Lead generation from N-[benzyl(4-phenylbutyl)carbamoyl]amino acid as a novel LPA1 antagonist for the treatment of systemic sclerosis.

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), a bioactive phospholipid, binds to the G protein-coupled LPA1 receptor on the surfaces of immune cells, to promote progression of fibrosis of the skin and organs through inducing infiltration of immune cells into tissues, chemokine production, inflammatory cytokine production, and fibroblast transformation. Anti-fibrotic effects of LPA1 blockade have been reported in animal models of scleroderma and scleroderma patients. In the study reported herein, we identified the novel urea compound 5 as a hit compound with LPA1 antagonist activity from our in-house library and synthesized the lead compound TP0541640 (18) by structural transformation utilizing a structure-based drug design (SBDD) approach. Compound 18 possessed potent in vitro LPA1 antagonist activity and exhibited a dose-dependent inhibitory effect against LPA-induced histamine release in mice. Furthermore, 18 significantly suppressed collagen production and skin thickening in a mouse model of bleomycin-induced skin fibrosis. Herein, we describe the compound design strategies and in vivo studies in greater detail.

Molecular cloning and analysis of the ghrelin/GHSR system in Xenopus tropicalis.

Ghrelin is a gut-derived peptide with several physiological functions, including feeding, gastrointestinal motility, and hormonal secretion. Recently, a host defense peptide, liver-expressed antimicrobial peptide-2 (LEAP2), was reported as an endogenous antagonist of growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R). The physiological relevance of the molecular LEAP2-GHS-R interaction in mammals has been explored; however, studies on non-mammals are limited. Here, we report the identification and functional characterization of ghrelin and its related molecules in Western clawed frog (Xenopus tropicalis), a known model organism. We first identified cDNA encoding X. tropicalis ghrelin and GHS-R. RT-qPCR revealed that ghrelin mRNA expression was most abundant in the stomach. GHS-R mRNA was widely distributed in the brain and peripheral tissues, and a relatively strong signal was observed in the stomach and intestine. In addition, LEAP2 was mainly expressed in intestinal tissues at higher levels than in the liver. In functional analysis, X. tropicalis ghrelin and human ghrelin induced intracellular Ca2+ mobilization with EC50 values in the low nanomolar range in CHO-K1 cells expressing X. tropicalis GHS-R. Furthermore, ghrelin-induced GHS-R activation was antagonized with IC50 values in the nanomolar range by heterologous human LEAP2. We also validated the expression of ghrelin and feeding-related factors under fasting conditions. After 2 days of fasting, no changes in ghrelin mRNA levels were observed in the stomach, but GHS-R mRNA levels were significantly increased, associated with significant downregulation of nucb2. In addition, LEAP2 upregulation was observed in the duodenum. These results provide the first evidence that LEAP2 functions as an antagonist of GHS-R in the anuran amphibian X. tropicalis. It has also been suggested that the ghrelin/GHS-R/LEAP2 system may be involved in energy homeostasis in X. tropicalis.

Molecular cloning of cholecystokinin (CCK) and CCK-A receptor and mechanism of CCK-induced gastrointestinal motility in Suncus murinus.

Cholecystokinin (CCK) is a peptide hormone mainly secreted by small intestinal endocrine I-cells and functions as a regulator of gallbladder contraction, gastric emptying, gastrointestinal (GI) motility, and satiety. The cellular effects of CCK in these peripheral tissues are predominantly mediated via CCK-A receptors which are found in smooth muscles, enteric neurons, and vagal afferent neurons in humans and animal models. Although various functions of CCK have been reported to be neurally mediated, it can also stimulate contraction via the CCK receptor on the smooth muscle. However, the entire underlying neural and cellular mechanisms involved in CCK-induced GI contractions are not clearly understood. Here, we first determined the cDNA and amino acid sequences of CCK and CCK-A receptor along with the distributions of cck mRNA and CCK-producing cells in house musk shrew (Suncus murinus, the laboratory strain named as suncus) and examined the mechanism of CCK-induced contraction in the GI tract. Mature suncus CCK-8 was identical to other mammalian species tested here, and suncus CCK-A receptor presented high nucleotide and amino acid homology with that of human, dog, mouse, and rat, respectively. Suncus CCK mRNA and CCK-producing cells were found mainly in small intestine and colon. In the organ bath study, CCK-8 induced dose-dependent contractions in the suncus stomach, duodenum, and jejunum, and these contractions were inhibited by atropine and CCK-A receptor antagonist. These results suggest that CCK-8-induced contraction is mediated in the myenteric cholinergic neural network and that CCK-A receptor is partly responsible for CCK-8-induced contractions. This study indicates that suncus is a useful animal model to study the functions of CCK involved in GI motility.

Lead optimization of 8-(methylamino)-2-oxo-1,2-dihydroquinolines as bacterial type II topoisomerase inhibitors.

The global increase in multidrug-resistant pathogens has caused severe problems in the treatment of infections. To overcome these difficulties, the advent of a new chemical class of antibacterial drug is eagerly desired. We aimed at creating novel antibacterial agents against bacterial type II topoisomerases, which are well-validated targets. TP0480066 (compound 32) has been identified by using structure-based optimization originated from lead compound 1, which was obtained as a result of our previous lead identification studies. The MIC90 values of TP0480066 against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE), and genotype penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae (gPRSP) were 0.25, 0.015, and 0.06 µg/mL, respectively. Hence, TP0480066 can be regarded as a promising antibacterial drug candidate of this chemical class.

ß-Oxidation in ghrelin-producing cells is important for ghrelin acyl-modification.

Ghrelin is a unique fatty acid-modified peptide hormone produced in the stomach and has important roles in energy homeostasis and gastrointestinal motility. However, the medium-chain fatty acid source for ghrelin acyl-modification is not known. We found that a fat-free diet and the removal of intestinal microbiota did not decrease acyl-ghrelin production in the stomach or plasma acyl-ghrelin levels in mice. RT-PCR analysis showed that genes involving fatty acid synthesis, metabolism, and transport were expressed in pancreas-derived ghrelinoma (PG-1) cells. Treatment with an irreversible inhibitor of carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 (CPT-1) strongly decreased acylated ghrelin levels but did not affect ghrelin or ghrelin o-acyl transferase (GOAT) mRNA levels in PG-1 cells. Our results suggest that the medium-chain fatty acid used for the acyl-modification of ghrelin is produced in ghrelin-producing cells themselves by ß-oxidation of long-chain fatty acids provided from the circulation.

5-(1,3-Benzothiazol-6-yl)-4-(4-methyl-1,3-thiazol-2-yl)-1H-imidazole derivatives as potent and selective transforming growth factor-ß type I receptor inhibitors.

A series of 5-(1,3-benzothiazol-6-yl)-4-(4-methyl-1,3-thiazol-2-yl)-1H-imidazole derivatives was synthesized as transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) type I receptor (also known as activin-like kinase 5 or ALK5) inhibitors. These compounds were evaluated for their ALK5 inhibitory activity in an enzyme assay and for their TGF-ß-induced Smad2/3 phosphorylation inhibitory activity in a cell-based assay. As a representative compound, 16i was a potent and selective ALK5 inhibitor, exhibiting a good enzyme inhibitory activity (IC(50) = 5.5 nM) as well as inhibitory activity against TGF-ß-induced Smad2/3 phosphorylation at a cellular level (IC(50) = 36 nM). Furthermore, the topical application of 3% 16i lotion significantly inhibited Smad2 phosphorylation in Mouse skin (90% inhibition compared with vehicle-treated animals).

Design, synthesis, and evaluation of novel 4-thiazolylimidazoles as inhibitors of transforming growth factor-ß type I receptor kinase.

A novel series of 4-thiazolylimidazoles was synthesized as transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) type I receptor (also known as activin receptor-like kinase 5 or ALK5) inhibitors. These compounds were evaluated for their ALK5 inhibitory activity in an enzyme assay and their TGF-ß-induced Smad2/3 phosphorylation inhibitory activity in a cell-based assay. N-{[5-(1,3-benzothiazol-6-yl)-4-(4-methyl-1,3-thiazol-2-yl)-1H-imidazol-2-yl]methyl}butanamide 20, a potent and selective ALK5 inhibitor, exhibited good enzyme inhibitory activity (IC(50)=8.2nM) as well as inhibitory activity against TGF-ß-induced Smad2/3 phosphorylation at a cellular level (IC(50)=32nM).

Mitochondrial DNA mutations regulate metastasis of human breast cancer cells.

Mutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) might contribute to expression of the tumor phenotypes, such as metastatic potential, as well as to aging phenotypes and to clinical phenotypes of mitochondrial diseases by induction of mitochondrial respiration defects and the resultant overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS). To test whether mtDNA mutations mediate metastatic pathways in highly metastatic human tumor cells, we used human breast carcinoma MDA-MB-231 cells, which simultaneously expressed a highly metastatic potential, mitochondrial respiration defects, and ROS overproduction. Since mitochondrial respiratory function is controlled by both mtDNA and nuclear DNA, it is possible that nuclear DNA mutations contribute to the mitochondrial respiration defects and the highly metastatic potential found in MDA-MB-231 cells. To examine this possibility, we carried out mtDNA replacement of MDA-MB-231 cells by normal human mtDNA. For the complete mtDNA replacement, first we isolated mtDNA-less (ρ(0)) MDA-MB-231 cells, and then introduced normal human mtDNA into the ρ(0) MDA-MB-231 cells, and isolated trans-mitochondrial cells (cybrids) carrying nuclear DNA from MDA-MB-231 cells and mtDNA from a normal subject. The normal mtDNA transfer simultaneously induced restoration of mitochondrial respiratory function and suppression of the highly metastatic potential expressed in MDA-MB-231 cells, but did not suppress ROS overproduction. These observations suggest that mitochondrial respiration defects observed in MDA-MB-231 cells are caused by mutations in mtDNA but not in nuclear DNA, and are responsible for expression of the high metastatic potential without using ROS-mediated pathways. Thus, human tumor cells possess an mtDNA-mediated metastatic pathway that is required for expression of the highly metastatic potential in the absence of ROS production.

A chronic myeloid leukemia patient with atypical karyotype and BCR-ABL e13a3 transcript caused by complex chromosome rearrangement.

Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome as a result of t (9; 22) (q34; q11) is observed in more than 90% of chromic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients. Cases in which the typical Ph chromosome is not visible at the karyotype level comprise 5-10% of CML patients. CML cases with fusion transcripts such as e13a3 in which ABL exon 3 rather than exon 2 has fused to BCR are very rare. Such reported cases with the e13a3 transcript show the Ph chromosome on karyotype analysis. We reported an atypical karyotype CML patient with the e13a3 BCR-ABL transcript caused by complex translocation. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis of the metaphase led to a precise cytogenetical characterization. The patient showed favorable response to imatinib, and achieved major molecular responses.

Automated synthesis of lipomannan backbone alpha(1-6) oligomannoside via glycosyl phosphates: glycosyl tricyclic orthoesters revisited.

Glycosyl tricyclic orthoesters provide a versatile basis for the efficient generation of glycosyl phosphates, which are used in the automated synthesis of lipomannan backbone alpha(1-6) hexa-mannoside.

Catalytic enantioselective allylation of ketoimines.

A general catalytic allylation of simple ketoimines was developed using 1 mol % of CuF.3PPh(3) as catalyst, 1.5 mol % of La(O(i)Pr)(3) as the cocatalyst, and stable and nontoxic allylboronic acid pinacol ester as the nucleophile. This reaction constituted a good template for developing the first catalytic enantioselective allylation of ketoimines. In this case, using LiO(i)Pr as the cocatalyst produced higher enantioselectivity and reactivity than La(O(i)Pr)(3). Thus, using the CuF-cyclopentyl-DuPHOS complex (10 mol %) and LiO(i)Pr (30 mol %) in the presence of (t)BuOH (1 equiv) produced high enantioselectivity up to 93% ee from a range of aromatic ketoimines. Mechanistic studies indicated that LiO(i)Pr accelerates the reaction by increasing the concentration of an active nucleophile, allylcopper.

Catalytic enantioselective desymmetrization of meso-N-acylaziridines with TMSCN.

A catalytic enantioselective desymmetrization of meso-N-p-nitrobenzoylaziridines with TMSCN was developed using a chiral gadolinium catalyst generated from Gd(OiPr)3 and d-glucose-derived ligand 1. In this reaction, the addition of a catalytic amount of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) improved enantioselectivity. High enantioselectivity was obtained from a range of meso-aziridines at 0-60 degrees C. The product could be easily transformed into beta-amino acids. Thus, the developed catalytic enantioselective desymmetrization reaction allowed for efficient catalytic synthesis of chiral cyclic beta-amino acids. The incorporation of TFA into the catalyst complex was observed using ESI-MS. Generation of this new complex might be the origin of the improved enantioselectivity.

Exogenous administration of octanoic acid accelerates octanoylated ghrelin production in the proventriculus of neonatal chicks.

Ghrelin is modified by fatty acid at the third serine residue. In this study, derivation of fatty acid for acylation of ghrelin was investigated using a hatchling chicken model. We first studied ghrelin gene expression and production in the neonatal chick proventriculus and then investigated the effect of exogenous octanoic acid (OA) administration on acylated ghrelin production. In a free-feeding condition on day 2.5 after hatching, the density of ghrelin mRNA-expressing (ghrelin-ex) cells was greater than that of ghrelin-immunopositive (ghrelin-ip) cells, but no difference was found between those densities in adult chickens. Intraperitoneal or oral administration of OA for a few days significantly increased the density of ghrelin-ip cells without any changes in ghrelin-ex cells and elevated only octanoylated ghrelin levels in the proventriculus. The results indicate that fatty acid absorbed from food is directly utilized in acylated ghrelin production in the chicken.

Enantioselective alkenylation and phenylation catalyzed by a chiral CuF complex.

A new method for CuF-catalyzed alkenylation and phenylation of aldehydes and an activated ketone using air- and moisture-stable alkenylsilanes and phenylsilane as a nucleophile is described. This methodology was extended to highly enantioselective catalytic alkenylation and phenylation using DTBM-SEGPHOS as a chiral ligand. Substrate generality is broad, and an alkenylsilane with a long alkyl chain and an internal alkenylsilane can be also used as a nucleophile. The key to success partly involves the accelerated regeneration of reactive alkenylcopper and phenylcopper through transmetalation from the silylated nucleophiles, and stabilization of the reactive copper reagents, both of which are effected by the diphosphine ligands.

Catalytic enantioselective allylboration of ketones.

The first example of catalytic enantioselective allylboration and crotylboration of simple ketones is described. High enantioselectivity (up to 93% ee) was obtained using 3 mol % CuF-iPr-DuPHOS as a chiral catalyst and 4.5 mol % La(OiPr)3 as a cocatalyst. Mechanistic studies strongly suggested that the active nucleophile of the present reaction is an allylcopper, and that La(OiPr)3 facilitates the generation of an active allylcopper from the allylboronate, without affecting the transition-state structure of the ketone allylation step.

Estrogen modulates ghrelin expression in the female rat stomach.

Ghrelin was recently identified as an endogenous ligand for GH secretagogue receptor. In this study, we investigated the effects of ovariectomy on the numbers of ghrelin-immunopositive and -expressing cells, ghrelin mRNA levels, and plasma ghrelin concentrations in 4- and 9-week-old female rats. Three days after ovariectomy, the number of ghrelin cells and plasma ghrelin level significantly increased in both 4- and 9-week-old rats and the ghrelin mRNA level also increased in 4-week-old rats. These responses were reversed by 17beta-estradiol replacement. We also found that ghrelin-immunopositive cells express estrogen receptor alpha. These results suggested that estrogen is involved in the regulation of ghrelin expression.

Existence of ghrelin-immunopositive and -expressing cells in the proventriculus of the hatching and adult chicken.

Ghrelin was isolated from the rat stomach as an endogenous ligand for the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R) and has been found in the gastrointestinal tract of many vertebrates. Although the sequence and structure of chicken ghrelin has recently been determined, morphological characteristics of ghrelin cells in the chicken gastrointestinal tract are still obscure. In this study, we investigated ghrelin expression and distribution of ghrelin-producing cells in the hatching and adult chicken gastrointestinal tract by RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. Ghrelin mRNA expression was observed mainly in the proventriculus in the hatching chicken and in the proventriculus, pylorus and duodenum of the adult chicken by RT-PCR. Ghrelin-immunopositive (ghrelin-ip) cells in the proventriculus were located at the mucosal layer but not in the myenteric plexus or smooth muscle layer. The number of ghrelin-ip cells in the adult chicken was greater than that in the hatching chicken. Interestingly, in the adult chicken, the number of ghrelin-ip cells were almost the same as that of ghrelin mRNA-expressing (ghrelin-ex) cells; however, in the hatching chicken, the number of ghrelin-ex cells was greater than that of ghrelin-ip cells. These results clearly demonstrate that ghrelin-producing cells exist in the chicken gastrointestinal tract, especially in the proventriculus, from hatching to adult stages of development, as well as in mammals.

Development of hydrophilic fluorogenic derivatization reagents for thiols: 4-(N-acetylaminosulfonyl)-7-fluoro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole and 4-(N-trichloroacetylaminosulfonyl)-7-fluoro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole.

Sensitive, reactive, and hydrophilic fluorogenic reagents for thiols with the benzofurazan skeleton, 4-(N-acetylaminosulfonyl)-7-fluoro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (AcABD-F) and 4-(N-trichloroacetylaminosulfonyl)-7-fluoro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (TCAcABD-F) have been developed. These reagents reacted with thiols within 10 min at 60 degrees C. AcABD-F and TCAcABD-F themselves do not fluoresce but are strongly fluorescent after the reaction with thiol compounds. The generated derivatives were highly water-soluble, since they dissociated a proton and ionized in the neutral pH region. The derivatives with four biologically important thiol compounds were separated on a reversed-phase HPLC column and detected fluorometrically at 504 nm with excitation at 388 nm. The detection limit attained for homocysteine with AcABD-F was 25 fmol on column (11 nM) (signal-to-noise ratio = 3), and that for glutathione with TCAcABD-F was 45 fmol on column (20 nM).

Dramatic switching of protein kinase C agonist/antagonist activity by modifying the 12-ester side chain of phorbol esters.

A dramatic switching of PKC agonist and antagonist activity was observed by modification of the hydrophilicity of the 12-ester side chain of phorbol. Thus, phorbol ester 4 that contains a glycol at the 12-ester chain demonstrated a pure and significant antagonist ability of PKC; however, 3 that contains an alkanol at the 12-ester chain demonstrated a potent PKC agonist activity. On the basis of the structural difference between 3 and 4 and results of the partition assay in the Hela cell/PBS buffer system, we propose that 4 acts as a translocation poison of the PKC-phorbol ester complex. The approach of controlling the agonist/antagonist activity of phorbol esters by the nature (i.e., hydrophilicity, charge, and rigidity, etc.) of the 12-ester chain may be very useful for developing selective PKC inhibitors and a potential pharmaceutical compound for anticancer therapies.

A general catalytic allylation using allyltrimethoxysilane.

A general and mild catalytic allylation of carbonyl compounds, applicable to aldehydes, ketones, and imines is developed using allyltrimethoxysilane as the allylating reagent. The reaction proceeds smoothly with 1-10 mol % of CuCl and TBAT in THF at ambient temperature. Mechanism studies indicated that the copper alkoxide, allylfluorodimethoxysilane, and allyltrimethoxysilane are essential to promote the reaction efficiently. Preliminary extension of the reaction to the first catalytic enantioselective allylation of ketones using an allylsilane produced the product with 61% ee from acetophenone, using a CuCl-p-tol-BINAP-TBAT catalyst (15 mol %).