Inhibition of cell-to-cell transmission of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 in vitro by carbohydrate-binding agents.

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from healthy individuals can be infected by human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) upon cocultivation of the PBMCs with irradiated HTLV-1-transformed human MT-2 cells. This model system closely mimics HTLV-1 transmission through cell-to-cell contact. Carbohydrate-binding agents (CBAs) such as the alpha(1,3)/alpha(1,6)mannose-specific Hippeastrum hybrid agglutinin and the GlcNAc-specific Urtica dioica agglutinin, and also the small, nonpeptidic alpha(1,2)-mannose-specific antibiotic pradimicin A, were able to efficiently prevent cell-to-cell HTLV-1 transmission at nontoxic concentrations, as evidenced by the lack of appearance of virus-specific mRNA and of the viral protein Tax in the acceptor cells. Consistently, antivirally active doses of CBAs fully prevented HTLV-1-induced stimulation of PBMC growth. The inhibitory effects of CBAs on HTLV-1 transmission were also evident when HTLV-1-infected C5MJ cells were used in place of MT-2 cells as a virus donor cell line. The anti-HTLV-1 properties of the CBAs highlight the importance of the envelope glycans in events underlying HTLV-1 passage from cell to cell and indicate that CBAs should be further investigated for their potential to prevent HTLV-1 infection, including mother-to-child virus transmission by cell-to-cell contact through breast milk feeding.

Entry of hepatitis C virus and human immunodeficiency virus is selectively inhibited by carbohydrate-binding agents but not by polyanions.

We studied the antiviral activity of carbohydrate-binding agents (CBAs), including several plant lectins and the non-peptidic small-molecular-weight antibiotic pradimicin A (PRM-A). These agents efficiently prevented hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection of target cells by inhibiting the viral entry. CBAs were also shown to prevent HIV and HCV capture by DC-SIGN-expressing cells. Surprisingly, infection by other enveloped viruses such as herpes simplex viruses, respiratory syncytial virus and parainfluenza-3 virus was not inhibited by these agents pointing to a high degree of specificity. Mannan reversed the antiviral activity of CBAs, confirming their association with viral envelope-associated glycans. In contrast, polyanions such as dextran sulfate-5000 and sulfated polyvinylalcohol inhibited HIV entry but were devoid of any activity against HCV infection, indicating that they act through a different mechanism. CBAs could be considered as prime drug leads for the treatment of chronic viral infections such as HCV by preventing viral entry into target cells. They may represent an attractive new option for therapy of HCV/HIV coinfections. CBAs may also have the potential to prevent HCV/HIV transmission.

Pradimicin A, a carbohydrate-binding nonpeptidic lead compound for treatment of infections with viruses with highly glycosylated envelopes, such as human immunodeficiency virus.

Pradimicin A (PRM-A), an antifungal nonpeptidic benzonaphtacenequinone antibiotic, is a low-molecular-weight (molecular weight, 838) carbohydrate binding agent (CBA) endowed with a selective inhibitory activity against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). It invariably inhibits representative virus strains of a variety of HIV-1 clades with X4 and R5 tropisms at nontoxic concentrations. Time-of-addition studies revealed that PRM-A acts as a true virus entry inhibitor. PRM-A specifically interacts with HIV-1 gp120 and efficiently prevents virus transmission in cocultures of HUT-78/HIV-1 and Sup T1 cells. Upon prolonged exposure of HIV-1-infected CEM cell cultures, PRM-A drug pressure selects for mutant HIV-1 strains containing N-glycosylation site deletions in gp120 but not gp41. A relatively long exposure time to PRM-A is required before drug-resistant virus strains emerge. PRM-A has a high genetic barrier, since more than five N-glycosylation site deletions in gp120 are required to afford moderate drug resistance. Such mutated virus strains keep full sensitivity to the other known clinically used anti-HIV drugs. PRM-A represents the first prototype compound of a nonpeptidic CBA lead and, together with peptide-based lectins, belongs to a conceptually novel type of potential therapeutics for which drug pressure results in the selection of glycan deletions in the HIV gp120 envelope.

Pradimicin resistance of yeast is caused by a mutation of the putative N-glycosylation sites of osmosensor protein Sln1.

Pradimicin, a mannose-binding antifungal antibiotic, induces apoptosis-like cell death in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Previously we found that the substitution of the 74th amino acid from glycine to cysteine in Ypd1 yields a mutant resistant to pradimicin. In this study, the involvement of a membrane-spanning osomosensor, Sln1, which is located upstream of Ypd1, was investigated. A mutant, sln1 DeltaNG, that lacks the putative N-glycosylation sites in the extracellular domain became resistant to pradimicin. On the other hand, the null mutants of Ssk1, Pbs2, and Hog1, which are located downstream of the Sln1 cascade, were sensitive to pradimicin as well as the wild-type strain. In conclusion, pradimicin exerts its fungicidal action with the involvement of Sln1, but the downstream branch, Ssk1 and the HOG pathway, is not involved.

Directed biosynthesis of fluorinated pseurotin A, synerazol and gliotoxin.

Aspergillus fumigatus TP-F0196 produces pseurotin A, synerazol and gliotoxin. Phenylalanine is a common biosynthetic precursor of these antibiotics. Feeding fluorophenylalanine to the culture induced the production of novel fluorinated analogs. These fluorinated antibiotics were obtained from the culture broth by solvent extraction and purified by chromatographies, and their antimicrobial and antitumor activities were investigated. Among the novel fluorinated analogs, 19- and 20-fluorosynerazols exhibited potent anti-angiogenic activity in the chorioallantoic membrane assay. In addition, 19-fluorosynerazol showed more potent cytocidal activity against several cancer cell lines than synerazol.

Pradimicin-resistance of yeast is caused by a point mutation of the histidine-containing phosphotransfer protein Ypd1.

Pradimicin is an antifungal antibiotic which induces apoptosis like cell death in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Pradimicin-resistant mutants were isolated from the S. cerevisiae and the mutation points were analyzed. A point mutation of YPD1 that led to a substitution of the 74th glycine (Gly74) to cysteine (Cys) was identified in a mutant strain NH1. In S. cerevisiae, Ypd1 transfers a phosphoryl group from the sensor kinase Slnl to the response regulator Sskl which regulates a downstream MAP kinase in response to hyperosmotic stress. Gly74 is located in a three-residue reverse turn domain that connects two alpha-helices, one of which contains a histidine residue which is phosphorylated. In the reverse turn, glycine (relative position +10 to the active-site histidine) is highly conserved in Ypd1 and other histidine-containing phosphotransfer proteins. It was therefore suggested that the substitution of Gly74 to Cys altered the Ypd1 structure, which resulted in the resistance to pradimicin.

Anicequol, a novel inhibitor for anchorage-independent growth of tumor cells from Penicillium aurantiogriseum Dierckx TP-F0213.

A novel inhibitor for anchorage-independent growth of tumor cells was isolated from the culture broth of a fungal strain. The producing strain TP-F0213 was identified as Penicillium aurantiogriseum Dierckx based on the taxonomic study. The compound designated anicequol was obtained by solvent extraction, HP-20 and silica gel chromatographies and recrystallization. The planar structure was elucidated by NMR analysis to be 16-acetoxy-3,7,11-trihydroxyergost-22-en-6-one. The absolute configuration was determined by the X-ray analysis of 3,7-bis-p-bromobenzoyl derivative. The carbon skeleton of anicequol has the same absolute configuration as ergostane and the configurations of substituents are 3beta, 5alpha, 7beta, 11beta, 16beta and 24S. Anicequol inhibited the anchorage-independent growth of human colon cancer DLD-1 cells with the IC50 of 1.2 microM whereas the IC50 against anchorage-dependent growth was 40 microM.

Kosinostatin, a quinocycline antibiotic with antitumor activity from Micromonospora sp. TP-A0468.

Kosinostatin, a quinocycline antibiotic was isolated from the culture broth of an actinomycete strain TP-A0468 along with isoquinocycline B. The producing strain was isolated from the seawater sample collected in Toyama Bay and identified as Micromonospora sp. based on the taxonomic study. Kosinostatin was obtained from the culture fluid by solvent extraction and ODS column chromatography. Kosinostatin inhibited the growth of Gram-positive bacteria strongly (MIC=0.039 microg/ml) and Gram-negative bacteria and yeasts moderately (MIC= 1.56 approximately 12.5 microg/ml). It showed cytotoxicity against various cancer cell lines with the IC50 of 0.02 approximately 0.6 microm and inhibited human DNA topoisomerase Ila with the IC50 of 3 approximately 10 microM.

NMR analysis of quinocycline antibiotics: structure determination of kosinostatin, an antitumor substance from Micromonospora sp. TP-A0468.

A quinocycline antibiotic, kosinostatin, was isolated from the culture broth of Micromonospora sp. TP-A0468 along with isoquinocycline B. Structure of kosinostatin was determined to be the stereoisomer of isoquinocycline B regarding to the stereochemistry at the C-2' spiro carbon by NMR analysis. Kosinostatin isomerizes to isoquinocycline B through the inversion of the stereocenter at C-2'. Comparison of physico-chemical properties indicated that kosinostatin is presumably identical with quinocycline B isolated by CELMER et al. from Streptomyces aureofaciens.

Effects of hibarimicins and hibarimicin-related compounds produced by Microbispora on v-Src kinase activity and growth and differentiation of human myeloid leukemia HL-60 cells.

We studied the effects of hibarimicins and hibarimicin-related compounds produced by Microbispora rosea subsp. hibaria [glycosides (hibarimicins A, B, C, D, E, G, H and I) and aglycon (hibarimicinone)] or compounds produced by its mutants [glycosides (HMP-P4 and -Y6), aglycons (HMP-P1 and -Y1) and shunt products (HMP-M1, M2, M3 and -M4)] on v-Src tyrosine kinase and growth and differentiation of human myeloid leukemia HL-60 cells. Among them, hibarimicin B was a strong and the most selective v-Src kinase inhibitor with differentiation inducing activity of HL-60 cells. Hibarimicin E similarly induced HL-60 cell differentiation but had no v-Src kinase inhibitory activity. Hibarimicinone was the most potent v-Src kinase inhibitor, although less selective, and did not induce differentiation of HL-60 cells. Hibarimicin B competitively inhibited ATP binding to the v-Src kinase, but hibarimicinone showed noncompetitive inhibition. These two compounds, however, showed similar mixed types of inhibition against a Src substrate binding to the v-Src kinase. Altogether, these results suggest that signaling molecules other than Src might be more important in the differentiation induction of HL-60 cells.