Evaluation of a system to screen for stimulators of non-specific DNA nicking by HIV-1 integrase: application to a library of 50,000 compounds

Novel 1,2,4-Triazole- and Tetrazole-Containing 4H-Thiopyrano[2,3-b]quinolines: Synthesis Based on the Thio-Michael/aza-Morita-Baylis-Hillman Tandem Reaction and Investigation of Antiviral Activity

A novel method for synthesizing 1,2,4-triazole- and tetrazole-containing 4H-thiopyrano[2,3-b]quinolines using a new combination of the thio-Michael and aza-Morita-Baylis-Hillman reactions was developed. Target compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxicities and antiviral activities against influenza A/Puerto Rico/8/34 virus in MDCK cells. The compounds showed low toxicity and some exhibited moderate antiviral activity. Molecular docking identified the M2 channel and polymerase basic protein 2 as potential targets. We observed that the antiviral activity of thiopyrano[2,3-b]quinolines is notably affected by both the nature and position of the substituent within the tetrazole ring, as well as the substituent within the benzene moiety of quinoline. These findings contribute to the further search for new antiviral agents against influenza A viruses among derivatives of thiopyrano[2,3-b]quinoline.

Existing and emerging technologies for tumor genomic profiling

Ongoing global genome characterization efforts are revolutionizing our knowledge of cancer genomics and tumor biology. In parallel, information gleaned from these studies on driver cancer gene alterations--mutations, copy number alterations, translocations, and/or chromosomal rearrangements--an be leveraged, in principle, to develop a cohesive framework for individualized cancer treatment. These possibilities have been enabled, to a large degree, by revolutionary advances in genomic technologies that facilitate systematic profiling for hallmark cancer genetic alterations at increasingly fine resolutions. Ongoing innovations in existing genomics technologies, as well as the many emerging technologies, will likely continue to advance translational cancer genomics and precision cancer medicine.

Alternative nucleophilic substrates for the endonuclease activities of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 integrase

Retroviral integrase can use water or some small alcohols as the attacking nucleophile to nick DNA. To characterize the range of compounds that human immunodeficiency virus type 1 integrase can accommodate for its endonuclease activities, we tested 45 potential electron donors (having varied size and number or spacing of nucleophilic groups) as substrates during site-specific nicking at viral DNA ends and during nonspecific nicking reactions. We found that integrase used 22 of the 45 compounds to nick DNA, but not all active compounds were used for both activities. In particular, 13 compounds were used for site-specific and nonspecific nicking, 5 only for site-specific nicking, and 4 only for nonspecific nicking; 23 other compounds were not used for either activity. Thus, integrase can accommodate a large number of nucleophilic substrates but has selective requirements for its different activities, underscoring its dynamic properties and providing new information for modeling and understanding integrase.