Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to H G Floss.
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The interactions between the pi cloud of the aromatic ring and the pi-electron pair of the imine double bond of aromatic oximes as model compounds of pyridoxal Schiff's bases have been studied by high-resolution carbon-13 magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The coplanarity and intramolecular hydrogen bonding have been determined by 13C-1H long range couplings. This detailed investigation of 13C-1H coupling also provides unambiguous proof of the existence of the "enol-imine" tautomers in chloroform and dimethyl sulfoxide solutions. The tautomerism between the "enol-imine" and "keto-enamine" is discussed.
The synthesis of several N-6 derivatives of elymoclavine (3) and potential alkylating derivatives of 6-methyl-8-aminoergolines (12) is described. These compounds were screened for prolactin-inhibiting ability and 6-propyl-8-hydroxymethyl-8-ergolene (9) was found to be as active as the most potent prolactin inhibitors reported to date. The total synthesis of racemic methyl dihydrolysergate I (23), having a trans C, D ring fusion, from the tricyclic ketone 18 is also described.
The enzymatic preparation of (2S, 3R)- and (2S, 3S)-[3-3H] serine from the corresponding stereospecifically tritiated 3-P-glycerates is described. Following conversion into T-acetylserine, these substrates were used to establish the steric course of the O-acetylserine sulfhydrase reaction. The two samples of cysteine formed in this reaction were analyzed for their configuration at C-3. The results indicate that the replacement of the acetoxy by a sulfhydryl group in the O-acetylserine sulfhydrase reaction occurs with retention of configuration at carbon atom 3.
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The enhancement of ergot alkaloid production by tryptophan and its analogues in both normal and high-phosphate cultures is more directly related to increased dimethylallyltryptophan (DMAT) synthetase activity rather than to a lack of regulation of the tryptophan biosynthetic enzymes. Thiotryptophan [beta-(1-benzo-thien-3-yl)-alanine] is rather ineffective in the end product regulation of tryptophan biosynthesis, whereas tryptophan and 5-methyltryptophan are potent effectors. The presence of increased levels of DMAT synthetase in ergot cultures supplemented with tryptophan or thiotryptophan, and to a lesser extent with 5-methyltryptophan, suggests that the induction effect involves de novo synthesis of the enzyme. Thiotryptophan and tryptophan but not 5-methyltryptophan can overcome the block of alkaloid synthesis by inorganic phosphate. The results with thiotryptophan indicate that the phosphate effect cannot be explained merely on the basis of a block of tryptophan synthesis.
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Two enzymes, tryptophan transaminase and indolepyruvate C-methyltransferase, which are active in the initial steps of the biosynthetic pathway of the antibiotic indolmycin, have been detected and partially purified from cell-free extracts of Streptomyces griseus. The transaminase has been purified 3-fold by ammonium sulfate fractionation. At this stage of purification, it catalyzes the alpha-ketoglutarate and pyridoxal phosphate-dependent transamination of L-tryptophan, 3-methyltryptophan, L-pphenylalanine, and L-tyrosine. The C-methyltransferase catalyzes the transfer of a methyl group from S-adenosylmethionine to position 3 of the aliphatic side chain of indolepyruvate. No cofactors are required. The C-methyltransferase has been purified 110-fold by ammonium sulfate fractionation, Sephadex G-150 gel filtration, DEAE-Sephadex column chromotography, and Bio-Gel A-5m gel filtration. The enzyme has a broad pH optimum of 7.5 to 8.5. A molecular weight of 55,000 +/- 5,000 has been determined by Sephadex G-200 gel filtration with reference proteins and a molecular weight of 58,000 +/- 8,000 has been determined by sucrose density gradient centrifugation. The enzyme is relatively stable at temperatures of 0-5 degrees but is destroyed by freezing or by heating. The C-methyltransferase is inhibited strongly by the thiol reagents p-chloromercuribenzoate and N-ethylmaleimide. The Zn2+ and Fe2+ chelators 1,10-phenanthroline and 2,2'-bipyridine also inhibit the enzyme activity but EDTA does not. Michaelis-Menten constants have been determined for the 110-fold purified enzyme as 1.2 X 10(-5) M for S-adenosylmethionine and 4.8 X 10(-6) M for indolepyruvate. The enzyme activity in the crude extract is inhibited competitively by indolmycin (Ki equals 2.3 mM) and L-tryptophan (Ki equals 0.17 mM), but these effects are not observed after the enzyme has been passed through the Sephades G-150 column during purification. The crude extract is capable of methylating phenylpyruvate and p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate but this capability is lost upon purification of the indolepyruvate C-methyltransferase activity. No methylation of L-tryptophan occurs under the conditions used.
14C-labelled shikimic acid and double labelled shikimic acid tritiated stereospicifically at C-6 are incorporated into 3-(3-carboxyphenyl) alanine, 3-(3-carboxy-4-hydroxyphenyl) alanine, phenylalanine, and tyrosine in Reseda lutea L., Reseda odorata L., Iris x Hollandica cv. Prof. Blauw, and Iris x hollandica cv. Wedgwood. The experiments with 14C-labelled shikimic acid confirm that the aromatic carboxyl groups and rings in 3-(3-carboxyphenyl) alanine and 3-(3-carbocy-4-hydroxyphenyl) alanine derive from the carbocyl group and ring in shikimic acid whereas the experiments with double labelled shikimic acid demonstrate that the pro-6S-hydrogen atom is retained and the pro-6R-hydrogen atom lost in the biosynthesis of 3-(3-carboxyphenyl) alanine, phenylalanine, and tyrosine in the plants used. 3H was located in the ortho-position in the aromatic rings of phenylalanine and tyrosine but in a position para to the alanine side chain of 3- (3-carboxyphenly) alanine. No 3H was found in 3- (3-carboxy-4-hydroxyphenyl) alanine. This supports a derivation of the last two compounds from chorismic acid via isochorismic acid, isoprephenic acid, and 3'-carboxyphenylpyruvic acid and 3'-carbocy-4'-hydroxyphenylphruvic acid. The 3H/14C ratio in 3-(3-carboxyphenyl) alanine was found higher than in the precursor used. This isotope effect must operate by competition between the pathways from isoprephenic acid to 3'-carbocyphenylpyruvic acid and to 3'-carbocy-4'- hydroxyphenylpyruvic acic. The proposed biosynthetic pathways for the two carboxy-substituted amino acids are in agreement with their distribution patterns in the plant kingdom and suggest that they may derive from minor changes of enzymes involved in the general pathways of aromatic biosynthesis.
The ability of four ergoline-type compounds (elymoclavine, its O-benzoate and O-carbamate, and N-methyl-6,7-secoelymoclavine) to inhibit nidation in rats was determined and found to parallel their prolactin-inhibiting activity.
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The natural abundance 13C magnetic resonance spectra of a series of sulfonamide drugs(sulfanilamide, sulfaguanidine,sulfathiazole, sulfasuxidine, sulfadiazine, sulfamerazine, sulfamethiazine, and sulfapyridine) have been determined at 25.15 MHz employing the pulse Fourier transform technique. The chemical shefts have been assigned with the aid of off-resonance and selective proton decoupling techniques, as well as by long-range carbon-13 proton coupling patterns.
A general synthetic route from elymoclavine (4a) to a variety of C-17 substituted 8-ergolenes has been established. [The C-17 position is the carbon attached to C-8 of the ergoline (1) skeleton as indicated in structure 2.] This route involves displacement reactions on the allylic chloride (4h) prepared from 4a by reaction with thionyl chloride. Conversion of the naturally occurring tricyclic clavines, chanoclavine I (5a) and isochanoclavine I (5b), to the tetracyclic clavine, agroclavine (4i), has been achieved. The new compounds prepared were tested for prolactin-inhibiting ability and were found to possess activity. One of the compounds prepared, 6-methyl-8-ergolenylacetamide (4k), was very potent, comparing favorably in activity to the best prolactin inhibitors reported to date.
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