Binaphthyl-anchored antibacterial tripeptide derivatives with hydrophobic C-terminal amino acid variations.

The facile synthesis of seven new dicationic tripeptide benzyl ester derivatives, with hydrophobic group variations in the C-terminal amino acid component, is described. Moderate to good activity was seen against Gram-positive bacteria in vitro. One cyclohexyl-substituted compound 2c was tested more widely and showed good potency (MIC values ranging from 2-4 µg/mL) against antibiotic-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococci (VRE, VSE), and against Staphylococcus epidermidis.

Synthesis and antibacterial activity of some binaphthyl-supported macrocycles containing a cationic amino acid.

As part of a programme investigating antibacterial cyclic macrocycles containing a cationic amino acid with an internal aromatic hydrophobic scaffold, we previously reported a macrocycle anchored at the 3,3'-positions of a 1,1'-binaphthyl unit. This was prepared via key intermediates containing an internal allylglycine and an allyl-substituted binaphthyl unit for a subsequent ring-closing metathesis reaction. This paper presents some structure-activity relationship studies with additional macrocycles based on this lead compound against Staphylococcus aureus together with the antibacterial activity of two related acyclic compounds.

Studies on the structure-activity relationship of 1,3,3,4-tetra-substituted pyrrolidine embodied CCR5 receptor antagonists. Part 2: Discovery of highly potent anti-HIV agents.

Modification of 1,3,3,4-tetra-substituted pyrrolidine embodied CCR5 receptor antagonists revealed that introducing a fluoro group at the 3-position of the 3-phenyl group to reduce metabolism did not adversely affect the high potency against HIV infection, and that replacing the piperidine ring with a tropane ring could deliver the most potent anti-HIV agents. Stereochemistry of the substituted tropane ring is essential for maintaining the potent anti-HIV activity because only exo-isomers displayed subnanomolar whole cell activity.

Studies on the structure-activity relationship of 1,3,3,4-tetra-substituted pyrrolidine embodied CCR5 receptor antagonists. Part 1: Tuning the N-substituents.

A novel series of CCR5 antagonists has been identified, utilizing the lead, nifeviroc, which were further modified based on bioisosteric principles. Lead optimization was pursued by balancing potential toxicity and potency. Potent analogues with low toxic properties were successfully developed by formation of urea and amide bonds at the nitrogen at position 4- of the pyrrolidine ring.

Synthesis and antibacterial studies of binaphthyl-based tripeptoids. Part 1.

An efficient synthesis of 29 new binaphthyl-based neutral, and mono- and di-cationic, peptoids is described. Some of these compounds had antibacterial activities with MIC values of 1.9-3.9microg/mL against Staphylococcus aureus. One peptoid had a MIC value of 6microg/mL against a methicillin-resistant strain of S. aureus (MRSA) and a MIC value of 2microg/mL against vancomycin-resistant strains of enterococci (VRE).

Construction and expression of a Rev-dependent TNF-R1 expressing HIV-infected-cell injurious vectors.

BACKGROUND: Rev is necessary for exporting unspliced and incompletely spliced intron containing HIV mRNAs and for HIV replication. The aim of this study is to develop a kind of selective suicide construct that can specifically and directly induce HIV infected cells into apoptosis based on the high affinity of Rev and Rev response element (RRE). METHODS: Molecular-cloning technique was used to synthesis Rev dependent TNF-R1 expression construct pDM128-TNF-R1 (pT128) that contains RRE and TNFR1 gene. Restriction digestion, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and DNA sequencing were processed and the exactness and correctness of the inserted TNF-R1 gene in pT128 were confirmed repeatedly. The expression of pT128 co-transfected with different combination of other plasmids by calcium phosphate-DNA co-precipitation in Helas and by gene gun transfection in keratinocytes was further tested by flow-cytometry and cell counted under microscope. RESULTS: The new plasmid specifically expressed TNF-R1 in Helas when co-transfected with pRev but did not when without pRev. Indirect expression of TNF-R1 from pT128 was slower than the direct expression of that from Hu p60 TNFR1 in pDC302 (pT60), but all those pT60 or pT128 transfected cells showed apoptosis at last while TNF-R1 was sufficiently expressed. Other kinds of Rev expression construct such as pAD8 and a chimeric HIV vaccine also can switched on the selective expression of pT128. Not only Rev-dependent expression in Helas, pT128 also normally expressed its TNF-R1 in keratinocytes. Co-transfected with pRev or pAD8 that expressed Rev, pT128 expressed TNF-R1 and induced apoptosis of green fluorescent keratinocytes in skin explant. The number of green fluorescent keratinocytes co-transfected by pT128 plus pRev or pAD8 was gradually outnumbered by that co-transfected by pT128 only. The difference was more significant after culturing for 72 hours. CONCLUSIONS: Rev dependent pT128 is able to selectively induce apoptosis of HIV-infected or Rev-expressed target cells by expression of TNF-R1. The new strategy based on manipulation of the regulatory protein of HIV may be valuable in design of new HIV vaccine.

Preferential infection of dendritic cells during human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection of blood leukocytes.

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) transmission by the parenteral route is similar to mucosal transmission in the predominance of virus using the CCR5 coreceptor (R5 virus), but it is unclear whether blood dendritic cells (DCs), monocytes, or T cells are the cells initially infected. We used ex vivo HIV-1 infection of sorted blood mononuclear cells to model the in vivo infection of blood leukocytes. Using quantitative real-time PCR to detect full-length HIV-1 DNA, both sorted CD11c(+) myeloid and CD11c(-) plasmacytoid DCs were more frequently infected than other blood mononuclear cells, including CD16(+) or CD14(+) monocytes or resting CD4(+) T cells. There was a strong correlation between CCR5 coreceptor use and preferential DC infection across a range of HIV-1 isolates. After infection of unsorted blood mononuclear cells, HIV-1 was initially detected in the CD11c(+) DCs and later in other leukocytes, including clustering DCs and activated T cells. DC infection with R5 virus was productive, as shown by efficient transmission to CD4(+) T cells in coculture. Blood DCs infected with HIV-1 in vitro and cultured alone expressed only low levels of multiply spliced HIV-1 RNA unless cocultured with CD4(+) T cells. Early selective infection of immature blood DCs by R5 virus and upregulation of viral expression during DC-T-cell interaction and transmission provide a potential pathway for R5 selection following parenteral transmission.

Heterogeneity of freshly isolated human tonsil dendritic cells demonstrated by intracellular markers, phagocytosis, and membrane dye transfer.

BACKGROUND: Heterogeneity within human dendritic cells (DCs) has been described but its functional relationships to cells of macrophage lineage and its role in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in vivo remain unclear. METHODS: Tonsil macrophages and DCs were isolated from low-density cells by negative selection and DCs were sorted into myeloid and plasmacytoid populations using antibodies to CD11c or CD123. Phagocytosis of latex beads and uptake of dye-labeled target cells were compared by flow cytometry and CD68 and S-100 by immunofluorescence on cytospins of sorted cells. RESULTS: Bead uptake and membrane dye transfer were found in both blood and tonsil CD11c(+) DCs and in CD14(+) cells particularly from blood monocytes. CD11c(-) DCs were poorly phagocytic but took up fluorescent dye from intact, necrotic or apoptotic cells. Tonsil DCs and macrophages expressed both CD68 and S-100 but CD11c(-) DCs expressed CD68 only. CONCLUSIONS: Freshly isolated CD11c(+) tonsil DCs are similar to CD14(+) macrophages in phagocytic function but the poorly phagocytic CD11c(-) DCs can also take up membrane from target cells. The intracellular markers commonly used to identify DCs and macrophages in situ do not identify accurately the CD11c(-) DC subset nor do they distinguish tonsil macrophages from DCs.