Development and characterization of a chronic hepatitis B murine model with a mutation in the START codon of an HBV polymerase.

Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is caused by the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and affects millions of people worldwide. Developing an effective CHB therapy requires using in vivo screening methods, such as mouse models reflecting CHB based on hydrodynamic delivery of plasmid vectors containing a replication-competent HBV genome. However, long-term expression of HBV proteins is accompanied by production of progeny virions, thereby requiring a Biosafety Level (BSL) 3 animal facility. In the present study, we introduced a point mutation in the START codon of the HBV polymerase to develop a mouse model reflecting chronic hepatitis B infection without formation of viral progeny. We induced the mouse model by hydrodynamic injection of adeno-associated virus plasmid vector (pAAV) and minicircle plasmid (pMC) constructs into C57Bl/6 and C3H/HeN mouse strains, monitoring HBV antigens and antibodies in blood by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and analyzing liver expression of HBV core antigen by immunohistology. Persisting expression of viral antigens over 140 days (study endpoint) was observed only in the C3H/HeN mouse strain when using pAAV/1.2HBV-A and pMC/1.0HBV-D with pre-C and pre-S recombination sites. In addition, pAAV/1.2HBV-A in C3H/HeN sustained HBV core antigen positivity up to the study endpoint in C3H/HeN mice. Moreover, introducing the point mutation in the START codon of polymerase effectively prevented the formation of viral progeny. Our study establishes an accessible and affordable experimental paradigm for developing a robust mouse model reflecting CHB suitable for preclinical testing of anti-HBV therapeutics in a BSL2 animal facility.

Novel acyclic nucleotide analogues GS-343074 and GS-424044 demonstrate antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic activity in canine neoplastic cell lines.

GS-9219, a novel prodrug of the nucleotide analogue 9-(2-phosphonylmethoxyethyl) guanine (PMEG) has significant activity as monotherapy in dogs with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Phase I trials have been initiated in humans based on the encouraging activity observed in canine lymphoma. Two new analogues of GS-9219 (GS-343074 and GS-424044) were recently produced for evaluation as potential novel antineoplastic agents against solid tumours. As a preclinical step, effect of GS-343074 and GS-424044 were evaluated against ten canine cancer cell lines for antiproliferative effect. Both analogues displayed antiproliferative activity against multiple canine cancer cell lines, although GS-343074 was more potent and of broader spectrum compared to GS-424044. Flow cytometric analysis of cells that experienced growth inhibition support apoptotic death as a mechanism of action for both analogues. On the basis of in vitro results described here, GS-343074 and GS-424044 show promise as novel anticancer agents in canine cancer.

Comparative effects of adefovir and selected nucleoside inhibitors of hepatitis B virus DNA polymerase on mitochondrial DNA in liver and skeletal muscle cells.

Adefovir is a potent nucleotide analog inhibitor of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA polymerase. Its oral prodrug adefovir dipivoxil has been approved for the treatment of chronic HBV infection. In this study, adefovir was characterized for its in vitro effects on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) synthesis and compared with the nucleoside analogues lamivudine (3TC), fialuridine (FIAU), and zalcitabine (ddC). No substantial changes in mtDNA content were detected in human hepatoblastoma HepG2 cells and normal human skeletal muscle cells following a 9-day treatment with 0.3-30 microm adefovir, concentrations up to 500-fold higher than the peak serum levels in patients treated with adefovir dipivoxil. Similarly, mtDNA was unchanged in both cell types following treatment with 3TC. In contrast, 30-55% and > 90% reductions in mtDNA were observed following incubation with 30 microm FIAU and ddC, respectively. The effects of FIAU on mtDNA became more pronounced following prolonged 18-day treatment of skeletal muscle cells while the effects of other drugs remained unchanged.

9-[2-(Phosphonomethoxy)ethyl]adenine diphosphate (PMEApp) as a substrate toward replicative DNA polymerases alpha, delta, epsilon, and epsilon*.

The diphosphoryl derivative of the acyclic nucleotide phosphonate analog 9-[2-(phosphonomethoxy)ethyl]adenine (PMEA), found previously to weakly inhibit DNA pol delta/proliferating cell nuclear antigen, was studied as a substrate for pol alpha, delta, epsilon, and epsilon*. A comparison of the Vmax and Km for this derivative (PMEApp) and dATP demonstrated that the relative efficiency of the incorporation of this analog into the DNA chain is decreasing in the following order: pol delta approximately equal to pol epsilon approximately equal to pol epsilon* > pol alpha. Under the reaction conditions, this incorporation amounted to 4.4 to 0.7% of dAMP molecules. Similar Km values for PMEApp and dATP in pol epsilon and pol epsilon* catalyzed reactions revealed that proteolysis of the enzyme probably does not affect the dNTP binding site. The DNA polymerases tested were inhibited by the reaction product (PMEA terminated DNA chain) with similar Ki/Km ratios (pol alpha 0.2; pol delta, 0.1; pol epsilon 0.05; and pol epsilon*, 0.06). The associated 3'-5'-exonuclease activity of pol delta, epsilon, and epsilon* was able to excise PMEA from the 3'-OH end of DNA with a rate one order of magnitude lower than that of the dAMP residue.