Bioactive ryanoids from nucleophilic additions to 4,12-seco-4,12-dioxoryanodine.

Ryanoids are the most potent inhibitors known for the calcium-release channel (ryanodine receptor), and they are also botanical insecticides. Twenty-two new ryanoids are described in which the C-4, C-12 bond is ruptured or replaced with an oxygen bridge and in which substituents at C-4 and C-12 are modified to have a wide range of polarities. They are obtained by nucleophilic additions to the 4,12-seco-4,12-dioxo compounds or diketones prepared from ryanodine and dehydroryanodine by periodate oxidation. Structures of the new compounds are distinguished by changes in NMR chemical shifts of 13C and 1H nuclei in the regions of C-4 and C-12. The new ryanoids are compared with ryanodine as inhibitors of [3H]ryanodine binding using a rabbit muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum preparation alone or with ATP and a mouse brain receptor with ATP. They are also examined as knockdown agents for houseflies pretreated with a cytochrome P450 oxidase inhibitor to suppress detoxification and then injection with the ryanoid. The diketones have very weak binding activity in the receptor assays and very low toxicity to flies. Activity approaching that of ryanodine in both the receptor and fly assays is obtained for ketals with small groups at C-12 and polar substituents such as OH or NHOH at C-4. The oximes range from low to moderate potency. Addition of thiols to the vinyl group of dehydroryanodine gives three thioethers all of low biological activity. With most ryanoids addition of ATP to the muscle system increases its sensitivity to near that found for the brain receptor with ATP; possible exceptions are compounds with phenyl substituents. Activity at the calcium-release channel generally follows housefly toxicity although the hydrazine and hydroxyamine adducts are much weaker than expected perhaps due to dissociation under the assay conditions.

Isolation and identification of a diuretic hormone from Zootermopsis nevadensis.

A diuretic hormone (DH) was isolated from extracts of heads of Zootermopsis nevadensis, a dampwood termite. The peptide has 46 residues, M(r) = 5,328.2 Da, with the sequence TGAVPSLSIVNPLDVLRQRLLLEIARRRMRQSQDQIQANREMLQTI-NH(2,) showing it to be a CRF-related DH. This peptide increases cyclic AMP production in Malpighian tubules of Manduca sexta. We detected another factor in the head extracts which behaved as a more basic peptide on ion exchange chromatography. The latter factor also stimulated cyclic AMP production in the bioassay, but two large scale attempts to isolate this peptide were unsuccessful. We believe the second peptide is acid labile.

Capillary zone electrophoresis of a recombinant adenovirus.

Adenovirus preparations are used as vectors in a number of gene therapy clinical development programs. The success of commercial production of adenovirus will strongly depend on the development of methods to define the recombinant virus product by analysis as opposed to being defined by the manufacturing process. While most analytical techniques examine portions of the virus, e.g. proteins or DNA, ion-exchange chromatography has been used to separate intact virus at low efficiency. A free zone capillary electrophoretic method was developed for high-efficiency separations of adenovirus 5. Experimental conditions such as buffer pH and concentration were explored which produced a high-efficiency separation in less than 20 min. The virus band was identified by collection of CE fractions and examination using a cell based assay. Initially, a single virus peak is found in fresh virus samples. After as little as one freeze-thaw in 1 x phosphate-buffered saline with 2% sucrose, the active virus migrates as a regular series of peaks. The nature of the virus modification leading to the differing electrophoretic mobilities is presently under investigation.

Maturation and responsiveness to extracts of corpora allata from male Locusta migratoria containing allatotropic factors.

Corpora allata (CA) from male Locusta migratoria were tested for their ability to synthesize juvenile hormone (JH) and to respond to stimulating brain/corpora cardiaca (CC)-extracts under in vitro conditions. We found that a preincubation of the CA of both sexes at 4 degrees C for 24 h lowers their basal rate of synthesis and retains their responsiveness to allatotropic factors. Male CA can be stimulated by brain/CC extracts as well as female CA. JH biosynthesis stimulating factors are also present in male brain/CC extracts. Thus such extracts from male locusts can be used for the isolation of locust allatotropin. Furthermore male locust CA are appropriate for bioassaying such allatotropic factors.

Identification of a diuretic hormone of Locusta migratoria.

We have isolated a peptide from brains and corpora cardiaca of Locusta migratoria which is immunologically related to the diuretic hormone of Manduca sexta. We determined its structure as a 46 amino acid linear peptide with 43-50% identity to the M. sexta hormone. Moreover, we showed that the new peptide functions as a diuretic hormone in L. migratoria, stimulating urine production by Malpighian tubules and elevating levels of cAMP in tubules.

Anti-insect toxin 5 (AaIT5) from Androctonus australis.

An insect-selective scorpion toxin (AaIT5) was purified from the venom of the North African scorpion Androctonus australis, and its amino acid sequence was determined by a combination of automated Edman degradation, electrospray-ionization mass spectrometry, and sequence alignment. This insect toxin is very potent against the tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens (100% lethal dose < 1.8 microg/100 mg body mass) and shows a distinct insect specificity and various symptoms. It is not toxic to mice after subcutaneous injection. The molecular mass of this toxin is 6882 Da and the amino acid sequence is similar to those of Androctonus australis anti-insect toxin 4 (AaIT4), Leiurus quinquestriatus depressant anti-insect toxins (LqhIT2, LqqIT2), and Buthotus judaicus depressant anti-insect toxin (BjIT2).

Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic assay for the adenovirus type 5 proteome.

An RP-HPLC assay was developed for a recombinant adenovirus type 5. During chromatography, intact adenovirus dissociated into its structural components (DNA and proteins) and the viral proteome was separated yielding a characteristic fingerprint. The individual components were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectroscopy, N-terminal sequencing and amino acid composition. The assay was utilized to measure adenovirus particle concentration through quantification of structural proteins. Each structural protein provided independent measurement of virus concentration allowing verification of accuracy. The assay sensitivity is at or below 2 x 10(8) particles. Contrary to the benchmark spectrophotometric assay, the RP-HPLC assay was shown to be insensitive to contaminants common for partially purified adenovirus preparations.

Rapid purification and molecular modeling of AaIT peptides from venom of Androctonus australis.

As recombinant viruses expressing scorpion toxins are moving closer toward the market, it is important to obtain large amounts of pure toxin for biochemical characterization and the evaluation of biological activity in nontarget organisms. In the past, we purified a large amount of Androctonus australis anti-insect toxin (AaIT) present in the venom of A. australis with an analytical reversed-phase column by repeated runs of crude sample. We now report 20 times improved efficiency and speed of the purification by employing a preparative reversed-phase column. In just two consecutive HPLC steps, almost 1 mg of AaIT was obtained from 70 mg crude venom. Furthermore, additional AaIT was obtained from side fractions in a second HPLC run. Recently discovered insect selective toxin, AaIT5, was isolated simultaneously from the same venom batch. It shows different biological toxicity symptoms than the known excitatory and depressant insect toxins. AaIT5 gave 100% mortality with a dose of less than 1.3 micrograms against fourth-instar tobacco budworms Heliothis virescens 24 h after injection. During the purification process, we implemented mass spectrometry in addition to bioassays to monitor the presence of AaIT and AaIT5 in the HPLC fractions. Mass spectrometric screening can unambiguously follow the purification process and can greatly facilitate and expedite the downstream purification of AaIT and AaIT5 eliminating the number of bioassays required. Further, electrospray ionization was compared with matrix-assisted desorption/ionization and evaluated as a method of choice for mass spectrometric characterization of fractions from the venom purification for it provided higher mass accuracy and relative quantitation capability. Molecular models were built for AaIT5, excitatory toxin AaIT4, and depressant toxin LqhIT2. Three-dimensional structure of AaIT5 was compared with structures of the other two toxins, suggesting that AaIT5 is similar to depressant toxins.