Catalytic antibody route to the naturally occurring epothilones: total synthesis of epothilones A-F.

Naturally occurring epothilones have been synthesized starting from enantiomerically pure aldol compounds 9-11, which were obtained by antibody catalysis. Aldolase antibody 38C2 catalyzed the resolution of (+/-)-9 by enantioselective retro-aldol reaction to afford 9 in 90% ee at 50 % conversion. Compounds 10 and 11 were obtained in more than 99% ee at 50% conversion by resolution of their racemic mixtures using newly developed aldolase antibodies 84G3, 85H6 or 93F3. Compounds 9, 10 and 11 were resolved in multigram quantities and then converted to the epothilones by metathesis processes, which were catalyzed by Grubbs' catalysts.

Oxidations of p-alkoxyacylanilides catalyzed by human cytochrome P450 1A2: structure-activity relationships and simulation of rate constants of individual steps in catalysis.

Human cytochrome P450 (P450) 1A2 is involved in the oxidation of many important drugs and carcinogens. The prototype substrate phenacetin is oxidized to an acetol as well as the O-dealkylation product [Yun, C.-H., Miller, G. P., and Guengerich, F. P. (2000) Biochemistry 39, 11319-11329]. In an effort to improve rates of catalysis of P450 1A2 enzymes, we considered a set of p-alkoxyacylanilide analogues of phenacetin and found that variations in the O-alkyl and N-acyl substituents altered the rates of the two oxidation reactions and the ratio of acetol/phenol products. Moving one methylene group of phenacetin from the O-alkyl group to the N-acyl moiety increased rates of both oxidations approximately 5-fold and improved the coupling efficiency (oxidation products formed/NADPH consumed) from 6% to 38%. Noncompetitive kinetic deuterium isotope effects of 2-3 were measured for all O-dealkylation reactions examined with wild-type P450 1A2 and the E225I mutant, which has 6-fold higher activity. A trend of decreasing kinetic deuterium isotope effect for E225I > wild-type > mutant D320A was observed for O-demethylation of p-methoxyacetanilide, which follows the trend for k(cat). The set of O-dealkylation and acetol formation results for wild-type P450 1A2 and the E225I mutant with several of the protiated and deuterated substrates were fit to a model developed for the basic catalytic cycle and a set of microscopic rate constants in which the only variable was the rate of product formation (substrate oxygenation, including hydrogen abstraction). In this model, k(cat) is considerably less than any of the microscopic rate constants and is affected by several individual rate constants, including the rate of formation of the oxygenating species, the rate of substrate oxidation by the oxygenating species, and the rates of generation of reduced oxygen species (H(2)O(2), H(2)O). This analysis of the effects of the individual rate constants provides a framework for consideration of other P450 reactions and rate-limiting steps.

The immunology of cryptococcal disease.

Cryptococcus neoformans is a ubiquitous fungus found in the soil. Upon inhalation, a complex, incompletely understood series of host responses begins that determines whether the infection will be controlled or will progress to local or disseminated disease. Local pulmonary disease may be asymptomatic or may pursue a subacute course with mild pulmonary symptoms and systemic complaints suggestive of tumor. In the compromised host, however, symptomatic pulmonary disease is often the harbinger of systemic dissemination. Early host responses include phagocytosis by polymorphonuclear leukocytes aided by complement activation which provides opsonins. Lymphocytes are activated to produce lymphokines which may enhance macrophage phagocytosis and intracellular killing of ingested cryptococci. Other lymphocytes may function as natural killer-like cells or inhibit the growth of the fungus. Production of antibody further facilitates phagocytosis by both polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) and monocytes (MC). In the presence of antibody, both PMN and MC demonstrate antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity. The combination of humoral and cell-mediated immunity in normal hosts appears to provide excellent protection against disseminated infection as evidence by the rarity of disease in exposed individuals with positive skin tests. By contrast, the frequency of cryptococcal disease in steroid-treated individuals, allograft recipients, and AIDS victims highlight the importance of T lymphocyte dependent host defenses. In view of compelling in vitro evidence for the importance of humoral responses, the infrequency of cryptococcal disease in patients with gammopathies remains a puzzle.

In vitro human lymphocyte responses to Cryptococcus neoformans. Evidence for primary and secondary responses in normals and infected subjects.

Cryptococcus neoformans causes meningitis and disseminated infection in healthy individuals, but more commonly in hosts with defective immune responses. To study the role of immune lymphocytes in protection and recovery from this infection, in vitro lymphocyte proliferative responses to whole killed organisms were characterized in normal controls and in patients with cryptococcosis. Several differences were found between these two groups. All normal individuals were found to have significant proliferative responses to cryptococci in vitro; however, patients recovering from infection had accelerated and augmented responses. Patients' T cells, but not control T cells, were found to produce interleukin 2 (IL 2) during initial stimulation in vitro. After in vitro priming, mononuclear cells from normal controls rechallenged with cryptococci in vitro demonstrated accelerated kinetics and IL 2 production similar to that of cells from recovering patients. Proliferative responses in normals required T cells and antigen-presenting cells, and resulted in an increase in the proportion of T8+ and Tac+ cells in the responding population by the ninth day of primary stimulation. An increase in Tac+ cells, but not T8+ cells, was found by the fourth day of secondary stimulation. These results demonstrate in vivo acquisition of T cell responsiveness to the organism in this small group of recovering patients, and in vitro acquisition of T cell recognition of this antigen by normal T cells during primary stimulation. The data suggest that these responses represent in vitro priming to cryptococci and indicate a role for the T8+ lymphocyte subpopulation, both unusual findings for previously described in vitro responses to soluble antigens.

Antibody-dependent leukocyte killing of Cryptococcus neoformans.

Cryptococcus neoformans is an encapsulated, yeast-like fungus which is pathogenic for man. The role of various facets of the immune response which prevent disseminated disease in most normal hosts is unclear. A chromium-release assay was developed using radiolabeled cryptococci to reexamine antibody-dependent cell-mediated killing of this fungus. For a small capsule strain this assay served as a qualitative measure of effector cell function and was correlated with an assay of lethal injury to the organism. Polymorphonuclear leukocytes rather than mononuclear cells were the most active effector cells, causing significant chromium release from the fungus at effector-to-target ratios as low as 3:1. Polymorphonuclear leukocytes and mononuclear cells from a patient with chronic granulomatous disease showed minimal antibody-dependent cell-mediated chromium release suggesting that the final fungicidal pathway may be similar in antibody-dependent and antibody-independent leukocyte killing of this organism.