. As a final result, a coherent picture of the epitope that fits the wide binding data was obtained.

Crystal structure of the N-terminal domain of sialoadhesin in complex with 3' sialyllactose at 1.85 A resolution

The structure of the functional N-terminal domain from the extracellular region of the cell surface receptor sialoadhesin has been determined in complex with the oligosaccharide 3' sialyllactose. This provides structural information for the siglec family of proteins. The structure conforms to the V-set immunoglobulin-like fold but contains several distinctive features, including an intra-beta sheet disulphide and a splitting of the standard beta strand G into two shorter strands. These novel features appear important in adapting the V-set fold for sialic acid-mediated recognition. Analysis of the complex with 3'sialyllactose highlights three residues, conserved throughout the siglec family, as key features of the sialic acid-binding template. The complex is representative of the functional recognition interaction with carbohydrate and as such provides detailed information for a heterotypic cell adhesion interaction.

Studies of the binding properties of influenza hemagglutinin receptor-site mutants

Site-specific mutations have been made in the influenza hemagglutinin (HA) receptor binding site to assess the contribution of individual amino acid residues to receptor recognition. Screening of mutant HAs, expressed using recombinant vaccinia virus-infected cells, for their abilities to bind human erythrocytes indicated that substitutions involving conserved residues Y98F, H183F, and L194A severely restricted binding and that the substitution W153A prevented cell surface expression of HA. Mutation of residues E190 and S228 that are in positions to form hydrogen bonds with the 9-OH of sialic acid appeared to increase erythrocyte binding slightly, as did the substitution G225R. Substitutions of other residues that are directly or indirectly involved in receptor binding, S136T, S136A, Y195F, G225D, and L226P, had intermediate effects on binding between these two extremes. Estimates of changes in receptor binding specificity based on inhibition of binding to erythrocytes by nonimmune horse sera indicated that mutants G225R and L226P, unlike wild-type HA, were not inhibited; Y195F and G225D mutants were, like wild type, inhibited; and erythrocyte binding by mutants S136A, S136T, E190A, and S228G was only partially inhibited. Viruses containing mutant HAs Y98F, S136T, G225D, and S228G that cover the range of erythrocyte binding properties observed were also constructed by transfection. All four transfectant viruses replicated in MDCK cells and embryonated hens' eggs as efficiently as wild-type X-31 virus, although the Y98F mutant virus was unable to agglutinate erythrocytes. Mutant MDCK cells that have reduced levels of cell surface sialic acids were susceptible to infection by S136T, G225D, and S228G transfectant viruses and by wild type but not by the Y98F transfectant virus.

Chemical approaches to glycobiology and emerging carbohydrate-based therapeutic agents

The contributions of cell surface oligosaccharides to critical biological processes such as leukocyte-endothelial cell adhesion, bacterial and viral infection, and immunological recognition of tumor cells and foreign tissue are now understood in significant molecular detail. These discoveries at the forefront of biological research have motivated the design of synthetic glycoconjugates as tools for the fundamental study of glycobiology and as candidates for future generations of therapeutic and pharmaceutical reagents. During the past two years, significant progress has been made in the design and synthesis of carbohydrate-based inhibitors of selectins, receptors involved in the attachment of leukocytes to endothelial cells at sites of inflammation. Monomeric and multivalent oligosaccharides that bind to bacterial and viral receptors have been shown to abrogate infection by agents such as Helicobacter pilori, influenza virus and HIV. The identification of certain cell surface oligosaccharides as potent antigens has prompted their use in tumor vaccines, and inspired new approaches to the management of tissue rejection subsequent to xenotransplantation. To better understand how cell surface oligosaccharides function within their native context, novel chemical approaches to modulating cell surface oligosaccharides structures are now being developed. These stratergies for cell surface 'glycoform remodeling' promise to facilitate the investigation of carbohydrate mediated cell-cell interactions.

Cell-surface carbohydrate recognition by animal and viral lectins

Many animal and viral lectins are specific for monosaccharides found in particular glycosidic linkages, or for larger oligosaccharide structures. Recent crystal structures of complexes between these proteins and receptor fragments have provided insights into the recognition of linkage isomers and oligosaccharide conformation.

'Flu' and structure-based drug design

The threat of a catastrophic outbreak of influenza is ever present. Vaccines are only partially effective and the two compounds, amantidine and rimantidine, used clinically against influenza A cause side-effects and rapid viral resistance. Recent advances bring hope that specific and potent drugs against influenza may soon be available in the clinic. These compounds were designed to inhibit influenza neuraminidase (NA), one of the viral coat glycoproteins, using the crystal structure of NA which was first published in 1983. In this review, the application of structure-based drug design approaches to the design of anti-influenza agents targeted at NA and haemagglutinin (HA), the other viral surface glycoprotein, is discussed.

Functional and structural analysis of the sialic acid-binding domain of rotaviruses

The infectivity of most animal rotaviruses is dependent on the interaction of the virus spike protein VP4 with a sialic acid (SA)-containing cell receptor, and the SA-binding domain of this protein has been mapped between amino acids 93 and 208 of its trypsin cleavage fragment VP8. To identify which residues in this region are essential for the SA-binding activity, we performed alanine mutagenesis of the rotavirus RRV VP8 expressed in bacteria as a fusion polypeptide with glutathione S-transferase. Tyrosines were primarily targeted since tyrosine has been involved in the interaction of other viral hemagglutinins with SA. Of the 15 substitutions carried out, 10 abolished the SA-dependent hemagglutination activity of the protein, as well as its ability to bind to glycophorin A in a solid-phase assay. However, only alanine substitutions for tyrosines 155 and 188 and for serine 190 did not affect the overall conformation of the protein, as judged by their interaction with a panel of conformationally sensitive neutralizing VP8 monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). These findings suggest that these three amino acids play an essential role in the SA-binding activity of the protein, presumably by interacting directly with the SA molecule. The predicted secondary structure of VP8 suggests that it is organized as 11 beta-strands separated by loops; in this model, Tyr-155 maps to loop 7 while Tyr-188 and Ser-190 map to loop 9. The close proximity of these two loops is also supported by previous results from competition experiments with neutralizing MAbs directed at RRV VP8.

High-resolution structure of a polyomavirus VP1-oligosaccharide complex: implications for assembly and receptor binding

The crystal structure of a recombinant polyomavirus VP1 pentamer (residues 32-320) in complex with a branched disialylated hexasaccharide receptor fragment has been determined at 1.9 A resolution. The result extends our understanding of oligosaccharide receptor recognition. It also suggests a mechanism for enhancing the fidelity of virus assembly. We have previously described the structure of the complete polyomavirus particle complexed with this receptor fragment at 3.65 A. The model presented here offers a much more refined view of the interactions that determine carbohydrate recognition and allows us to assign additional specific contacts, in particular those involving the (alpha2,6)-linked, branching sialic acid. The structure of the unliganded VP1 pentamer, determined independently, shows that the oligosaccharide fits into a preformed groove and induces no measurable structural rearrangements. A comparison with assembled VP1 in the virus capsid reveals a rearrangement of residues 32-45 at the base of the pentamer. This segment may help prevent the formation of incorrectly assembled particles by reducing the likelihood that the C-terminal arm will fold back into its pentamer of origin.

Avian influenza A viruses differ from human viruses by recognition of sialyloligosaccharides and gangliosides and by a higher conservation of the HA receptor-binding site

Avian influenza virus strains representing most hemagglutinin (HA) subtypes were compared with human influenza A (H1N1,H3N2) and B virus isolates, including those with no history of passaging in embryonated hen's eggs, for their ability to bind free N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) and sialylollgosaccharides in a competitive binding assay and to attach to gangliosides in a solid-phase adsorption assay. The avian viruses, irrespective of their HA subtype, showed a higher affinity for sialyl-3-lactose and the other Neu5Ac2-3Gal-terminated oligosaccharides and a lower affinity for sialyl-6-lactose than for free Neu5Ac, indicative of specific interactions between the HA and the 3-linked Gal and poor accommodation of 6-linked Gal in the avian receptor-binding site (RBS). Human H1 and H3 strains, by contrast, were unable to bind to 3-linked Gal, interacting instead with the asialic portion of sialyl-6-(N-acetyllactosamine). Different parts of this moiety were recognized by H3 and H1 subtype viruses (Gal and GlcNAc, respectively). Comparison of the HA amino acid sequences revealed that residues in positions. 138, 190, 194, 225, 226, and 228 are conserved in the avian RBS, while the human HAs harbor substitutions at these positions. A characteristic feature of avian viruses was their binding to Neu5Ac2-3Gal-containing gangliosides. This property of avian precursor viruses was preserved in early human H3 isolates, but was gradually lost with further circulation of the H3 HA in humans. Consequently, later human H3 isolates, as well as H1 and type B human strains, were unable to bind to short Neu5Ac2-3Gal-terminated gangliosides, an incompatibility that correlated with higher glycosylation of the HA globular head of human viruses. Our results suggest that the RBS is highly conserved among HA subtypes of avian influenza virus, while that of human viruses displays distinctive genotypic and phenotypic variability.

Binding of the influenza A virus to cell-surface receptors: structures of five hemagglutinin-sialyloligosaccharide complexes determined by X-ray crystallography

The structures of five complexes of the X-31 influenza A (H3N2) virus hemagglutinin with sialyloligosaccharide receptor analogs have been determined from 2.5 to 2.8 A resolution by X-ray crystallography. There is well-defined electron density for three to five saccharides in all five complexes and a striking conformational difference between two linear pentasaccharides with the same composition but different linkage [alpha(2-->6) or alpha(2-->3)] at the terminal sialic acid. The bound position of the terminal sialic acid (NeuAc) is the same in all five complexes and is identical to that reported previously from the study of mono- and trisaccharides. The two oligosaccharides with NeuAc alpha(2-->6)Gal linkages and GlcNAc at the third position have a folded conformation with the GlcNAc doubled back to contact the sialic acid. The pentasaccharide with a terminal NeuAc alpha(2-->3)Gal linkage and GlcNAc at the third position has an extended (not folded) conformation and exits from the opposite side of the binding site than the alpha(2-->6)-linked molecule of the same composition. The difference between the conformation of the pentasaccharide with a 2,6 linkage and the trisaccharide 2,6-sialyllactose suggests that 2,6-sialyllactose is not, as previously believed, an appropriate analog of natural influenza A virus receptors. The oligosaccharides studied are NeuAc alpha(2-->3)Gal beta(1-->4)Glc, NeuAc alpha(2-->6)Gal beta(1-->4)Glc, NeuAc alpha(2-->3)Gal beta(1-->3)GlcNAc beta(1-->3)Gal beta(1-->4)Glc, NeuAc alpha(2-->6)Gal beta(1-->4)GlcNAc beta(1-->3)Gal beta(1-->4)Glc, and [NeuAc alpha(2-->6)Gal beta(1-->4)GlcNAc]2 beta(1-->3/6)Gal-beta-O-(CH2)5-COOCH3.

Expression, crystallization, and preliminary X-ray analysis of a sialic acid-binding fragment of sialoadhesin in the presence and absence of ligand

Sialoadhesin is a macrophage-restricted cell surface receptor, consisting of 17 immunoglobulin domains, which mediates cell adhesion via the recognition of specific sialylated glycoconjugates. A functional fragment of sialoadhesin, comprising the N-terminal immunoglobulin domain, has been expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells as both native (SnD1) and selenomethionyl (Se-SnD1) stop protein. The successful production of 86% selenomethionine-incorporated protein represents a rare example of production of selenium-labeled protein in mammalian cells. SnD1 and Se-SnD1 have been crystallized in the absence of ligand, and SnD1 has also been crystallized in the presence of its ligand 2,3 sialyllactose. The ligand-free crystals of SnD1 and Se-SnD1 were isomorphous, of space group P3(1)21 or P3(2)21, with unit cell dimensions a = b 38.9 A,c = 152.6 A, alpha = beta = 90 degrees, gamma = 120 degrees, and diffracted to a maximum resolution of 2.6 A. Cocrystals containing 2,3 sialyllactose diffracted to 1.85 A at a synchrotron source and belong to space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with unit cell dimensions a = 40.9 A, b = 97.6 A,c = 101.6 A, alpha = beta = gamma = 90 degrees.

Sialic acids in molecular and cellular interactions

Sialic acids (Sias) are terminal components of many glycoproteins and glycolipids especially of higher animals. In this exposed position they contribute significantly to the structural properties of these molecules, both in solution and on cell surfaces. Therefore, it is not surprising that Sias are important regulators of cellular and molecular interactions, in which they play a dual role. They can either mask recognition sites or serve as recognition determinants. Whereas the role of Sias in masking and in binding of pathogens to host cells has been documented over many years, their role in nonpathological cellular interaction has only been shown recently. The aim of this chapter is to summarize our knowledge about Sias in masking, for example, galactose residues, and to review the progress made during the past few years with respect to Sias as recognition determinants in the adhesion of pathogenic viruses, bacteria, and protozoa, and particularly as binding sites for endogenous cellular interaction molecules. Finally, perspectives for future research on these topics are discussed.

Influenza Neuraminidase Inhibitors Possessing a Novel Hydrophobic Interaction in the Enzyme Active Site: Design, Synthesis, and Structural Analysis of Carbocyclic Sialic Acid Analogues with Potent Anti-Influenza Activity

The design, synthesis, and in vitro evaluation of the novel carbocycles as transition-state-based inhibitors of influenza neuraminidase (NA) are described. The double bond position in the carbocyclic analogues plays an important role in NA inhibition as demonstrated by the antiviral activity of 8 (IC50 = 6.3 microM) vs 9 (IC50 > 200 microM). Structure-activity studies of a series of carbocyclic analogues 6a-i identified the 3-pentyloxy moiety as an apparent optimal group at the C3 position with an IC50 value of 1 nM for NA inhibition. The X-ray crystallographic structure of 6h bound to NA revealed the presence of a large hydrophobic pocket in the region corresponding to the glycerol subsite of sialic acid. The high antiviral potency observed for 6h appears to be attributed to a highly favorable hydrophobic interaction in this pocket. The practical synthesis of 6 starting from (-)-quinic acid is also described.