The reactions of diaminomaleonitrile with isocyanates and either aldehydes or ketones revisited.

A reinvestigation of the reactions of urea derivatives of diaminomaleonitrile 2 with aldehydes or ketones in the presence of triethylamine has established that the products of these reactions are not pyrimidino[5,4-d]pyrimidines 9 as previously reported, but 8-oxo-6-carboxamido-1,2-dihydropurines 12, which are oxidized rapidly in air to the corresponding 6-carboxamidopurines 13. Similarly, the reaction of Schiff base derivatives of DAMN 5 with isocyanates in the presence of triethylamine gives the substituted 2-oxoimidazoles 20 and not the pyrimidine derivatives 8 as previously claimed. The compounds 20 cyclize in solution and are easily oxidized to 8-oxopurine-6-carbonitriles 22, which give the same 8-oxopurine-6-carboxamides 13 upon further hydrolysis.

Generation of an immunodominant CTL epitope is affected by proteasome subunit composition and stability of the antigenic protein.

Generation of the HLA-A0201 (A2) influenza Matrix 58-66 epitope contained within the full-length Matrix protein is impaired in cells lacking the proteasome subunits low molecular protein 2 (LMP2) and LMP7. This Ag presentation block can be relieved by transfecting the wild-type LMP7 cDNA into LMP7-deficient cells. A mutated form of LMP7, lacking the two threonines at the catalytic active site, was equally capable of relieving the block in presentation of the influenza Matrix A2 epitope. These observations were extended by analyzing whether modification of the influenza Matrix protein could overcome the block in presentation of the A2 Matrix epitope. Expression of either a rapidly degraded form of the full-length Matrix protein or shorter Matrix fragments led to an efficient presentation of the A2 influenza Matrix epitope by LMP7-negative cells. These findings demonstrate two main points: 1) LMP7 incorporation into the proteasome is of greater importance for the generation of the influenza A2 Matrix epitope than the presence of the LMP7's catalytic site; and 2) the interplay between cytosolic proteases and stability of target proteins is of importance in optimization of Ag presentation. These observations may have relevance to the immunodominance of tumor and viral epitopes and raise the possibility that generation of shorter protein fragments could be a mechanism to ensure optimal Ag presentation by cells expressing low levels of LMP7.

IFN-gamma exposes a cryptic cytotoxic T lymphocyte epitope in HIV-1 reverse transcriptase.

The proteasome, an essential component of the ATP-dependent proteolytic pathway in eukaryotic cells, is responsible for the degradation of most cellular proteins and is believed to be the main source of MHC class I-restricted antigenic peptides for presentation to CTL. Inhibition of the proteasome by lactacystin or various peptide aldehydes can result in defective Ag presentation, and the pivotal role of the proteasome in Ag processing has become generally accepted. However, recent reports have challenged this observation. Here we examine the processing requirements of two HLA A*0201-restricted epitopes from HIV-1 reverse transcriptase and find that they are produced by different degradation pathways. Presentation of the C-terminal ILKEPVHGV epitope is impaired in ME275 melanoma cells by treatment with lactacystin, and is independent of expression of the IFN-gamma-inducible proteasome beta subunits LMP2 and LMP7. In contrast, both lactacystin treatment and expression of LMP7 induce the presentation of the N-terminal VIYQYMDDL epitope. Consistent with these observations we show that up-regulation of LMP7 by IFN-gamma enhances presentation of the VIYQYMDDL epitope. Hence interplay between constitutive and IFN-gamma-inducible beta-subunits of the proteasome can qualitatively influence Ag presentation. These observations may have relevance to the patterns of immunodominance during the natural course of viral infection.

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes, chemokines and antiviral immunity.

Evidence that CD8+ CTLs produce chemokines following engagement of viral antigens, and that MIP-1alpha is required for an inflammatory response to virus challenge, suggests that these molecules are key elements in the generation of effective antiviral immunity. Here, David Price and colleagues argue that the antigen-dependent release of chemokines by CTLs provides an elegant mechanism linking localization, amplification and coordination of the antiviral immune response to specific recognition of infected host cells beyond the confines of the lymphoid system.

Extensive alanine substitutions increase binding affinity of an influenza nucleoprotein peptide to HLA-Aw68 and do not abrogate peptide-specific CTL recognition.

Class I MHC molecules bind peptides in the endoplasmic reticulum and present them at the cell surface to circulating CD8+ T cells for analysis. We have examined binding of peptides and stabilization of HLA-Aw68 class I molecules using synthetic peptide variants of an influenza virus nucleoprotein peptide, NP91-99 (KTGGPIYKR). We have demonstrated that insertion of increasing numbers of alanines in the center of the peptide (between P and I), to increase a natural bulging out of the peptide-binding cleft, results in a large decrease in thermal stability. Although there is a great decrease in the t 1/2 of the MHC/peptide complex for NP-1A compared with NP91-99, a T cell line, stimulated by NP91-99, recognizes NP-1A efficiently. Peptide variants with three or more alanines do not show saturable binding to HLA-Aw68 and also are not recognized by the T cell line. Thermal studies show that polyalanine peptides with minimal anchors and nearly all TCR contact residues exchanged stabilized HLA-Aw68 to high temperatures. Additionally, some of these polyalanine peptides are recognized by T cell lines generated against NP91-99. Analysis of the peptide sequences show that the stabilization effects are not due to the hydrophobicity of the peptide. These data suggest that the strength of binding of peptides to HLA-Aw68 is not only dictated by the presence of anchor residues but also by the lack of unfavorable contacts between the peptide ligand and class I MHC-binding cleft.

Down-Regulation of Porcine Heart Diaphorase Reactivity by Trimanganese Hexakis(3,5-Diisopropylsalicylate), Mn(3)(3,5-DIPS)6, and Down-Regulation of Nitric Oxide Synthase Reactivity by Mn(3)(3,5-DIPS)(6) and Cu(II)(2)(3,5-DIPS)(4).

Purposes of this work were to examine the plausible down-regulation of porcine heart diaphorase (PHD) enzyme reactivity and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) enzyme reactivity by trimanganese hexakis(3,5-diisopropylsalicylate), [Mn(3)(3,5-DIPS)(6)] as well as dicopper tetrakis(3,5- diisopropylsalicylate, [Cu(II)(2)(3,5-DIPS)(4)] as a mechanistic accounting for their pharmacological activities.Porcine heart disease was found to oxidize 114 muM reduced nicotinamide-adenine- dinucleotide-'(3)-phosphate (NADPH) with a corresponding reduction of an equivalent concentration of 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol (DCPIP). As reported for Cu(II)(2) (3,5-DIPS)(4), addition of Mn(3)(3,5-DIPS)(6) to this reaction mixture decreased the reduction of DCPIP without significantly affecting the oxidation of NADPH. The concentration of Mn(3)(3,5-DIPS)(6) that produced a 50% decrease in DCPIP reduction (IC(50)) was found to be 5muM. Mechanistically, this inhibition of DCPIP reduction with ongoing NADPH oxidation by PHD was found to be due to the ability of Mn(3)(3,5-DIPS)(6) to serve as a catalytic electron acceptor for reduced PHD as had been reported for Cu(II)(2)(3,5-DIPS)(4). This catalytic decrease in reduction of DCPIP by Mn(3)(3,5-DIPS)(6) was enhanced by the presence of a large concentration of DCPIP and decreased by the presence of a large concentration of NADPH, consistent with what had been observed for the activity of Cu(II)(2)(3,5-DIPS)(4)Oxidation of NADPH by PHD in the presence of Mn(3)(3,5-DIPS)(6) and the absence of DCPIP was linearly related to the concentration of added Mn(3)(3,5-DIPS)(6) through the concentration range of 2.4 muM to 38muM with a 50% recovery of NADPH oxidation by PHD at a concentration of 6 muM Mn(3)(3,5-DIPS)(6)Conversion of [(3)H] L-Arginine to [(3)H] L-Citrulline by purified rat brain nitric oxide synthase (NOS) was decreased in a concentrated related fashion with the addition of Mn(3)(3,5-DIPS)(6) as well as Cu(II)(2)(3,5-DIPS)(4) which is an extention of results reported earlier for Cu(II)(2)(3,5-DIPS)(4). The concentration of these two compounds required to produce a 50% decrease in L-Citrulline synthesis by NOS, which may be due to down-regulation of NOS, were 0.1 mM and 8muM respectively, consistent with the relative potencies of these two complexes in preventing the reduction of Cytochrome c by NOS.It is concluded that Mn(3)(3,5-DIPS)(6), as has been reported for Cu(II)(2) (3,5-DIPS)(4) , serves as an electron acceptor in down-regulating PHD and both of these complexes down-regulate rat brain NOS reactivity. A decrease in NO synthesis in animal models of seizure and radiation injury may account for the anticonvulsant, radioprotectant, and radiorecovery activities of Mn(3)(3,5-DIPS)(6) and Cu(II)(2)(3,5-DIPS)(4).

Radioprotectant Activity of Dicopper(II) Tetrakis(3,5- Diisopropylsalicylate) and Manganese(II) bis(3,5- Diisopropylsalicylate) Alone and in Combination.

Dicopper(ll) tetrakis(3,5-diisopropylsalicylate), (Cu(II)(2)(3,5-DIPS)(4), manganese(II) bis(3,5-diisopropylsalicylate), Mn(II)3,5-DIPS)(2) or combinations of them were used to treat gamma-irradIated mice in examining the possibility that combination treatments might be more effective in increasing survival than treatment with either complex alone. Doses of 0, 10, 20, or 40 mumol of each complex per kilogram of body mass were administered subcutaneously in a factorial design before 9 Gy gamna irradiation, an LD(90) dose of irradiation. Doses of 0, 10, 20, or 40 mumol Cu(II)(2)(3, 5-DIPS)(4) per kg of body mass produced 12, 28, 28, or 36 % survival, respectively, while doses of 0, 10, 20, or 40 mumol (II)(3), 5-DIPS)(2) per kg of body mass prduced 12, 36, 20, or 24 % survival, respectively. However, the combination of 20 mumol Cu(II)(2)(3, 5-DIPS)(4) and 10 mumol Mn(II)(3, 5-DIPS)(2) produced the greatest survival, 48 %, which was 300 % greater than vehicle-treated mice (P=0.01). It is concluded that specific combination treatments can be used to maximize survival of lethally irradiated mice.

An inhibitor of HIV-1 protease modulates proteasome activity, antigen presentation, and T cell responses.

Inhibitors of the protease of HIV-1 have been used successfully for the treatment of HIV-1-infected patients and AIDS disease. We tested whether these protease inhibitory drugs exerted effects in addition to their antiviral activity. Here, we show in mice infected with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus and treated with the HIV-1 protease inhibitor ritonavir a marked inhibition of antiviral cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) activity and impaired major histocompatibility complex class I-restricted epitope presentation in the absence of direct effects on lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus replication. A potential molecular target was found: ritonavir selectively inhibited the chymotrypsin-like activity of the 20S proteasome. In view of the possible role of T cell-mediated immunopathology in AIDS pathogenesis, the two mechanisms of action (i.e., reduction of HIV replication and impairment of CTL responses) may complement each other beneficially. Thus, the surprising ability of ritonavir to block the presentation of antigen to CTLs may possibly contribute to therapy of HIV infections but potentially also to the therapy of virally induced immunopathology, autoimmune diseases, and transplantation reactions.

Identification and characterization of a nuclease specific for the 3' end of the U6 small nuclear RNA.

The U6 small nuclear RNA is post-transcriptionally processed by the addition and removal of nontemplate uridylates (Us) at its 3' end prior to incorporation into the U4 x U6 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein complex. An enzyme responsible for removing Us from the U6 3' end has not been previously identified. Here we biochemically isolate and characterize an exonuclease activity from HeLa cells that removes template and nontemplate 3'-nucleotides specifically from U6 RNA. We also report the isolation of an inhibitor of this U6 nuclease. U6 nuclease rapidly removes the four terminal 3' Us found in the human U6 coding sequence in a magnesium-dependent manner. Mutagenesis studies on the U6 RNA define regions essential for processing. U6 nuclease recognizes specific sequences on both strands near the base of the major intramolecular stem loop of the U6 RNA. The preprocessed 3' Us form part of the base of the stem loop, but neither specific sequences nor secondary structure at the four terminal nucleotides are required to achieve processing.

Photopolymer material for holography.

An experimental Du Pont holographic photopolymer material produces an index modulation in excess of 10(-2) utilizing a diffusion mechanism. Optimum exposure in air is typically 30 mJ/cm(2) , in nitrogen 3 mJ/cm(2). Composition, beam ratio, and exposure power all affect the index modulation. This, combined with thickness variations, permits diffraction efficiency to be preadjusted for a variety of desired angular responses and spatial frequencies. The material can be easily overmodulated according to Kogelnik's phase grating theory. No wet processing is required. After total polymerization, storage at 100 degrees C, -60 degrees C, and under water does not significantly affect the diffraction efficiency. Image-object superposition is exact for real-time holography. Excellent copies of silver halide holograms with four times the original efficiency have been made. Grating devices with tailored peak or flat wavelength response can be constructed.

Holograms made with pulsed argon-ion lasers operating in various transverse modes.

Holograms were made with millisecond pulses from argon-ion lasers of 5-mm, 8-mm, and 15-mm bore diam operating in either the fundamental or higher order modes. The temporal coherence of the lasers was improved by an order of magnitude through use of an intracavity etalon.