First Report of Sudden Death Syndrome (Fusarium solani f. sp. glycines) of Soybean in Minnesota.

In August 2002, soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) plants exhibiting foliar and root symptoms typical of sudden death syndrome were observed in Blue Earth and Steele counties in south-central Minnesota. Leaf symptoms ranging from small chlorotic spots to prominent interveinal necrosis were present on soybean plants at the R6 to R7 growth stage. As plants matured, complete defoliation took place with only petioles remaining. Symptomatic plants had necrotic secondary roots, truncated taproots, and discolored cortical tissue at the soil line. Blue sporodochia containing macroconidia were observed on the taproot of affected plants at both locations (3,4). Multiple cultures from both locations were obtained by transferring macroconidia from the sporodochia to potato dextrose agar (PDA) and modified Nash-Snyder Medium (NSM) (3). After 14 days, isolations were made from fungal colonies exhibiting bluish pigmentation and masses of bluish macroconidia (4). The isolates grew slowly, developed a bluish color, and formed sporodochia containing abundant macroconidia on NSM. These isolates were identified as Fusarium solani (Mart.) Sacc. f. sp. glycines based on colony characteristics and morphology of macroconidia (2). Pathogenicity tests were conducted with a single isolate from each location. The isolate from Blue Earth County was inoculated as mycelia in a plug of media onto taproots of plants of susceptible cvs. Williams 82 and Spencer at the V2 growth stage. Chlorotic spots appeared on leaves after 12 days of growth at 22 to 25°C in the greenhouse. Interveinal necrosis appeared after 15 days (4). The isolate from Steele County was used to inoculate the susceptible cv. Great Lakes 3202. Sorghum seed (3 cm3) infested with mycelia of the isolate were placed 2 to 3 cm below soybean seed planted in Cone-Tainers. Noninfested sorghum seed was used as a control. Plants were maintained for 21 days at 22 to 28°C in the greenhouse. Chlorotic spots appeared on leaves of inoculated plants within 21 days after planting followed by the development of interveinal chlorosis and necrosis (1). Molecular analysis further supported the identification of the Steele County isolate as F. solani f. sp. glycines. Polymerase chain reaction with specific primers Fsg1 and Fsg2 of total genomic DNA extracted from the Steele County isolate amplified a 438-bp DNA fragment identical with that extracted from previously identified isolates of F. solani f. sp. glycines (1). In 2002, symptoms of sudden death syndrome were also reported in Olmsted, Freeborn, and Mower counties. Although studies are needed to determine the distribution of sudden death syndrome in the state, the occurrence of the symptoms at multiple locations suggests that F. solani f. sp. glycines is widely distributed in southeast and south-central Minnesota. The counties where sudden death syndrome symptoms were reported are located in the most productive soybean-growing region of Minnesota. Sudden death syndrome could be a serious threat to soybean production in this area since poorly drained, heavy, clay soils are common, and soil temperatures 18°C or less are normal before the end of May. References: (1) S. Li et al. Phytopathology 90:491, 2000. (2) K. W. Roy. Plant Dis. 81:566, 1997. (3) K. W. Roy et al. Plant Dis. 81:1100, 1997. (4) K. W. Roy. Plant Dis. 81:259, 1997.

Design, synthesis, and SAR of heterocycle-containing antagonists of the human CCR5 receptor for the treatment of HIV-1 infection.

Replacement of the large hydantoin-indole moiety from our previous work with a variety of smaller heterocyclic analogues gave rise to potent CCR5 antagonists having binding affinity comparable to the hydantoin analogues. The synthesis, SAR, and biological profiles of this class of antagonists are described.

Discovery of human CCR5 antagonists containing hydantoins for the treatment of HIV-1 infection.

A series of hydantoin derivatives has been discovered as highly potent nonpeptide antagonists for the human CCR5 receptor. The synthesis, SAR, and biological profiles of this class of antagonists are described.

Combinatorial synthesis of CCR5 antagonists.

Herein we report the preparation of a combinatorial library of compounds with potent CCR5 binding affinity. The library design was aided by SAR generated in a traditional medicinal chemistry effort. Compounds with novel combinations of subunits were discovered that have high binding affinity for the CCR5 receptor. A potent CCR5 antagonist from the library, compound 11 was found to have moderate anti-HIV-1 activity.

1,3,4-Trisubstituted pyrrolidine CCR5 receptor antagonists. Part 2: lead optimization affording selective, orally bioavailable compounds with potent anti-HIV activity.

Investigations of the structure-activity relationships of 1,3,4-trisubstituted pyrrolidine human CCR5 receptor antagonists afforded orally bioavailable compounds with the ability to inhibit HIV replication in vitro.

Antagonists of the human CCR5 receptor as anti-HIV-1 agents. Part 3: a proposed pharmacophore model for 1-[N-(methyl)-N-(phenylsulfonyl)amino]-2-(phenyl)-4-[4-(substituted)piperidin-1-yl]butanes.

Structure-activity relationship studies directed toward the optimization of (2S)-2-(3-chlorophenyl)-1-[N-(methyl)-N-(phenylsulfonyl)amino]-4-[4-(substituted)piperidin-1-yl]butanes as CCR5 antagonists resulted in the synthesis of the spiro-indanone derivative 8c (IC50=5 nM). These and previous results are summarized in a proposed pharmacophore model for this class of CCR5 antagonist.

Antagonists of the human CCR5 receptor as anti-HIV-1 agents. Part 4: synthesis and structure-activity relationships for 1-[N-(methyl)-N-(phenylsulfonyl)amino]-2-(phenyl)-4-(4-(N-(alkyl)-N-(benzyloxycarbonyl)amino)piperidin-1-yl)butanes.

(2S)-2-(3-Chlorophenyl)-1-[N-(methyl)-N-(phenylsulfonyl)amino]-4-[spiro(2,3-dihydrobenzthiophene-3,4'-piperidin-1'-yl)]butane S-oxide (1b) has been identified as a potent CCR5 antagonist having an IC50=10 nM. Herein, structure-activity relationship studies of non-spiro piperidines are described, which led to the discovery of 4-(N-(alkyl)-N-(benzyloxycarbonyl)amino)piperidine derivatives (3-5) as potent CCR5 antagonists.

1,3,4-Trisubstituted pyrrolidine CCR5 receptor antagonists. Part 1: discovery of the pyrrolidine scaffold and determination of its stereochemical requirements.

A series of 1,3,4-trisubstituted pyrrolidines was discovered to have the ability to displace [(125)I]-MIP-1alpha from the CCR5 receptor expressed on Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell membranes. CCR5 activity was found to be dependent on the regiochemistry and the absolute stereochemistry of the pyrrolidine.

CCR5, CXCR4, and CD4 are clustered and closely apposed on microvilli of human macrophages and T cells.

The chemokine receptors CCR5 and CXCR4 act synergistically with CD4 in an ordered multistep mechanism to allow the binding and entry of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). The efficiency of such a coordinated mechanism depends on the spatial distribution of the participating molecules on the cell surface. Immunoelectron microscopy was performed to address the subcellular localization of the chemokine receptors and CD4 at high resolution. Cells were fixed, cryoprocessed, and frozen; 80-nm cryosections were double labeled with combinations of CCR5, CXCR4, and CD4 antibodies and then stained with immunogold. Surprisingly, CCR5, CXCR4, and CD4 were found predominantly on microvilli and appeared to form homogeneous microclusters in all cell types examined, including macrophages and T cells. Further, while mixed microclusters were not observed, homogeneous microclusters of CD4 and the chemokine receptors were frequently separated by distances less than the diameter of an HIV-1 virion. Such distributions are likely to facilitate cooperative interactions with HIV-1 during virus adsorption to and penetration of human leukocytes and have significant implications for development of therapeutically useful inhibitors of the entry process. Although the mechanism underlying clustering is not understood, clusters were observed in small trans-Golgi vesicles, implying that they were organized shortly after synthesis and well before insertion into the cellular membrane. Chemokine receptors normally act as sensors, detecting concentration gradients of their ligands and thus providing directional information for cellular migration during both normal homeostasis and inflammatory responses. Localization of these sensors on the microvilli should enable more precise monitoring of their environment, improving efficiency of the chemotactic process. Moreover, since selectins, some integrins, and actin are also located on or in the microvillus, this organelle has many of the major elements required for chemotaxis.

Antagonists of the human CCR5 receptor as anti-HIV-1 agents. part 1: discovery and initial structure-activity relationships for 1 -amino-2-phenyl-4-(piperidin-1-yl)butanes.

Screening of the Merck sample collection for compounds with CCR5 receptor binding afforded (2S)-2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1-[N-(methyl)-N-(phenylsulfonyl)amino]-4-[spiro(2,3-dihydrobenzthiophene-3,4'-piperidin-1'-yl)]butane S-oxide (4) as a potent lead structure having an IC50 binding affinity of 35 nM. Herein, we describe the discovery of this lead structure and our initial structure activity relationship studies directed toward the requirement for and optimization of the 1-amino fragment.

Antagonists of the human CCR5 receptor as anti-HIV-1 agents. Part 2: structure-activity relationships for substituted 2-Aryl-1-[N-(methyl)-N-(phenylsulfonyl)amino]-4-(piperidin-1-yl)butanes.

(2S)-2-(3,4-Dichlorophenyl)-1-[N-(methyl)-N-(phenylsulfonyl)amino]-4-[spiro(2,3-dihydrobenzthiophene-3,4'-piperidin-1'-yl)]butane S-oxide (3) has been identified as a potent CCR5 antagonist lead structure having an IC50 = 35 nM. Herein, we describe the structure-activity relationship studies directed toward the requirement for and optimization of the C-2 phenyl fragment. The phenyl was found to be important for CCR5 antagonism and substitution was limited to small moieties at the 3-position (13 and 16: X= H, 3-F, 3-Cl, 3-Me).

Binding and functional properties of recombinant and endogenous CXCR3 chemokine receptors.

IP10 and MIG are two members of the CXC branch of the chemokine superfamily whose expression is dramatically up-regulated by interferon (IFN)-gamma. The proteins act largely on natural killer (NK)-cells and activated T-cells and have been implicated in mediating some of the effects of IFN-gamma and lipopolysaccharides (LPSs), as well as T-cell-dependent anti-tumor responses. Recently both chemokines have been shown to be functional agonists of the same G-protein-coupled receptor, CXCR3. We now report the pharmacological characterization of CXCR3 and find that, when heterologously expressed, CXCR3 binds IP10 and MIG with Ki values of 0.14 and 4.9 nM, respectively. The receptor has very modest affinity for SDF-1alpha and little or no affinity for other CXC-chemokines. The properties of the endogenous receptor expressed on activated T-cells are similar. Surprisingly, several CC-chemokines, particularly eotaxin and MCP-4, also compete with moderate affinity for the binding of IP10 to CXCR3. Eotaxin does not activate CXCR3 but, in CXCR3-transfected cells, can block IP10-mediated receptor activation. Eotaxin, therefore, may be a natural CXCR3 antagonist.

Titration of human-bovine rotavirus reassortants using a tetrazolium-based colorimetric end-point dilution assay.

A colorimetric end-point dilution assay was developed for the titration of rotavirus-containing samples that uses commercially available tetrazolium dyes as an indicator of virus infection. This assay offers several advantages over both plaque assays and traditional end-point dilution methods. The latter assays require manual counting of plaques or the scoring of wells for the presence of virus based on observed cytopathic effects. The colorimetric end-point dilution assay enables the scoring of wells based upon absorbance readings alone, thereby eliminating time-consuming and subjective manual screenings. This method also has the potential for automating the analysis of large numbers of samples. Virus titers of human-bovine rotavirus reassortants obtained using this method are comparable to those determined by plaque assay. The scoring of wells based on absorbance readings was also found to agree with manual scoring of cytopathic effects and with the production of viral antigen.

Mycotoxins and Fusarium spp. associated with infected ears of corn in Minnesota.

Five Fusarium species were isolated from the grain of dent corn (Zea mays) selected from 20 of 32 damaged fields in 10 counties in Minnesota on the basis of hyphal growth visible on kernels in the field. Three mycotoxins were identified in the infected ears: zearalenone, deoxynivalenol, and 15-acetyl-deoxynivalenol. This is the first report of the presence of 15-acetyl-deoxynivalenol on corn ears in the field prior to harvest and in combination with deoxynivalenol and zearalenone. Ninety-nine cultures were selected from colonies growing from kernels on an agar medium; 30% of the cultures were F. graminearum, 23% were F. subglutinans, 20% were F. moniliforme, 14% were F. oxysporum, and 12% were F. proliferatum.

BrDU-Giemsa labeling studies of satellite associations in parents of children with trisomy 21 or 13.

Studies on satellite association (SA) in parents of trisomy 21 offspring have not provided meaningful comparisons of SA frequencies since the latter was not expressed as a function of cell division number. We have used BrDU-labeling to compare SA frequencies in first and second division metaphases from lymphocytes of parents with either a trisomy 21 or trisomy 13 child and a control group. Parental origin of nondisjunction was determined in three of six families using quinacrine heteromorphisms. In the two cases of trisomy 13 determined, the errors occurred in maternal meiosis. BrDU-labeled metaphases were analyzed for SA frequency in four groups: A) parents contributing the extra chromosome; B) spouses of the parents in A; C) parents (nine) in whom the origin of a trisomy 13 or 21 was unknown; and D) healthy controls (five). The mean numbers of SAs/cell and of chromosomes/SA were not significantly different among the four groups for both first and second division cells. Sex and age showed no effect on SA frequency. There were significant decreases in mean numbers of SA/cell and chromosomes/SA in second-division cells (chromatids differentially stained) compared with first-division cells (chromatids undifferentiated). In second-division cells, two-chromosome SAs of all types showed random concordant and discordant alignment in each subject. The results from this BrDU-labeling approach provide no evidence that either quantitative or qualitative parameters of SA are directly related to a tendency of nondisjunction. They also show that acrocentric nondisjunction occurs in the presence of random chromatid alignment in SAs.