In vitro evaluation of DNA-DNA hybridization as a two-step approach in radioimmunotherapy of cancer.

The specific delivery of radioisotopes to a tumor at minimal radiation of normal tissue is the ultimate aim of radioimmunotherapy. In this respect a two-step pretargeting regimen generally leads to an improved tumor to normal tissue uptake ratio compared to direct administration of radioimmunoconjugates. In this paper, in vitro studies are described in which the specific hybridization of complementary DNA fragments is the recognition mechanism in a pretargeting regimen comprising tumor cell saturation with a monoclonal antibody (MoAb)-oligonucleotide conjugate, followed by administration of the radiolabeled complementary oligonucleotide. Complementary oligodeoxynucleotides (15-mers; melting temperature, 68 degrees C) were prepared on a DNA synthesizer. The 5'-end was derivatized with a functional group for labeling with iodine, and the 3'-end was substituted with an amino function suitable for conjugation to an antibody (or attachment of a biotin residue). Both terminal modifications ensure stability of the oligonucleotides against exonucleases because the unconjugated form is stable for 24 h and the conjugated form is stable for several days when incubated in human plasma at 37 degrees C. Antibody-DNA conjugates were prepared by introduction of sulfhydryl groups into the oligonucleotide, followed by conjugation to maleimide-substituted MoAbs. Typically, 3 oligonucleotides were conjugated to an IgG, and 4-6 were conjugated to an IgM with preservation of immunoreactivity. Histochemistry on fresh frozen sections of breast cancer tissue demonstrated qualitatively the specificity of our two-step procedure. In vitro experiments with human tumor cell lines and tumor-specific MoAbs showed that, after saturation with tumor-specific MoAb-DNA conjugates, quantitative hybridization of the tumor cell-bound oligonucleotides occurred at a 30-fold excess of the labeled complementary oligonucleotide: hybridization was complete after 30 min of incubation. No reaction was observed with an irrelevant MoAb-DNA conjugate. The oligonucleotide was neither taken up by tumor cells or endothelial cells nor hybridized to a significant extent with human genomic DNA. These data indicate the feasibility of this two-step approach in radioimmunotherapy.

Carbohydrates and drug discovery--the role of computer simulation.

Recent advances in the molecular modelling of carbohydrates have brought this technique to a level comparable with that of protein and nucleic acid simulations. After a brief introduction to the techniques used in the computer simulation of carbohydrates and carbohydrate interactions, an overview of applications in the field of carbohydrate-related drug discovery is presented.

Pharmacological profile of the chemically synthesized antithrombin III binding fragment of heparin (pentasaccharide) in rats.

The antithrombotic and haemostatic effects of a pentasaccharide, the chemically synthesized antithrombin III (AT-III) binding fragment of heparin (PENTA), were investigated in rats in comparison with heparin. PENTA showed a dose-dependent antithrombotic effect in three thrombosis models in which thrombus formation was induced by different triggers. PENTA was consistently less potent than heparin in these models if doses were expressed in anti-Xa U/kg but PENTA showed more or less the same potency as heparin if doses were expressed in mg/kg. The antithrombotic effect of PENTA was strongly related to its anti-Xa activity as judged from its antithrombotic potency in the various models and from the time courses of both activities. PENTA caused a dose-dependent increase in blood loss in a bleeding model but the dose response curve was rather flat; the effect of PENTA on blood loss was small compared to that of heparin. The duration of action of PENTA as measured by the plasma anti-Xa levels was long compared to that of heparin and the duration of the antithrombotic effect was that expected on the basis of the plasma anti-Xa levels. Finally, PENTA showed comparable antithrombotic activity after s.c. and i.v. administration, as expected because of the approximately 100% bioavailability of the anti-Xa activity after s.c. administration.

Stereoselective transformations on D-glucose-derived eight-membered ring carbocycles.

[structure: see text]. The cyclooctenol derivative 1 can be transformed into the nine-membered ring lactone 3, as well as the amino-containing carbocycles 4 and 5. The corresponding ketone 2 gives access to the conformationally locked azasugar 6.

Fluorescence assays for high-throughput screening of protein kinases.

Protein kinases comprise one of the most important group of targets for drug discovery research today. Methods to identify novel kinase inhibitors by high-throughput screening have evolved rapidly in recent years. An important aspect is the availability of fluorescent probes that can be applied in a homogeneous, or mix-and-measure, assay format. Here, we illustrate the application of fluorescence read-out technologies for kinase targets in light of our own experiences in assay development and high-throughput screening.

Synthesis of analogues of myo-inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate that contain sulfonamide, sulfate, methylphosphonate, and carboxymethyl groups.

The syntheses are described of four isosteric racemic myo-inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (1) analogues with the phosphate groups replaced by sulfonamide (2), sulfate (3), methylphosphonate (4), and carboxymethyl (5). None of these compounds had any affinity for the IP3 receptor or induced platelet aggregation.

Synthesis of alpha-glucosidase I inhibitors showing antiviral (HIV-1) and immunosuppressive activity.

The synthesis of a series of analogues of the monosaccharide alpha-glucosidase I inhibitor N-decyl-1-deoxynojirimycin (1) is described. With the incorporation of a single oxygen atom particularly at position seven in the N-decyl side chain, i.e. to give N-7-oxadecyl-dNM (4), the therapeutic ratio (alpha-glucosidase I inhibitory activity over toxicity in HepG2 cells) increases considerably. N-7-Oxadecyl-dNM inhibits purified porcine liver alpha-glucosidase I with an IC50 value of 0.28 microM. The position of the oxygen atom in the N-decyl side chain is of importance since N-3-oxadecyl-dNM is less active and, moreover, is toxic to HepG2 cells at 3 mM. Subsequently, the synthesis of a disaccharide inhibitor of alpha-glucosidase I is described. The aminodisaccharide ManNH2 alpha 1,2Glc (12) inhibits alpha-glucosidase I with an IC50 value of 15.7 microM. Two closely related monosaccharide derivatives of 12 did not inhibit the enzyme at low microM concentrations (no inhibition at 5 microM), showing the additional effect of binding of the aglycon fragment of the molecule to the active site of alpha-glucosidase I. Next, the N-alkyl-dNM derivatives were analysed for antiviral and immunomodulatory activity in-vitro. It is found that the most potent alpha-glucosidase I inhibitor from this study, N-7-oxadecyl-dNM (4) inhibits HIV-1 induced syncytia formation and lymphocyte proliferation in-vitro. Finally, compound 4 was also investigated in-vivo. N-7-Oxadecyl-dNM (4) reduced adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats making this compound a potential candidate for treating autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.

A review of the methods of chemical synthesis of sulphate and glucuronide conjugates.

1. Methods for the synthesis of drug conjugates with sulphuric acid have been reviewed. 2. Some analytical methods are presented for the analysis of sulphate conjugates. 3. The synthesis of several types of N, O and C beta-D-glucuronides is reviewed. Different beta-coupling reactions of protected glucuronides are presented. 4. Application of n.m.r. and mass spectrometry to the analysis of beta-D-glucuronides is discussed.

The application of the AMB protective group in the solid-phase synthesis of methylphosphonate DNA analogues.

Partially methylphosphonate-modified oligodeoxynucleotides were synthesized on solid-phase by employing the easily removable 2-(acetoxymethyl)benzoyl (AMB) group as base-protecting group. Although a rapid AMB deprotection can be accomplished in methanolic potassium carbonate, the lability of the methylphosphonate linkage towards potassium carbonate/methanol excludes the use of this deprotection reagent. Thus, saturated ammonia solution in methanol was investigated as an alternative reagent for AMB removal. It is demonstrated that the combination of the AMB protective group and ammonia/methanol as deprotection reagent significantly improves the synthesis of methylphosphonate-modified DNA fragments. A mild overnight treatment at room temperature is sufficient for complete removal of the AMB group, whereas deprotection of conventionally protected oligonucleotides requires much longer exposure to basic conditions at elevated temperatures.

Amplification of chirality based upon the association of nucleic acid strands of opposite handedness.

It is proposed that nucleotide strands of opposite handedness may strongly associate and thereby provide the key step of a mechanism for the amplification of a small enantiomeric excess in an initially near-racemic mixture of poly- or oligonucleotides. This hypothesis, if confirmed by experimentation, may have important implications for the question of the origin of biomolecular chirality. The results of preliminary NMR experiments are given, which do show evidence of a strong association between pentanucleotide RNA strands whose monomers have opposite chirality. Simple kinetic equations are solved to demonstrate the conditions under which such association can produce amplification of chirality.

In vitro evaluation of synthetic heparin-like conjugates comprising different thrombin binding domains.

The syntheses of several heparin-like glycoconjugates (i.e., 16a-f) containing identical AT III binding domains (ABD) and spacers but different thrombin binding domains (TBDs) are described. Biological activities of conjugates 16a-f indicate that the thrombin inhibitory activity is mainly determined by the charge density of the TBD moiety.

Rational design of synthetic heparin analogues with tailor-made coagulation factor inhibitory activity.

Computer modelling of the antithrombin III-heparin-thrombin complex inspired the synthesis of novel glycoconjugates, whose factor Xa and thrombin inhibitory activities can be adjusted in a rational way, leading to anticoagulants with unprecedented characteristics.

Synthesis of well-defined phosphate-methylated DNA fragments: the application of potassium carbonate in methanol as deprotecting reagent.

A new deprotection procedure in the synthesis of (partially) phosphate-methylated oligodeoxynucleotides has been developed, involving treatment of fully protected DNA fragments with methanolic potassium carbonate. It is shown that base deprotection can be accomplished in potassium carbonate/methanol without affecting the methyl phosphotriesters. This methodology enables us to synthesize, both in solution and on a solid support, DNA fragments which are phosphate-methylated at defined positions. The solid phase synthesis, however, turns out to be accompanied by considerable demethylation of the phosphotriesters. It is demonstrated that this demethylation does not occur during the deprotection or work-up procedure. Furthermore, it was found that the latter side-reaction is suppressed when the standard capping procedure with acetic anhydride is included.

Specific recognition of antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates by radiolabeled antisense nucleotides: a novel approach for two-step radioimmunotherapy of cancer.

One of the major challenges in radioimmunotherapy is the specific delivery of radioisotopes to tumor cells while minimizing normal tissue radiation. In this respect, the application of two-step pretargeting schemes generally leads to more favorable tumor to normal tissue uptake ratios than direct administration of radioimmunoconjugates. In this study, we present the specific hybridization of complementary DNA fragments as a novel recognition mechanism in pretargeting. Briefly, our strategy involves first administration of antibody-DNA conjugate, followed by targeting with radiolabeled complementary DNA (antisense DNA). Complementary oligodeoxynucleotides (14-mers, Tm = 57 degrees C), in which part of the phosphodiesters has been replaced by methylphosphonates (to ensure stability against nucleases), were prepared on a DNA synthesizer. The oligonucleotides were further derivatized via a uridine moiety at their 5'-end in such a way that radiolabeling or conjugation with antibodies could be accomplished. Both a murine IgG (anti-hCG) and the human anti-tumor IgM 16.88 were conjugated with one to three oligonucleotides via the heterobifunctional cross-linker SMCC. Incubation of these immunoconjugates with the radiolabeled antisense DNA revealed specific hybridization with the antibody-linked oligonucleotides. Antigen binding studies performed with antigen-coated matrices showed that the immunoreactivity of the antibody-DNA conjugate is preserved. Moreover, it is demonstrated that the radiolabeled DNA is still capable of hybridizing selectively with the oligonucleotides of the immunoconjugate, when the latter is bound to its antigen.

A general method for the synthesis of 5'-monophosphates of DNA fragments via phosphotriester intermediates.

A new and attractive phosphorylation procedure which allows the introduction, via phosphotriester intermediates, of 5'-phosphate functions of DNA fragments is described. The method is based on the activation of bifunctional phosphorylating agents with 1-hydroxybenzotriazole. The approach will be exemplified by the synthesis of pACGC using four different 5'-phosphotriester intermediates.

Proton NMR studies on the covalently linked RNA-DNA hybrid r(GCG)d(TATACGC). Assignment of proton resonances by application of the nuclear Overhauser effect.

Proton NMR spectra of a covalently linked self-complementary RNA X DNA hybrid, r(GCG)-d(TATACGC), are recorded in H2O and D2O. Imino proton resonances as well as the non-exchangeable base and H-1' resonances are unambiguously assigned by means of nuclear. Overhauser effect measurements. Additional information was obtained by 31P NMR and circular dichroism spectra. The RNA parts in the duplex attain full conformational purity and adopt the usual A-RNA conformation. The DNA residues opposite the RNA tract do not adopt an A-type structure completely. Their respective sugar rings still appear to possess a certain conformational freedom. The same holds true for the central d(-TATA-) sequence which forms a DNA X DNA duplex. There appears to be a structural break in this part: the first two residues, T(4) and A(5), are clearly influenced by the adjacent RNA structure, whereas residues T(6) and A(7) behave quite similar to what usually is found in DNA duplexes in aqueous solution.

Design and synthesis of a novel synthetic NAPAP-penta-saccharide conjugate displaying a dual antithrombotic action.

The synthesis of a novel antithrombotic consisting of a heparin pentasaccharide conjugated to the active site inhibitor N-(2-naphtalenesulfonyl)-glycyl-(D)-4-aminophenyl-alanyl-piperidin e (NAPAP) (i.e. compound I) is reported. This conjugate shows a unique pharmacological profile both in vitro and in vivo having direct anti-thrombin and ATIII-mediated anti-Xa activity. Furthermore, conjugate I has a prolonged in vivo half-life compared to NAPAP (1.5 h vs 9 min.).

Biological properties of synthetic glycoconjugate mimics of heparin comprising different molecular spacers.

The in vitro antithrombotic activity of synthetic glycoconjugates I and II, comprising a flexible polyethylene glycol type and a rigid polyglucose type spacer, respectively, are compared to heparin.

Antifactor Xa activity and antithrombotic activity in rats of structural analogues of the minimum antithrombin III binding sequence: discovery of compounds with a longer duration of action than of the natural pentasaccharide.

The total chemical synthesis of a series of structural analogues of the so-called natural AT III binding pentasaccharide together with the natural pentasaccharide itself has been accomplished. The structural analogues all contain an extra 3-O-sulfate group on glucosamine residue H of the pentasaccharide, some carry additional 3 or 4-O-sulfate groups on glucosamine residue D. All these structural analogues elicit a higher specific anti-Factor Xa activity than the natural pentasaccharide (700 anti-Factor Xa U/kg). The structural analogue carrying only an additional 3-O-sulfate on glucosamine unit H (Org 31550) has the highest specific activity (1230 anti-Factor Xa U/kg). The increased specific activity is presumably attributed to the stronger binding to AT III. All structural analogues have a prolonged duration of action of the plasma anti-Factor Xa activity. (T1/2, approximately 9 hours) compared with that of the natural pentasaccharide (T1/2, approximately 5 hours) after single intravenous administration of 600 anti-Factor Xa U/kg. All structural analogues exert dose-dependent antithrombotic activity in a rat stasis thrombosis model after intravenous administration. On an anti-Factor Xa basis, the compounds have the same potency as the natural pentasaccharide (ED50s are 35 to 55 anti-factor Xa U/kg). Of two structural analogues (Org 31550 and Org 31706), the time course of antithrombotic activity was assessed in the same model after subcutaneous administration of 600 anti-Factor Xa U/kg. The duration of antithrombotic activity of these compounds was four to five times longer than that of the natural pentasaccharide.