A new structural variation on the methanesulfonylphenyl class of selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors.

By inserting an oxygen link between the 3-fluorophenyl and the lactone ring of 5,5-dimethyl-3-(3fluorophenyl)-4-(4-methanesulfonylphenyl)-2 (5H)-furanone 1 (DFU), analogs with enhanced in vitro COX-2 inhibitory potency as well as in vivo potency in models of inflammation were obtained.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of 3-heteroaryloxy-4-phenyl-2(5H)-furanones as selective COX-2 inhibitors.

A series of 3-heteroaryloxy4-phenyl-2-5H)-furanones were prepared and evaluated for their potency and selectivity as COX-2 inhibitors. This led to the identification of L-778,736 as a potent, orally active and selective inhibitor of the COX-2 enzyme.

Development and validation of an intact cell assay for protein tyrosine phosphatases using recombinant baculoviruses.

We have developed an intact cell assay to be used in the direct quantitation of protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) activity. Utilizing the baculovirus expression system, the assay readily allows for a direct activity readout for PTPs such as PTP1B or CD45. Infected Sf9 cells expressing either full-length PTP1B, full-length CD45, CD45 catalytic domain, or hCOX-1 (mock-infected) are harvested 29 hr post-infection, at which time cells are viable and the expressed proteins are processed, as well as localized to their predicted subcellular compartments. Assays are carried out in a 96-well format, with cells expressing the PTP of interest. Cells are preincubated with or without inhibitor and challenged with substrate, and the phosphatase activity is determined spectrophotometrically by monitoring the conversion of p-nitrophenyl phosphate to p-nitrophenol at OD405. Documented PTP inhibitors have been used to validate this assay system. This study demonstrates that a direct readout of PTP activity in intact cells can be achieved, thus providing a useful cell-based screen for determining selective inhibitors of PTPs.

Selective inhibition of cyclooxygenase-1 and -2 using intact insect cell assays.

We have utilized the baculovirus expression system to develop an in vitro intact cell assay for screening nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) inhibition of the two isozymes of human cyclooxygenase (prostaglandin endoperoxidase synthase, EC 1.14.99.1). Infected Spodoptera frugiperda (sf9) cells expressing either human cyclooxygenase-1 (hCOX-1) or human cyclooxygenase-2 (hCOX-2) were harvested 24 hr postinfection, a time point where all cells are viable and hCOX-1 or hCOX-2 are correctly processed. Cells were distributed to a 96-well plate, preincubated with various NSAIDs, and challenged with 10 microM arachidonic acid; then cyclooxygenase activity was assessed indirectly by prostaglandin E2-specific radioimmunoassay. The rank order of potency of NSAID-mediated inhibitions of hCOX-1 and hCOX-2 paralleled those that have been observed in other cell systems. This sf9 cell-based assay can be utilized for the identification of potent and selective inhibitors of hCOX-1 and/or hCOX-2. Compounds that preferentially inhibit hCOX-2 may provide novel NSAIDs that reduce inflammation while sparing the stomach and kidneys of toxic side-effects seen with current nonselective NSAIDs.

Functional identification of the active-site nucleophile of the human 85-kDa cytosolic phospholipase A2.

Ser-228 has been shown to be essential for the catalytic activity of the human cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2). However, its involvement in catalysis has not yet been demonstrated. Using site-directed mutagenesis, active-site directed irreversible inhibitors, and the novel fluorogenic substrate 7-hydroxycoumarinyl gamma-linolenate, evidence is presented to show that the hydroxyl group of Ser-228 is the catalytic nucleophile of cPLA2. Replacement of Ser-228 by Ala, Cys, or Thr resulted in the inability of these mutants to mediate calcium ionophore induced PGE2 production in COS-7 cells cotransfected with the cPLA2 mutants and cyclooxygenase-1. Cell lysates from these transfected cells also had undetectable levels of cPLA2 phospholipid hydrolyase activity as did the affinity column purified S228A and S228C cPLA2 mutants overexpressed in insect cells. The loss in activity was not due to the inability of the mutant enzymes to translocate to the substrate lipid interface since the purified S228C cPLA2 mutant, like the wild type, translocated to the phospholipid membrane in the presence of calcium as judged by fluorescence energy transfer. However, when an activated substrate, 7-hydroxycoumarinyl gamma-linolenate (pKa approximately 7.8 for its leaving group) was used as substrate, there was a significant level of 7-hydroxycoumarin esterase (7-HCEase) activity (about 1% of wild type) associated with the purified S228CC cPLA2 mutant. The S228A cPLA2 mutant was catalytically inactive. Contrary to wild type cPLA2, the 7-HCEase activity of the thio-cPLA2 was not titrated by the irreversible active-site-directed inhibitor methyl arachidonyl fluorophosphonate, but rather titrated by one equivalent of arachidonyl bromomethyl ketone, an arachidonyl binding site directed sulfhydryl reagent. These results are compatible with the hydroxyl of Ser-228 being the catalytic nucleophile of cPLA2 and that cysteine can replace serine as the nucleophile, resulting ina thiol-cPLA2 with significantly reduced catalytic power.

A natural disruption of the secretory group II phospholipase A2 gene in inbred mouse strains.

The synovial fluid or group II secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) has been implicated as an important agent involved in a number of inflammatory processes. In an attempt to determine the role of sPLA2 in inflammation, we set out to generate sPLA2-deficient mice. During this investigation, we observed that in a number of inbred mouse strains, the sPLA2 gene was already disrupted by a frameshift mutation in exon 3. This mutation, a T insertion at position 166 from the ATG of the cDNA, terminates out of frame in exon 4, resulting in the disruption of the calcium binding domain in exon 3 and loss of both activity domains coded by exons 4 and 5. The mouse strains C57BL/6, 129/Sv, and B10.RIII were found to be homozygous for the defective sPLA2 gene, whereas outbred CD-1:SW mice had variable genotype at this locus. BALB/c, C3H/HE, DBA/1, DBA/2, NZB/BIN, and MRL lpr/lpr mice had a normal sPLA2 genotype. The sPLA2 mRNA was expressed at very high levels in the BALB/c mouse small intestine, whereas in the small intestine of the sPLA2 mutant mouse strains, sPLA2 mRNA was undetectable. In addition, PLA2 activity in acid extracts of the small intestine were approximately 40 times higher in BALB/c than in the mutant mice. Transcription of the mutant sPLA2 gene resulted in multiple transcripts due to exon skipping. None of the resulting mutant mRNAs encoded an active product. The identification of this mutation should not only help define the physiological role of sPLA2 but also has important implications in mouse inflammatory models developed by targeted mutagenesis.

Purification of baculovirus-overexpressed cytosolic phospholipase A2 using a single-step affinity column chromatography.

Cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) plays a key role in the production of proinflammatory lipid mediators such as prostaglandins, thromboxane, and leukotrienes. cPLA2, an arachidonic acid-selective, 85-kDa protein has been purified, cloned, and partially characterized from a number of tissues. However, the purification schemes previously published by several groups are lengthy, involving several chromatographic steps and resulting in low yields of enzyme. Here we report the preparation of a novel affinity column (Affi-656) by immobilizing a competitive inhibitor of cPLA2, and a single-step purification of this enzyme. This column selectively retains cPLA2 activity from the cytosolic fractions of Sf9 cells infected with recombinant baculovirus which is eluted by a gradient of CHAPS in the elution buffer. Purification of cPLA2 to homogeneity can thus be accomplished in a single step. Moreover, mutant cPLA2 (Ser505/Ala505) which is no longer phosphorylated at Ser505 is also retained on Affi-656; mutation at this residue does not disrupt its binding to the affinity column. To our knowledge, this is the first report of cPLA2 affinity purification. Affi-656 is a convenient, reproducible, and high-capacity affinity column, and is a valuable tool for rapid purification of cPLA2 in large quantities.

Human cytosolic phospholipase A2 expressed in insect cells is extensively phosphorylated on Ser-505.

Cytosolic PLA2 (cPLA2) has been implicated in the release of the arachidonic acid utilized in the inflammatory cascade. Phosphorylation of cPLA2 on Ser-505 by MAP kinase in response to agonist treatment, is thought to be one of the mechanisms required for activation of the enzyme in the cell. In order to obtain enough material for enzymological studies as well as to investigate the role of phosphorylation in the activation of cPLA2, the human enzyme was overexpressed in insect cells using a recombinant baculovirus. We report here on the characterization of the phosphorylation state of cPLA2 overexpressed in Sf9 cells. The level of overexpressed cPLA2 was shown to peak between 48 and 60 h post-infection, by this time the phosphorylated enzyme could easily be detected because of its reduced mobility on polyacrylamide gels. The reduced mobility or gel-shift has been shown to be due to phosphorylation of Ser-505. To determine whether this was also the case for insect cell overexpressed cPLA2, Ser-505 was replaced by Ala, and this mutant (cPLA2S505A) was expressed in Sf9 cells. Analysis of the overexpressed cPLA2S505A showed that it migrated only as the lower unshifted cPLA2 band confirming that the baculovirus overexpressed cPLA2 is extensively phosphorylated on Ser-505. Furthermore, treatment of infected Sf9 cells expressing the wild-type cPLA2 with phorbol 12-tetradecanoate 13-acetate (TPA) shifted all of the overexpressed cPLA2 to the phosphorylated Ser-505 form. When infected Sf9 cells were labelled with [32P], in addition to labelling of Ser-505 other sites were also labelled. Both cPLA2 and cPLA2S505A were purified from infected Sf9 cells and the specific activity for each of the enzymes was measured in a phosphatidylcholine vesicle fluorescence assay using 1-(10-pyrenedecanyl)arachidonyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine as substrate. Under these conditions the specific activity of cPLA2 was, 2 mumol/min per mg, whereas cPLA2S505A was 7-fold less active. These findings suggest that Sf9 cells have a mechanism for phosphorylating cPLA2 similar to that found in mammalian cells which probably proceeds through a MAP kinase. Thus, insect cell overexpressed cPLA2 is a very good source for the Ser-505 phosphorylated enzyme.

Selective inhibitors of COX-2.

The main target of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is prostaglandin G/H synthase (PGHS), also known as cyclooxygenase (COX), which exists as two isoforms. In order to evaluate the contributions of PGHS isoforms to physiological and pathological conditions and their sensitivity to inhibition by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, we have established high level expression systems of recombinant human PGHS isoforms. The inducible form of PGHS, termed PGHS-2, has been purified and characterized with respect to substrate specificity, product formation, enzymatic activity, glycosylation, heme content, quaternary structure, and modification by aspirin. Pharmacological profiles of the recombinant PGHS isoforms indicate that conventional NSAIDs show little selectivity for either enzyme, however, the recently described NSAID, NS-398, exhibits a high degree of specificity for PGHS-2 through a time dependent mechanism.

High-level expression of active human cyclooxygenase-2 in insect cells.

Active human cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) was expressed at high levels in insect cells using a recombinant baculovirus. The specific activity of Cox-2 in the microsomes of infected cells was 0.51 mumol O2/min/mg and was comparable to that obtained for partially purified Cox-2 from ovine placenta (0.55 mumol O2/min/mg). The Cox-2 enzyme expressed in insect cells was glycosylated to varying extents and most of the cyclooxygenase activity was in the high-speed microsomal pellet. The insect-cell-expressed enzyme also showed characteristic 15-hydroxyeicosa-tetraenoic acid production after aspirin treatment and had typical inhibition profiles with a number of known nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs.

Cloning and expression of rat prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase (cyclooxygenase)-2 cDNA.

Rat prostaglandin endoperoxidase synthase-2 (PGHS-2) cDNA was cloned from rat calvarial osteoblasts total RNA by RT-PCR. The primary sequence of rat PGHS-2 had 98% and 92% identity to the mouse and human enzymes, respectively. Transfection of the rat PGHS-2 cDNA into COS 7 cells, followed by the addition of 20 microM arachidonic acid, resulted in a dramatic increase in PGE2 released from these cells. The amount of PGE2 produced was comparable to that obtained from cells similarly transfected with human PGHS-1 cDNA. In the rat paw carrageenin-oedema inflammatory model, the injected paw had elevated levels of PGHS-2 mRNA compared to the control paw. In a rat pyrexia model, injection of the pyrogen lipopolysaccharide, resulted in elevated levels of PGHS-2 mRNA in the brain. These results suggest that PGHS-2 expression plays a role both in inflammation and fever.

Transcriptionally active immediate-early protein of pseudorabies virus binds to specific sites on class II gene promoters.

In the presence of partially purified pseudorabies virus immediate-early protein, multiple sites of DNase I protection were observed on the adenovirus major late and human hsp 70 promoters. Southwestern (DNA-protein blot) analysis demonstrated that the immediate-early protein bound directly to the sequences contained in these sites. These sequences share only limited homology, differ in their affinities for the immediate-early protein, and are located at different positions on these two promoters. In addition, the site-specific binding of a temperature-sensitive immediate-early protein was eliminated by the same heat treatment which eliminates its transcriptional activating function, whereas the binding of the wild-type protein was unaffected by heat treatment. Thus, site-specific binding requires a functionally active immediate-early protein. Furthermore, immediate-early-protein-dependent in vitro transcription from the major late promoter was preferentially inhibited by oligonucleotides which are homologous to the high-affinity binding sites on the major late or hsp 70 promoters. These observations suggest that transcriptional stimulation by the immediate-early protein involves binding to cis-acting elements.

Transcriptional regulation by the immediate early protein of pseudorabies virus during in vitro nucleosome assembly.

An in vivo transcriptional activator, the immediate early protein (IE) of pseudorabies virus, potentiates the activity of the major late promoter in a reconstituted chromatin assembly system where the assembly of preinitiation complexes is in competition with the assembly of promoter sequences within nucleosomes. IE function requires the simultaneous action of TFIID and results in the formation of stable preinitiation complexes within nucleosome-assembled templates. IE is unable to reverse nucleosome-mediated repression, once established, or to further increase the activity of previously activated templates. These results indicate that IE stimulates TFIID binding to promoter sequences, effectively competing with nucleosomes, during chromatin reconstitution. The specific implications for IE function in vivo and the general implications for cellular gene regulation are discussed.