A central hydrophobic E1 region controls the pH range of hepatitis C virus membrane fusion and susceptibility to fusion inhibitors.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection causes chronic liver disease. Antivirals have been developed and cure infection. However, resistance can emerge and salvage therapies with alternative modes of action could be useful. Several licensed drugs have emerged as HCV entry inhibitors and are thus candidates for drug repurposing. We aimed to dissect their mode of action, identify improved derivatives and determine their viral targets. METHODS: HCV entry inhibition was tested for a panel of structurally related compounds, using chimeric viruses representing diverse genotypes, in addition to viruses containing previously determined resistance mutations. Chemical modeling and synthesis identified improved derivatives, while generation of susceptible and non-susceptible chimeric viruses pinpointed E1 determinants of compound sensitivity. RESULTS: Molecules of the diphenylpiperazine, diphenylpiperidine, phenothiazine, thioxanthene, and cycloheptenepiperidine chemotypes inhibit HCV infection by interfering with membrane fusion. These molecules and a novel p-methoxy-flunarizine derivative with improved efficacy preferentially inhibit genotype 2 viral strains. Viral residues within a central hydrophobic region of E1 (residues 290-312) control susceptibility. At the same time, viral features in this region also govern pH-dependence of viral membrane fusion. CONCLUSIONS: Small molecules from different chemotypes related to flunarizine preferentially inhibit HCV genotype 2 membrane fusion. A hydrophobic region proximal to the putative fusion loop controls sensitivity to these drugs and the pH range of membrane fusion. An algorithm considering viral features in this region predicts viral sensitivity to membrane fusion inhibitors. Resistance to flunarizine correlates with more relaxed pH requirements for fusion. LAY SUMMARY: This study describes diverse compounds that act as HCV membrane fusion inhibitors. It defines viral properties that determine sensitivity to these molecules and thus provides information to identify patients that may benefit from treatment with membrane fusion inhibitors.

EBIO Does Not Induce Cardiomyogenesis in Human Pluripotent Stem Cells but Modulates Cardiac Subtype Enrichment by Lineage-Selective Survival.

Subtype-specific human cardiomyocytes (CMs) are valuable for basic and applied research. Induction of cardiomyogenesis and enrichment of nodal-like CMs was described for mouse pluripotent stem cells (mPSCs) in response to 1-ethyl-2-benzimidazolinone (EBIO), a chemical modulator of small-/intermediate-conductance Ca2+-activated potassium channels (SKs 1-4). Investigating EBIO in human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), we have applied three independent differentiation protocols of low to high cardiomyogenic efficiency. Equivalent to mPSCs, timed EBIO supplementation during hPSC differentiation resulted in dose-dependent enrichment of up to 80% CMs, including an increase in nodal- and atrial-like phenotypes. However, our study revealed extensive EBIO-triggered cell loss favoring cardiac progenitor preservation and, subsequently, CMs with shortened action potentials. Proliferative cells were generally more sensitive to EBIO, presumably via an SK-independent mechanism. Together, EBIO did not promote cardiogenic differentiation of PSCs, opposing previous findings, but triggered lineage-selective survival at a cardiac progenitor stage, which we propose as a pharmacological strategy to modulate CM subtype composition.

Biphasic modulation of Wnt signaling supports efficient foregut endoderm formation from human pluripotent stem cells.

Pluripotent stem cells (embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells) are of great promise in regenerative medicine, including molecular studies of disease mechanisms, if the affected cell type can be authentically generated during in vitro differentiation. Most existing protocols aim to mimic embryonic development steps by the supplementation of specific cytokines and small molecules, but the involved signaling pathways need further exploration. In this study, we investigated enhanced initial activation of Wnt signaling for definitive endoderm formation and subsequent rapid shutdown of Wnt signaling for proper foregut endoderm specification using 3 µM CHIR99021 and 0.5 µg/mL of secreted frizzled-related protein 5 (sFRP-5) for biphasic modulation of the Wnt pathway. The definitive endoderm and foregut endoderm differentiation capabilities of Wnt pathway-modulated cells were determined based on the expression levels of the endodermal transcription factors SOX17 and FOXA2 and those of the transcription activator GATA4 and the α-fetoprotein (AFP) gene, respectively. Furthermore, the resulting biphasic Wnt pathway modulation was investigated at the protein level by analyzing phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK3ß) and ß-catenin. Finally, Wnt target gene expression was determined using an improved lentiviral reporter construct that enabled robust T-cell transcription factor 4 (TCF4)/lymphoid enhancer-binding factor 1 (LEF1)-mediated luciferase expression in differentiating pluripotent stem cells. In conclusion, we demonstrated robust, homogeneous, and efficient derivation of foregut endodermal cells by inducing a biphasic modulation of the Wnt signaling pathway.

A fast-initiating ionically tagged ruthenium complex: a robust supported pre-catalyst for batch-process and continuous-flow olefin metathesis.

In this study, a new pyridinium-tagged Ru complex was designed and anchored onto sulfonated silica, thereby forming a robust and highly active supported olefin-metathesis pre-catalyst for applications under batch and continuous-flow conditions. The involvement of an oxazine-benzylidene ligand allowed the reactivity of the formed Ru pre-catalyst to be efficiently controlled through both steric and electronic activation. The oxazine scaffold facilitated the introduction of the pyridinium tag, thereby affording the corresponding cationic pre-catalyst in good yield. Excellent activities in ring-closing (RCM), cross (CM), and enyne metathesis were observed with only 0.5 mol % loading of the pre-catalyst. When this powerful pre-catalyst was immobilized onto a silica-based cationic-exchange resin, a versatile catalytically active material for batch reactions was generated that also served as fixed-bed material for flow reactors. This system could be reused at 1 mol % loading to afford metathesis products in high purity with very low ruthenium contamination under batch conditions (below 5 ppm). Scavenging procedures for both batch and flow processes were conducted, which led to a lowering of the ruthenium content to as little as one tenth of the original values.

Combining enabling techniques in organic synthesis: continuous flow processes with heterogenized catalysts.

The concepts article describes enabling techniques (solid-phase assisted synthesis, new reactor design, microwave irradiation and new solvents) in organic chemistry and emphasizes the combination of several of them for creating new synthetic technology platforms. Particular focus is put on the combination of immobilized catalysts as well as biocatalysts with continuous flow processes. In this context, the PASSflow continuous flow technique fulfils both chemical as well as chemical engineering requirements. It combines reactor design with optimized, monolithic solid phases as well as reversible immobilization techniques for performing small as well as large scale synthesis with heterogenized catalysts under continuous flow conditions.

2-Pyridinealdoxime, a new ligand for a Pd-precatalyst: application in solid-phase-assisted Suzuki-Miyaura reaction.

The preparation of a new palladium(II) complex with a 2-pyridinealdoxime ligand and its use as a Pd(0) precatalyst in the cross-coupling Suzuki-Miyaura reaction is described. Several concepts for the immobilization of this catalytic system are presented and compared in order to develop an efficient catalytic tool for high-throughput synthesis.

Polymer/carrier composites as materials and reactors for organic synthesis.

In this work new polymer/carrier composites are described which serve as novel materials in flow-through reactors for polymer-supported organic solution-phase synthesis. Monolithic polymer/carrier columns are prepared by a new precipitation polymerization process inside the void pore volume of megaporous glass carrier materials. Chemical functionalization of the internal polymer phase with chlorosulfonic acid or trimethylamine generates small, interconnected ion-exchange resin beads with a diameter of 1-3 microm which can be used for a large variety of organic syntheses. These monolithic rods are incorporated into an appropriate casing and can conveniently be operated in the flow-through mode. Important successful applications are polymer-assisted solution-phase reductions, oxidations and Horner-Emmons olefinations. Additionally, the use of these monolithic columns as catalytic microreactors and their performance in selected reactions are described.

Polymer-assisted Horner-Emmons olefination using PASSflow reactors: pure products without purification.

A PASSflow protocol for the Horner-Emmons olefination of aldehydes using polymer-bound hydroxide ions in flowthrough reactors is presented which allows preparation of alkenes in very high yield with minimal purification.

PASSflow Syntheses Using Functionalized Monolithic Polymer/Glass Composites in Flow-Through Microreactors.

A chemistapos;s wish finally becomes reality: microreactors for every synthetic laboratory! By precipitation polymerization various polymers are introduced into the irregular pore system of a porous glass rod. By embedding these rods into a housing, followed by functionalization and immobilization of reagents onto the polymer phase, versatile microreactors are obtained. With this apparatus, chemical transformations in solution can be performed, for example, a steroid derivatization.