A novel derivatization method for peptides to increase sensitivity and backbone fragmentation in liquid secondary-ion mass spectra.

Derivatization is used to increase both negative-ion sensitivity and positive-ion sequence information in the liquid secondary-ion mass spectra (LSIMS) of a series of peptides. The derivatization method involves acylation with pentafluorobenzoyl fluoride in a single-step reaction, and the reaction mixture is applied directly to the probe tip for analysis. Acylation takes place at the unprotected N-terminus, tyrosine, and lysine. The derivatives exhibit increased signal-to-noise ratio for [M-H]- ions, especially where there is not already an acidic amino acid residue in the peptide. In positive-ion LSIMS, the N-terminal group acts to retain the charge at the N-terminus, simplifying the fragmentation by producing N-terminal fragment ions. It also increases positive-ion fragmentation, sometimes very dramatically, making sequence determination more straightforward. The simplicity of the process, together with the enhancements it provides, make this a generally useful method for obtaining peptide structural information.

Identification and structural characterization of alpha 1-adrenergic receptor subtypes.

Rat liver and brain membrane alpha 1-adrenergic receptors were purified greater than 500-fold by successive chromatographic steps using heparin-agarose, an affinity matrix constructed by coupling a novel derivative of the alpha 1-selective antagonist prazosin to Affigel-102 and wheat germ agglutinin-agarose. Several lines of evidence were obtained for the existence in brain of an alpha 1-adrenergic receptor subtype that is structurally distinct from that previously characterized in liver and other tissues using photoaffinity labeling, protein purification, and DNA cloning techniques. The alpha 1-selective ligand chlorethylclonidine (CEC) (an alkylating agent) irreversibly inactivates 100% of [3H]prazosin binding sites in partially purified preparations of rat liver. Under identical conditions, only 50% of brain receptors are irreversibly inactivated. Computer modeling of data obtained from the competition by the alpha antagonists WB4101 and phentolamine for [3H]prazosin binding to partially purified preparations of rat liver is best fit by assuming a single class of low affinity sites for both ligands. However, analysis of partially purified brain preparations indicates the presence of two binding sites with different affinities for these antagonists. Additionally, prior alkylation of brain receptors with CEC results in the loss of low affinity phentolamine and WB4101 binding sites. The CEC-insensitive site in brain, which displays high affinity for phentolamine and WB4101, is resistant to photoaffinity labeling by [125I]azidoprazosin. This is not due to a markedly lower affinity of the CEC-insensitive sites for the photoaffinity label, because competition studies with [127I]azidoprazosin revealed a single class of high affinity sites in partially purified brain samples. Photoaffinity labeling of partially purified liver and brain samples not treated with CEC results in the specific labeling of a single protein of Mr 80,000. No specifically labeled protein is observed for partially purified brain samples that had previously been incubated with CEC. Treatment of photoaffinity-labeled liver and brain receptors with N-glycanase to cleave N-linked oligosaccharides results in a single Mr 55,000 protein. Taken together, these data provide evidence for the existence of a single receptor subtype (alpha 1b) in rat liver and for two subtypes (alpha 1a and alpha 1b) in rat brain. Furthermore, the insensitivity of the alpha 1a subtype to CEC and the resistance of the alpha 1a subtype to covalent labeling by an alpha 1b-selective photoaffinity probe suggest that the primary structures of the two receptor subtypes differ, such that an amino acid(s) in the alpha 1b subtype that incorporates CEC and the photoaffinity label is lacking in the alpha 1a subtype.

Synthesis and characterization of arylamine derivatives of rauwolscine as molecular probes for alpha 2-adrenergic receptors.

The selective alpha 2-adrenergic receptor antagonist rauwolscine was structurally modified to yield a series of arylamine carboxamide derivatives, which were investigated as potential molecular probes for the localization and structural characterization of alpha 2-adrenergic receptors. The arylamine carboxamides differ in the number of carbon atoms separating the reactive phenyl moiety from the fused ring structure of the parent compound, rauwolscine carboxylate. Competitive inhibition studies with [3H]rauwolscine in rat kidney membranes indicate that the affinity for the carboxamide derivatives is inversely related to the length of the carbon spacer arm with rauwolscine 4-aminophenyl carboxamide (zero carbon spacer arm; rau-AMPC) exhibiting the highest affinity (Kd = 2.3 +/- 0.2 nM). Radioiodination of rau-AMPC yields a ligand, 125I-rau-AMPC, which binds to rat kidney alpha 2-adrenergic receptors with high affinity, as determined by both kinetic analysis (Kd = k2/k1 = 0.016 min-1/2.1 X 10(7) M-1 min-1 = 0.76 nM) and equilibrium binding studies (Kd = 0.78 +/- 0.16 nM). 125I-rau-AMPC was quantitatively converted to the photolabile arylazide derivative 17 alpha-hydroxy-20 alpha-yohimban-16 beta-(N-4-azido-3-[125I]iodophenyl) carboxamide (125I-rau-AZPC). In a partially purified receptor preparation from porcine brain, this compound photolabels a major (Mr = 62,000) peptide. The labeling of this peptide is inhibited by adrenergic agonists and antagonists with a rank order of potency consistent with an alpha 2-adrenergic receptor binding site. Both 125I-rau-AMPC and the photolabile arylazide derivative, 125I-rau-AZPC, should prove useful as molecular probes for the structural and biochemical characterization of alpha 2-adrenergic receptors.

Photoaffinity labeling of the porcine brain alpha 2-adrenergic receptor using a radioiodinated arylazide derivative of rauwolscine: identification of the hormone-binding subunit.

A functionalized derivative of the alpha 2-selective antagonist rauwolscine formed the basis for a photoaffinity adduct that has allowed identification of the hormone-binding subunit of the brain alpha 2-adrenergic receptor protein. Rauwolscine carboxylate underwent reaction with 4-N-t-butyloxycarbonyl-aminoaniline, leading to the synthesis of rauwolscine 4-aminophenyl carboxamide (Rau-AmPC). Rau-AmPC was radioiodinated and converted to the arylazide derivative, 17 alpha-hydroxy-20 alpha-yohimban-16 beta-[N-(4-azido-3-[125I]iodo)phenyl] carboxamide (125I-Rau-AzPC), via a diazonium salt intermediate. The characterization of 125I-Rau-AzPC as a photolabile probe employed alpha 2-adrenergic receptors, which were first solubilized from porcine brain membranes and partially purified by affinity chromatography utilizing a yohimbine-agarose affinity matrix. In the partially purified receptor preparation incubated with 125I-Rau-AzPC, photolysis resulted in covalent labeling of a major (Mr, 62,000) peptide as determined by NaDodSO4/PAGE and autoradiography. Labeling of this peptide was inhibited by the alpha 2-selective antagonist, yohimbine, and the non-subtype-selective alpha-antagonist, phentolamine, but not by the alpha 1-antagonist, prazosin, or the beta-receptor antagonist, (-)-alprenolol. The alpha-adrenergic agonist epinephrine also inhibited labeling in a stereoselective manner. These data indicate that the photolabeled Mr 62,000 peptide is the hormone-binding subunit of the alpha 2-adrenergic receptor protein. The availability of this radioiodinated photoaffinity probe for the alpha 2-adrenergic receptor should facilitate further structural and biophysical characterization of the receptor protein.

Synthesis and characterization of a high affinity radioiodinated probe for the alpha 2-adrenergic receptor.

The availability of radioiodinated probes has facilitated the localization and molecular characterization of cell membrane receptors for hormones and neurotransmitters. However, such probes are not available for the study of the alpha 2-adrenergic receptor. This report describes the synthesis and characterization of functionalized derivatives of the selective alpha 2-adrenergic antagonists, rauwolscine and yohimbine, which can be radiolabeled to high specific activity with 125I. Following demethylation of rauwolscine or yohimbine, the resultant carboxylic acid derivatives were reacted with 4-aminophenethylamine to yield the respective 4-aminophenethyl carboxamides, 17 alpha-hydroxy-20 alpha-yohimban-16 beta-[N-4-amino-phenethyl]carboxamide (rau-pAPC) and 17 alpha-hydroxy-20 beta-yohimban-16 alpha-[N-4-aminophenethyl]carboxamide. In competitive inhibition studies using rat renal membranes and the radioligand [3H]rauwolscine, rau-pAPC (Ki = 11 +/- 1 nM) exhibited a 14-fold greater affinity than the corresponding yohimbine derivative (Ki = 136 +/- 45 nM). The higher affinity compound, rau-pAPC, was radioiodinated by the chloramine T method, and the product, 125I-rau-pAPC [17 alpha-hydroxy-20 alpha-yohimban-16 beta-(N-4-amino-3 -[125I]iodophenethyl)carboxamide], was purified by reverse phase HPLC to high specific activity (2175 Ci/mmol) and its binding characteristics were investigated in rat kidney membranes. Specific binding of 125I-rau-pAPC was saturable and of high affinity as determined by Scatchard analysis (KD = 1.8 +/- 0.3 nM) or from kinetic studies (KD = k2/k1 = 0.056 +/- 0.013 min-1)/4.3 +/- 0.2 X 10(7) M-1 min-1 = 1.3 +/- 0.3 nM). In competition studies, alpha-adrenergic antagonists and agonists inhibited the binding of 125I-rau-pAPC with a potency order consistent with an interaction at alpha 2-adrenergic receptors (rauwolscine greater than phentolamine greater than prazosin; clonidine greater than (-)-epinephrine greater than (-)-norepinephrine greater than dopamine greater than (+)-epinephrine). In rat liver and human platelet membranes, high affinity binding of 125I-rau-pAPC was also observed (liver, KD = 1.2 +/- 0.4 nM; platelet, KD = 3.2 +/- 1.5 nM). In addition, the density of alpha 2-adrenergic receptors identified from binding studies with 125I-rau-pAPC in kidney, liver, and platelet membranes was similar to that observed in parallel studies with [3H]rauwolscine. These findings indicate that 125I-rau-pAPC is a high affinity probe that selectively identifies alpha 2-adrenergic binding sites. Availability of this radioligand should facilitate the localization and biochemical characterization of this alpha-adrenergic receptor subtype.

4-amino-6-(trichloroethenyl)-1,3-benzenedisulfonamide, a new, potent fasciolicide.

The synthesis and fasciolicidal activity of 4-amino-6-(trichloroethenyl)-1,3-benzenedisulfonamide are reported. A single dose of 15 mg/kg was effective in removing over 90% of immature Fasciola hepatica from sheep (6 weeks after infection) and calves (8 weeks after infection). A 2.5 mg/kg dose removed over 90% of mature (16 weeks old) liver fluke from sheep. Single oral doses up to 400 mg/kg were tolerated by sheep without gross toxic symptoms.