Following experimental stroke, the recovering brain is vulnerable to lipoxygenase-dependent semaphorin signaling.

Recovery from stroke is limited, in part, by an inhibitory environment in the postischemic brain, but factors preventing successful remodeling are not well known. Using cultured cortical neurons from mice, brain endothelial cells, and a mouse model of ischemic stroke, we show that signaling from the axon guidance molecule Sema3A via eicosanoid second messengers can contribute to this inhibitory environment. Either 90 nM recombinant Sema3A, or the 12/15-lipoxygenase (12/15-LOX) metabolites 12-HETE and 12-HPETE at 300 nM, block axon extension in neurons compared to solvent controls, and decrease tube formation in endothelial cells. The Sema3A effect is reversed by inhibiting 12/15-LOX, and neurons derived from 12/15-LOX-knockout mice are insensitive to Sema3A. Following middle cerebral artery occlusion to induce stroke in mice, immunohistochemistry shows both Sema3A and 12/15-LOX are increased in the cortex up to 2 wk. To determine whether a Sema3A-dependent damage pathway is activated following ischemia, we injected recombinant Sema3A into the striatum. Sema3A alone did not cause injury in normal brains. But when injected into postischemic brains, Sema3A increased cortical damage by 79%, and again, this effect was reversed by 12/15-LOX inhibition. Our findings suggest that blocking the semaphorin pathway should be investigated as a therapeutic strategy to improve stroke recovery.

Structure-activity relationships of 6-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)-8-methyl-2-(phenylamino)pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidin-7-ones: toward selective Abl inhibitors.

We report the design, synthesis, and structure-activity relationship (SAR) of a series of novel pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidin-7-one compounds as potent Abl kinase inhibitors. We evaluate their specificity profile against a panel of human recombinant kinases, as well as their biological profile toward a panel of well-characterized cancer cell lines. Our study reveals that substitutions in the 3- and 4-positions of the phenylamino moiety lead to improved potency and improved selectivity both in target-based and cell-based assays. Altogether, our results provide an insight into the SAR of pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidin-7-ones for the development of drug candidates with improved potency and selectivity for the targeted treatment of CML.

Synthesis and in vitro examination of [124I]-, [125I]- and [131I]-2-(4-iodophenylamino) pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidin-7-one radiolabeled Abl kinase inhibitors.

The pyridopyrimidinones are a potent class of inhibitors of c-Abl kinase and Bcr-Abl kinase, the causative fusion protein in chronic myelogenous leukemia and Src family kinases. A novel method for routine, high-yield no-carrier-added synthesis of [(124)I]-, [(125)I]- and [(131)I]-6-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)-2-(4-iodophenylamino)-8-methyl-8H-pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidin-7-one has been developed. The 4'-trimethylstannyl- or 4'-tri-n-butylstannyl-pyridopyrimidinone precursors were prepared from the aryl bromide via a palladium-mediated coupling with hexaalkylditin (dioxane/microwave irradiation/10 min at 160 degrees C). The radioiodination of 4'-stannylpyridopyrimidinones was found to optimally occur via an iododestannylation with Na(124)I, Na(125)I or Na(131)I in the presence of an oxidant [30% H(2)O(2)/HOAc (1:3)/10 min] in 79-87% radiochemical yield with >99% radiochemical purity. The total radiosynthesis time was 30 min. The 4-iodophenylpyridopyrimidinone 2 inhibited recombinant Abl kinase activity with an IC(50) of 2.0 nM. Cell proliferation of K562 and A431 cells was inhibited with an IC(50) of 2.0 and 20 nM, respectively. Rapid cellular uptake and equilibrium were observed within 10-15 min using [(131)I]-4-iodophenylpyridopyrimidinone 6c in K562 and A431 cells and demonstrated a 2.8-fold uptake selectivity for the Bcr-Abl-expressing K562 cells at 60 min. These results suggest that pyridopyrimidinone radiotracers may be useful in imaging Abl-, Bcr-Abl- or Src-expressing malignancies.

Neural migration. Structures of netrin-1 bound to two receptors provide insight into its axon guidance mechanism.

Netrins are secreted proteins that regulate axon guidance and neuronal migration. Deleted in colorectal cancer (DCC) is a well-established netrin-1 receptor mediating attractive responses. We provide evidence that its close relative neogenin is also a functional netrin-1 receptor that acts with DCC to mediate guidance in vivo. We determined the structures of a functional netrin-1 region, alone and in complexes with neogenin or DCC. Netrin-1 has a rigid elongated structure containing two receptor-binding sites at opposite ends through which it brings together receptor molecules. The ligand/receptor complexes reveal two distinct architectures: a 2:2 heterotetramer and a continuous ligand/receptor assembly. The differences result from different lengths of the linker connecting receptor domains fibronectin type III domain 4 (FN4) and FN5, which differs among DCC and neogenin splice variants, providing a basis for diverse signaling outcomes.