Early detection of influenza A(H5) viruses with affinity for the human sialic acid receptor by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry based mutation detection.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) strains have been causing sporadic cases of disease in South East Asia and Africa for many years. These cases are associated with a high fatality rate, and it is feared that the virus could evolve into a strain capable of causing a pandemic. It is likely that a requirement for a A(H5) pandemic to occur is a switch in the receptor affinity of the virus. Candidate mutations in the hemagglutinin glycoprotein have been identified in the literature, and their emergence in circulating viruses would be an ominous development. This study describes a method to identify the presence of these mutations, even within a quasispecies, using RT-PCR followed by in vitro translation and peptide characterization by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.

A new RT-PCR assay specific for influenza A(H2), multiplexed with an assay specific for HPAI A(H5N1).

Worldwide efforts are ongoing to improve influenza pandemic preparedness, including from the perspective of the clinical virology laboratory. In particular, much work has been devoted to the development of diagnostic assays targeted at the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1); much less efforts have been devoted to the A(H2) subtype. Yet, A(H2) subtype has a proven capacity to cause pandemics and is among the subtypes prioritized for surveillance and control. Although the human A(H2N2) virus that caused the pandemic of 1957 no longer circulates, many related avian A(H2) viruses circulate in avian population and could conceivably adapt to infect humans and cause a new pandemic. In this study the design and development of an RT-PCR assay specific for A(H2) subtype is presented. It is shown that the assay is highly sensitive and specific, able to detect human and avian A(H2) viruses, and can be incorporated into a multiplex assay with another previously described assay for HPAI A(H5N1).

Design of a single tube RT-PCR assay for the diagnosis of human infection with highly pathogenic influenza A(H5) viruses.

Concerns about emergence of a pandemic strain of influenza have been increasing. The strains of highly pathogenic influenza A(H5N1) currently circulating are considered among the most plausible candidates for giving rise to a pandemic strain. In this study the design and development of a RT-PCR assay specific for these highly pathogenic influenza A(H5) strains is presented. This is achieved in part by the design of a primer targeting the coding region for the protease cleavage site of the hemagglutinin, and another primer derived from a pan-hemagglutinin RT-PCR assay also presented in this study. It is shown that the HPAI A(H5) specific assay amplifies only the nucleic acids of highly pathogenic A(H5), with a high sensitivity.

Inhibition of stimulated Jurkat cell adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate synthesis by the immunomodulatory compound HR325.

HR325 (2-cyano-3-cyclopropyl-3-hydroxy-N-[3'-methyl-4'(trifluoromethyl)-phenyl]-propenamide) is an immunomodulatory compound through pyrimidine biosynthesis inhibition with antiproliferative properties which was derived from the isoxazol compound A77 1726 [2-cyano-3-cyclopropyl-3-hydroxy-enoic acid (4-trifluoromethylphenyl)-amide]. During studies of the effects on early signal transduction events of this type of compound, it was found that HR325 dose-dependently inhibited adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) synthesis by Jurkat cells stimulated with prostaglandin E(2), (PGE(2)), cholera toxin (CTX), or forskolin (FKN). The potency of inhibition by HR325 of FKN-stimulated cells (IC(50) 30.4 microM) was approximately 3-fold higher than that of the other agonists (11.6 and 11.7 microM) and was independent of time of preincubation for both PGE(2) and FKN. Interestingly, A77 1726, an analogue of HR325, displayed a markedly different profile of stimulus-dependent potencies. The inhibition of cAMP synthesis by HR325 when stimulated by both PGE(2) and FKN was unaffected by glucose supplementation, in contrast to HR325-inhibited ATP levels, which were restored under such conditions. Further studies revealed that HR325 reduced intracellular ATP levels by uncoupling oxidative phosphorylation, albeit with a 1000-fold lower potency than the antihelmintic drug niclosamide. In addition, glucose supplementation experiments showed that, in contrast to HR325, the niclosamide-mediated reduction of ATP levels was wholly responsible for its inhibition of PGE(2)- and FKN-stimulated cAMP synthesis.

The synthesis of a new class of oxytocin antagonists.

The synthesis of a new class of oxytocin antagonists, with significantly modified C-terminal part, is described. The chemistry of the Mitsunobu reaction was applied to obtain the key derivatives. In spite of the extensive modifications of previously described compound F792, the peptides retain biological activity as oxytocin antagonists.

Purification of human dihydro-orotate dehydrogenase and its inhibition by A77 1726, the active metabolite of leflunomide.

Leflunomide is currently in phase-III clinical trials for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. In this study, we have focused our efforts on the study of the mechanism of action of the active metabolite of leflunomide, A77 1726, in cells and tissue of human origin. The human high-affinity binding protein for radiolabelled A77 1726 was purified from solubilized U937 membranes by following the binding activity through the purification process and was characterized as the mitochondrial enzyme dihydro-orotate dehydrogenase (DHO-DH). The human and murine enzyme displayed identical pI and molecular mass values on SDS/PAGE (43 kDa), which contrasts notably with previous reports suggesting a molecular mass of 50 kDa for the human enzyme. DHO-DH activity was inhibited by A77 1726 and its analogue HR325 with similar potency in U937 and human spleen membrane preparations. HR325 was found to be anti-proliferative for phytohaemagglutinin-stimulated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, at the same concentrations that caused accumulation of DHO and depletion of uridine. Supplementation of the cultures with exogenous uridine led to partial abrogation of the anti-proliferative effect. This is in line with our recent demonstration that the anti-proliferative effect in vitro of A77 1726 on lipopolysaccharide-stimulated mouse spleen cells was mediated by DHO-DH inhibition [Williamson, Yea, Robson, Curnock, Gadher, Hambleton, Woodward, Bruneau, Hambleton, Moss et al., (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270, 22467-22472]. Thus, DHO-DH inhibition by A77 1726 and its analogues is responsible for the anti-proliferative effects in vitro of the compounds on human cells and is likely to be responsible for some of its effects in vivo.

Enzymatic activity of two caspases related to interleukin-1beta-converting enzyme.

Interleukin-1beta-converting enzyme is a member of a family of human cysteine proteases with specificity for aspartic acid, which have been named caspases. Within this family of enzymes, transcript X (TX) and transcript Y (TY) (caspases 4 and 5, respectively) are very similar to ICE (caspase 1) and form the ICE subfamily. Given the high degree of conservation in the sequences of these proteases (more than 50% amino acid identity in the mature enzymes), it was of interest to examine whether they shared similar substrate specificities. The three enzymes, ICE, TX and TY, were therefore expressed in baculovirus-infected insect cells, as 30-kDa proteins lacking the propeptide. Automaturation into p20 and p10 subunits occurred within the cells. Active ICE, TX and TY were collected in the cell culture supernatants. In addition, their production induced the activation of an endogenous 32-kDa putative cysteine protease (CPP32) like caspase. T7-tagged ICE, TX and TY were purified by immunoaffinity and tested for their catalytic efficiency on YVAD-containing synthetic substrates and on the ICE natural substrate, pro-interleukin-1beta. TX cleaved the same synthetic substrates as ICE (Km of 90 microM and k(cat) of 0.4 s(-1) for Suc-YVAD-NH-Mec, where Suc represents succinyl and NH-Mec represents amino-4-methylcoumarin) and could cleave pro-interleukin-1beta into the same peptides as ICE but less efficiently. On the other hand, TY showed very little efficacy on the different ICE substrates (Km of 860 microM for Suc-YVAD-NH-Mec). These results show that the ICE/TX/TY subfamily has functional heterogeneity and that ICE remains the preferred enzyme for pro-interleukin-1beta cleavage.

Potencies of leflunomide and HR325 as inhibitors of prostaglandin endoperoxide H synthase-1 and -2: comparison with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

The relative anti-inflammatory activities of the immunomodulators HR325 and leflunomide, or its active metabolite A77 1726, were examined by determining potencies in vitro on prostaglandin endoperoxide H synthase (PGHS) and in vivo in rat air pouch inflammation. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) were used as comparators. HR325 was more potent than A77 1726 as an inhibitor of PGHS in guinea pig polymorphonuclear leukocytes (IC50 = 415 and 4400 nM, respectively) and on isolated ovine PGHS-1 (IC50 = 64 and 742 microM) and PGHS-2 (IC50 = 100 and 2766 microM). In vivo, in rat carrageenan air pouch inflammation, HR325 but not leflunomide at 25 mg/kg inhibited accumulation of leukocytes (48%) and PGE2 (61%). HR325 was also more potent than A77 1726 against human peripheral blood mononuclear cell PGHS-1 [IC50 = 1.6 and 25.6 microM (thromboxane B2 production) or 1.1 and 8 microM (PGE2 production)] and lipopolysaccharide-induced PGHS-2 in human adherent peripheral blood mononuclear cells (IC50 = 435 nM and 9.5 microM) and peripheral blood polymorphonuclear leukocytes (IC50 = 91 nM and 3.2 microM). HR325 had low PGHS-2 selectivity in the human (2.5-12-fold) and was a more potent PGHS-2 inhibitor than naproxen, ibuprofen and piroxicam (28-fold). Assays using endogenous arachidonic acid as substrate yielded IC50 values for NSAIDs that were in general markedly lower than those published for assays using 10 microM substrate. With this approach, piroxicam had reasonable activity on human PGHS-2 (IC50 = 260-290 nM). Only NS398 and flufenamic acid were PGHS-2 selective in the human (90-330-fold and 37-60-fold, respectively); the other NSAIDs were either PGHS-1-selective (naproxen, ibuprofen, flurbiprofen and indomethacin) or nonselective (piroxicam and diclofenac). Inclusion of 10% human plasma reduced HR325 potency against PGHS-1 in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells approximately 32-fold (IC50 = 36 microM). Plasma protein binding further reduced HR325 potency (IC50 = 164 microM) and minimized the difference between HR325 and A77 1726 (IC50 = 292 microM) in a whole blood PGHS assay. Whether the greater activity against human PGHS-2 would allow HR325 to exhibit NSAID-like therapeutic effects in humans remains unclear.

Synthesis, structure-activity relationships, and pharmacokinetic properties of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase inhibitors: 2-cyano-3-cyclopropyl-3-hydroxy-N-[3'-methyl-4'-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl ] propenamide and related compounds.

The active metabolite (2) of the novel immunosuppressive agent leflunomide (1) has been shown to inhibit the enzyme dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH). This enzyme catalyzes the fourth step in de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis. A series of analogues of the active metabolite 2 have been synthesized. Their in vivo biological activity determined in rat and mouse delayed type hypersensitivity has been found to correlate well with their in vitro DHODH potency. The most promising compound (3) has shown activity in rat and mouse collagen (II)-induced arthritis models (ED50 = 2 and 31 mg/kg, respectively) and has shown a shorter half-life in man when compared with leflunomide. Clinical studies in rheumatoid arthritis are in progress.

Dihydroorotate dehydrogenase is a high affinity binding protein for A77 1726 and mediator of a range of biological effects of the immunomodulatory compound.

A protein with high affinity (Kd 12 nM) for the immunomodulatory compound A77 1726 has been isolated from mouse spleen and identified as the mitochondrial enzyme dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (EC 1.3.3.1). The purified protein had a pI 9.6-9.8 and a subunit Mr of 43,000. Peptides derived from the mouse protein displayed high microsequence similarity to human and rat dihydroorotate dehydrogenase with, respectively, 35 and 39 out of 43 identified amino acids identical. Dihydroorotate dehydrogenase catalyzes the fourth step in de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis. The in vitro antiproliferative effects of A77 1726 are mediated by enzyme inhibition and can be overcome by addition of exogenous uridine. The rank order of potency of A77 1726 and its analogues in binding or enzyme inhibition was similar to that for inhibition of the mouse delayed type hypersensitivity response. It is proposed that inhibition of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase is an in vivo mechanism of action of the A77 1726 class of compounds. This was confirmed using uridine to counteract inhibition of the murine acute graft versus host response.

Isolation of Bacillus cereus in the feces of healthy adults in Taipei City.

Fecal specimens from 100 healthy adults were collected and examined for the presence of Bacillus cereus which has been associated with 28% of the outbreaks of food poisoning on Taiwan within the last 3 years. Total isolate rate from these specimens was 8%. Variations in isolation rates were found not only in sexes, but also in different age-groups. Therefore, presence of B. cereus in the feces of healthy adults may be unpredictable and relate to foods consumed or to other factors. Obviously, an isolation rate of B. cereus as high as 30% during the outbreak investigation is still not a strong evidence to implicate this organism as an etiological agent.

Inhibition of myeloperoxidase by synovial fluid and serum.

An inhibitor of myeloperoxidase has been identified in the synovial fluids and sera from patients with rheumatoid arthritis and sera from normal subjects. Initially, these fluids were found to inhibit stimulus induced degranulation of polymorphonuclear leucocytes independently of the stimulating agent. Subsequently, the fluids were shown to inhibit the released enzyme rather than the degranulation response of polymorphonuclear leucocytes. Both rheumatoid and normal serum samples contained high concentrations of the inhibitor but the concentrations were lower in rheumatoid synovial fluids. The inhibitory activity seemed to be specific for peroxidase as the fluids did not inhibit beta-glucuronidase activity. A protein of relative molecular mass (Mr) 150 kd was purified from synovial fluid by affinity chromatography on myeloperoxidase-Sepharose. It is concluded that serum and synovial fluid contain a novel myeloperoxidase inhibitor, which acts by binding to myeloperoxidase and thereby prevents myeloperoxidase releasing oxidative products in serum.

Identification of a myeloperoxidase inhibitor from normal human serum.

An inhibitor of myeloperoxidase (MPO) has been identified in normal human serum. Initial experiments confirmed that high levels of MPO inhibitory activity are present in sera and that the inhibitor did not act by interfering with the assay. Purification of the inhibitor activity by salt precipitation followed by ion exchange and affinity chromatography revealed the presence of a protein of 150 kD. The purified inhibitory activity displayed dose and time dependency and was not associated with IgG or IgA. It is considered that human serum contains an inhibitor of extracellular MPO capable of protecting against hypohalous acid release in host tissues and that if inhibitor levels are reduced such protection may fail.

Purification and some properties of the 45 kDa diphenylene iodonium-binding flavoprotein of neutrophil NADPH oxidase.

The 45 kDa diphenylene iodonium-binding flavoprotein of the human neutrophil superoxide-generating oxidase has been purified by affinity chromatography. The polypeptide was eluted from Blue Memsep or 2',5'-ADP-agarose columns with either NADP or low concentrations of the specific inhibitor diphenylene iodonium. The purified protein was shown to bind FAD at a ratio of 1.09 mol of FAD/mol of protein. The reconstituted flavoprotein had a fluorescence spectrum similar, but not identical, to that of free FAD. It had an isoelectric point of approx. 4.0. The reconstituted flavoprotein displayed no diaphorase activity towards a range of artificial electron acceptors. Polyclonal antibodies raised against the pure protein inhibited superoxide generation by solubilized oxidase in a dose-dependent manner, and inhibited superoxide generation when incubated with either cytosol or membrane fractions in a reconstituted system. These antibodies precipitated the 45 kDa polypeptide together with a haem-containing 23 kDa protein thought to be the small subunit of cytochrome b-245. Antibodies raised against cytochrome P-450 reductase also precipitated these two polypeptides. These results are consistent with the 45 kDa polypeptide being the flavoprotein of the neutrophil superoxide-generating oxidase.