Tg.rasH2 Mouse Model for Assessing Carcinogenic Potential of Pharmaceuticals: Industry Survey of Current Practices.

The Tg.rasH2 mouse was developed as an alternative model to the traditional 2-year mouse bioassay for pharmaceutical carcinogenicity testing. This model has found extensive use in support of pharmaceutical drug development over the last few decades. It has the potential to improve quality and timeliness, reduce animal usage, and in some instances allow expedient decision-making regarding the human carcinogenicity potential of a drug candidate. Despite the increased use of the Tg.rasH2 model, there has been no systematic survey of current practices in the design, interpretation of results from the bioassay, and global health authority perspectives. Therefore, the aim of this work was to poll the pharmaceutical industry on study design practices used in the dose range finding and definitive 6-month studies and on results relative to the ongoing negotiations to revise The International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use S1 Guidance. Twenty-two member companies of International Consortium for Innovation and Quality in Pharmaceutical Development DruSafe Leadership Group participated in the survey, sharing experiences from studies conducted with 55 test compounds between 2010 and 2018. The survey results provide very useful insights into study design and interpretation. Importantly, the results identified several key opportunities for reducing animal use and increasing the value of testing for potential human carcinogenicity using this model. Recommended changes to study designs that would reduce animal usage include eliminating the requirement to include positive control groups in every study, use of nontransgenic wild-type littermates in the dose range finding study, and use of microsampling to reduce or eliminate satellite groups for toxicokinetics.

Identification of X-DING-CD4, a new member of human DING protein family that is secreted by HIV-1 resistant CD4(+) T cells and has anti-viral activity.

We reported previously the anti-viral activity named HRF (HIV-1 Resistance Factor) secreted by HIV-1 resistant cells. This work describes the identification of HRF from cell culture supernatant of HRF-producing cells (HRF(+) cells). Employing the proteomics and cell based activity assay we recovered ten peptides sharing 80-93% sequence homology with other eukaryotic DING proteins; discrete amino acid characteristics found in our material suggested that HRF is a new member of DING proteins family and consequently we designated it as X-DING-CD4 (extracellular DING from CD4(+) T cells). The presence of X-DING-CD4 in the extracellular compartment of HRF(+) but not control HRF(-) cells was confirmed by specific anti-X-DING-CD4 antibody. Similar as the un-fractionated HRF(+) cell culture supernatant, the purified X-DING-CD4 blocked transcription of HIV-1 LTR-promoted expression of luciferase gene and replication of HIV-1 in MAGI cells. The X-DING-CD4 -mediated anti-viral activity in MAGI cells could be blocked by specific antibody.

Structure of the semaphorin-3A receptor binding module.

The semaphorins are a large group of extracellular proteins involved in a variety of processes during development, including neuronal migration and axon guidance. Their distinctive feature is a conserved 500 amino acid semaphorin domain, a ligand-receptor interaction module also present in plexins and scatter-factor receptors. We report the crystal structure of a secreted 65 kDa form of Semaphorin-3A (Sema3A), containing the full semaphorin domain. Unexpectedly, the semaphorin fold is a variation of the beta propeller topology. Analysis of the Sema3A structure and structure-based mutagenesis data identify the neuropilin binding site and suggest a potential plexin interaction site. Based on the structure, we present a model for the initiation of semaphorin signaling and discuss potential similarities with the signaling mechanisms of other beta propeller cell surface receptors, such as integrins and the LDL receptor.

Safety and efficacy of anti-PD-L1 therapy in the woodchuck model of HBV infection.

Immune clearance of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is characterized by broad and robust antiviral T cell responses, while virus-specific T cells in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) are rare and exhibit immune exhaustion that includes programmed-death-1 (PD-1) expression on virus-specific T cells. Thus, an immunotherapy able to expand and activate virus-specific T cells may have therapeutic benefit for CHB patients. Like HBV-infected patients, woodchucks infected with woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) can have increased hepatic expression of PD-1-ligand-1 (PD-L1), increased PD-1 on CD8+ T cells, and a limited number of virus-specific T cells with substantial individual variation in these parameters. We used woodchucks infected with WHV to assess the safety and efficacy of anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody therapy (αPD-L1) in a variety of WHV infection states. Experimentally-infected animals lacked PD-1 or PD-L1 upregulation compared to uninfected controls, and accordingly, αPD-L1 treatment in lab-infected animals had limited antiviral effects. In contrast, animals with naturally acquired WHV infections displayed elevated PD-1 and PD-L1. In these same animals, combination therapy with αPD-L1 and entecavir (ETV) improved control of viremia and antigenemia compared to ETV treatment alone, but with efficacy restricted to a minority of animals. Pre-treatment WHV surface antigen (sAg) level was identified as a statistically significant predictor of treatment response, while PD-1 expression on peripheral CD8+ T cells, T cell production of interferon gamma (IFN-γ) upon in vitro antigen stimulation (WHV ELISPOT), and circulating levels of liver enzymes were not. To further assess the safety of this strategy, αPD-L1 was tested in acute WHV infection to model the risk of liver damage when the extent of hepatic infection and antiviral immune responses were expected to be the greatest. No significant increase in serum markers of hepatic injury was observed over those in infected, untreated control animals. These data support a positive benefit/risk assessment for blockade of the PD-1:PD-L1 pathway in CHB patients and may help to identify patient groups most likely to benefit from treatment. Furthermore, the efficacy of αPD-L1 in only a minority of animals, as observed here, suggests that additional agents may be needed to achieve a more robust and consistent response leading to full sAg loss and durable responses through anti-sAg antibody seroconversion.

Structural and functional features of the Escherichia coli hydroperoxide resistance protein OsmC.

The osmotically inducible protein OsmC, like its better-characterized homolog, the organic hydroperoxide protein Ohr, is involved in defense against oxidative stress caused by exposure to organic hydroperoxides. The crystal structure of Escherichia coli OsmC reported here reveals that the protein is a tightly folded domain-swapped dimer with two active sites located at the monomer interface on opposite sides of the molecule. We demonstrate that OsmC preferentially metabolizes organic hydroperoxides over inorganic hydrogen peroxide. On the basis of structural and enzymatic similarities, we propose that the OsmC catalytic mechanism is analogous to that of the Ohr proteins and of the structurally unrelated peroxiredoxins, directly using highly reactive cysteine thiol groups to elicit hydroperoxide reduction.

Substrate specificity of NovM: implications for novobiocin biosynthesis and glycorandomization.

[reaction: see text] In an effort to expand the scope of natural product in vitro glycorandomization (IVG), the substrate specificity of NovM was investigated. A test of four aglycon analogues and over 40 nucleotide sugars revealed NovM has a surprisingly stringent substrate specificity and provided only three new "unnatural" natural products. On the basis of the determined substrate specificity, an alternative to the sugar nucleotide biosynthetic dogma and a cautionary note for the general applicability of IVG are introduced.

Structural and functional characterization of the Pseudomonas hydroperoxide resistance protein Ohr.

Bacteria have developed complex strategies to detoxify and repair damage caused by reactive oxygen species. These compounds, produced during bacterial aerobic respiration as well as by the host immune system cells as a defense mechanism against the pathogenic microorganisms, have the ability to damage nucleic acids, proteins and phospholipid membranes. Here we describe the crystal structure of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Ohr, a member of a recently discovered family of organic hydroperoxide resistance proteins. Ohr is a tightly folded homodimer, with a novel alpha/beta fold, and contains two active sites located at the monomer interface on opposite sides of the molecule. Using in vitro assays, we demonstrate that Ohr functions directly as a hydroperoxide reductase, converting both inorganic and organic hydroperoxides to less toxic metabolites. Site-directed mutagenesis confirms that the two conserved cysteines in each active site are essential for catalytic activity. We propose that the Ohr catalytic mechanism is similar to that of the structurally unrelated peroxiredoxins, directly utilizing highly reactive cysteine thiol groups to elicit hydroperoxide reduction.