Biomedical subjects

K A Jacobson

Publications and source records attributed to K A Jacobson.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2001

Roles of BCL-2 and caspase 3 in the adenosine A3 receptor-induced apoptosis.

Selective A3 adenosine receptor agonists have been shown to induce apoptosis in a variety of cell types. In this study we examined the effects of adenosine receptor agonists selective for A1, A2A, or A3 receptors on the induction of apoptosis in primary cultures of rat astrocytes and in C6 glial cells. Treatment of the cells with the A3 receptor agonist Cl-IB-MECA (10 microM) induced apoptosis in both cell types. The effects of Cl-IB-MECA were partially antagonized by the A3 receptor-selective antagonist MRS 1191. In contrast, the A1 and A2A receptor agonists, CPA and CGS 21680, respectively, did not have significant effects on apoptosis in these cells. Cl-IB-MECA reduced the expression of endogenous Bcl-2, whereas it did not affect the expression of Bax. Overexpression of Bcl-2 in C6 cells abrogated the induction of apoptosis induced by the A3 agonist. Cl-IB-MECA also induced an increase in caspase 3 activity and caspase inhibitors decreased the apoptosis induced by the A3 agonist. These findings suggest that intense activation of the A3 receptor is pro-apoptotic in glial cells via bcl2 and caspase-3 dependent pathways.

Adenosine↗

PubMed2001

Allosteric modulation of A(3) adenosine receptors by a series of 3-(2-pyridinyl)isoquinoline derivatives.

Allosteric modulators of A(1) and A(2A) adenosine receptors have been described; however, for the A(3) adenosine receptor, neither an allosteric site nor a compound with allosteric effects has been described. In this study, the allosteric modulation of human A(3) adenosine receptors by a series of 3-(2-pyridinyl)isoquinoline derivatives was investigated by examining their effects on the dissociation of the agonist radioligand, [(125)I]N(6)-(4-amino-3-iodobenzyl)-5'-N-methylcarboxamidoadenosine (I-AB-MECA), from the receptor. Several 3-(2-pyridinyl)isoquinoline derivatives, including VUF5455, VUF8502, VUF8504, and VUF8507, slowed the dissociation of the agonist radioligand [(125)I]I-AB-MECA in a concentration-dependent manner, suggesting an allosteric interaction. These compounds had no effect on the dissociation of the radiolabeled antagonist [(3)H]PSB-11 from the A(3) adenosine receptor, suggesting a selective enhancement of agonist binding. By comparison, compounds of similar structure (VUF8501, VUF8503, VUF8505), the classical adenosine receptor antagonist CGS15943 and the A(1) receptor allosteric enhancer PD81723 did not significantly influence the dissociation rate of [(125)I]I-AB-MECA. The effect of agonist on forskolin-induced cAMP production was significantly enhanced by VUF5455. When the subtype-selectivity of the allosteric enhancement was tested the compounds had no effect on the dissociation of either [(3)H]N(6)-[(R)-phenylisopropyl]adenosine from the A(1) adenosine receptor or [(3)H]CGS21680 from the A(2A) adenosine receptor. Probing of structure-activity relationships suggested that a carbonyl group is essential for allosterism but preferred only for competitive antagonism. The presence of a 7-methyl group decreased the competitive binding affinity without a major loss of the allosteric enhancing activity, suggesting that the structural requirements for allosteric enhancement might be distinct from those for competitive antagonism.

Adenosine↗

PubMed2001

International Union of Pharmacology. XXV. Nomenclature and classification of adenosine receptors.

Four adenosine receptors have been cloned and characterized from several mammalian species. The receptors are named adenosine A(1), A(2A), A(2B), and A(3). The A(2A) and A(2B) receptors preferably interact with members of the G(s) family of G proteins and the A(1) and A(3) receptors with G(i/o) proteins. However, other G protein interactions have also been described. Adenosine is the preferred endogenous agonist at all these receptors, but inosine can also activate the A(3) receptor. The levels of adenosine seen under basal conditions are sufficient to cause some activation of all the receptors, at least where they are abundantly expressed. Adenosine levels during, e.g., ischemia can activate all receptors even when expressed in low abundance. Accordingly, experiments with receptor antagonists and mice with targeted disruption of adenosine A(1), A(2A), and A(3) expression reveal roles for these receptors under physiological and particularly pathophysiological conditions. There are pharmacological tools that can be used to classify A(1), A(2A), and A(3) receptors but few drugs that interact selectively with A(2B) receptors. Testable models of the interaction of these drugs with their receptors have been generated by site-directed mutagenesis and homology-based modelling. Both agonists and antagonists are being developed as potential drugs.

Animals↗

PubMed2001

Pharmacogenomics of cystic fibrosis.

Pharmacogenomics is becoming a frontline instrument of drug discovery, where the drug-dependent patterns of global gene expression are employed as biologically relevant end points. In the case of cystic fibrosis (CF), cells and tissues from CF patients provide the starting points of genomic analysis. The end points for drug discovery are proposed to reside in gene expression patterns of CF cells that have been corrected by gene therapy. A case is made here that successful drug therapy and gene therapy should, hypothetically, converge at a common end point. In response to a virtual tidal wave of genomic data, bioinformatics algorithms are needed to identify those genes that truly reveal drug efficacy. As examples, we describe the hierarchical clustering, GRASP, and GENESAVER algorithms, particularly within a hypothesis-driven context that focuses on data for a CF candidate drug. Pharmacogenomic approaches to CF, and other similar diseases, may eventually give us the opportunity to create drugs that work in a patient- or mutation-specific manner.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2000

Activation of A(3) adenosine receptor induces calcium entry and chloride secretion in A(6) cells.

We have previously demonstrated that in A(6) renal epithelial cells, a commonly used model of the mammalian distal section of the nephron, adenosine A(1) and A(2A) receptor activation modulates sodium and chloride transport and intracellular pH (Casavola et al., 1997). Here we show that apical addition of the A(3) receptor-selective agonist, 2-chloro-N(6)-(3-iodobenzyl)-adenosine-5'-methyluronamide (Cl-IB-MECA) stimulated a chloride secretion that was mediated by calcium- and cAMP-regulated channels. Moreover, in single cell measurements using the fluorescent dye Fura 2-AM, Cl-IB-MECA caused an increase in Ca(2+) influx. The agonist-induced rise in [Ca(2+)](i) was significantly inhibited by the selective adenosine A(3) receptor antagonists, 2,3-diethyl-4, 5-dipropyl-6-phenylpyridine-3-thiocarboxylate-5-carboxylate (MRS 1523) and 3-ethyl 5-benzyl 2-methyl-6-phenyl-4-phenylethynyl-1, 4-(+/-)-dihydropyridine-3,5-dicarboxylate (MRS 1191) but not by antagonists of either A(1) or A(2) receptors supporting the hypothesis that Cl-IB-MECA increases [Ca(2+)](i) by interacting exclusively with A(3) receptors. Cl-IB-MECA-elicited Ca(2+) entry was not significantly inhibited by pertussis toxin pretreatment while being stimulated by cholera toxin preincubation or by raising cellular cAMP levels with forskolin or rolipram. Preincubation with the protein kinase A inhibitor, H89, blunted the Cl-IB-MECA-elicited [Ca(2+)](i) response. Moreover, Cl-IB-MECA elicited an increase in cAMP production that was inhibited only by an A(3) receptor antagonist. Altogether, these data suggest that in A(6) cells a G(s)/protein kinase A pathway is involved in the A(3) receptor-dependent increase in calcium entry.

Adenosine↗

PubMed2000

A novel pharmacological approach to treating cardiac ischemia. Binary conjugates of A1 and A3 adenosine receptor agonists.

Adenosine released during cardiac ischemia exerts a potent, protective effect in the heart via activation of A(1) or A(3) receptors. However, the interaction between the two cardioprotective adenosine receptors and the question of which receptor is the more important anti-ischemic receptor remain largely unexplored. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that activation of both receptors exerted a cardioprotective effect that was significantly greater than activation of either receptor individually. This was accomplished by using a novel design in which new binary conjugates of adenosine A(1) and A(3) receptor agonists were synthesized and tested in a novel cardiac myocyte model of adenosine-elicited cardioprotection. Binary drugs having mixed selectivity for both A(1) and A(3) receptors were created through the covalent linking of functionalized congeners of adenosine agonists, each being selective for either the A(1) or A(3) receptor subtype. MRS 1740 and MRS 1741, thiourea-linked, regioisomers of a binary conjugate, were highly potent and selective in radioligand binding assays for A(1) and A(3) receptors (K(i) values of 0.7-3.5 nm) versus A(2A) receptors. The myocyte models utilized cultured chick embryo cells, either ventricular cells expressing native adenosine A(1) and A(3) receptors, or engineered atrial cells, in which either human A(3) receptors alone or both human A(1) and A(3) receptors were expressed. The binary agonist MRS 1741 coactivated A(1) and A(3) receptors simultaneously, with full cardioprotection (EC(50) approximately 0.1 nm) dependent on expression of both receptors. Thus, co-activation of both adenosine A(1) and A(3) receptors by the binary A(1)/A(3) agonists represents a novel general cardioprotective approach for the treatment of myocardial ischemia.

Adenosine↗

PubMed2000

Site-directed mutagenesis studies of human A(2A) adenosine receptors: involvement of glu(13) and his(278) in ligand binding and sodium modulation.

To provide insights into interactions between ligands and A(2A) adenosine receptors, site-directed mutagenesis was used to test the roles of a glutamic acid residue in the first transmembrane domain (Glu13) and a histidine residue in the seventh transmembrane domain (His278). The two residues, which have been suggested to be closely linked in molecular modeling studies, were mutated to glutamine (E13Q) and tyrosine (H278Y), respectively. Saturation experiments revealed that [(3)H]ZM241385 (4-2-[7-amino-2-(2-furyl)-1,2, 4-triazolo[1,5-a][1,3,5]triazin-5-yl-amino]ethylphenol) bound wild-type and mutant receptors in membranes from COS-7 cells expressing human A(2A) adenosine receptors with high affinity and low non-specific binding. It was found from the competition experiments that the affinity of the A(2A) adenosine receptor agonists for the mutant receptors was 3- to 200-fold lower than for the wild-type receptor. Among antagonist competitors of binding at E13Q and H278Y mutant receptors, there was variation in the affinity depending on their different structures, although changes were relatively minor (<3-fold) except in the case of theophylline, whose affinity was decreased approximately 20 times on the H278Y mutant. The possible involvement of the two residues in sodium ion regulation was also tested. The agonist competition curves for [(3)H]ZM241385 were shifted to the right in both wild-type and mutant receptors in the presence of 1 M sodium ions, but the extent of shift (2- to 27-fold) in wild-type receptor was generally larger than for the mutant receptors. Sodium ions also decreased [(3)H]ZM241385 dissociation from both wild-type and mutant receptors, being more influential on the former than the latter. The results suggest that the two closely linked residues Glu13 and His278 in A(2A) adenosine receptor are most important for agonist recognition and are partly responsible for the allosteric regulation by sodium ions.

Animals↗

PubMed2000

In search of selective P2 receptor ligands: interaction of dihydropyridine derivatives at recombinant rat P2X(2) receptors.

1,4-Dihydropyridines are regarded as privileged structures for drug design, i.e. they tend to bind to a wide variety of receptor sites. We have shown that upon appropriate manipulation of the substituent groups on a 1,4-dihydropyridine template, high affinity and selectivity for the A(3) subtype of adenosine receptors ('P1 receptors') may be attained. In the present study we have begun to extend this approach to P2 receptors which are activated by ATP and other nucleotides. Nicardipine, a representative dihydropyridine, used otherwise as an L-type calcium channel blocker, was shown to be an antagonist at recombinant rat P2X(2) (IC(50)=25 microM) and P2X(4) (IC(50) approximately 220 microM) receptors expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Thus, this class of compounds represents a suitable lead for enhancement of affinity through chemical synthesis. In an attempt to modify the 1,4-dihydropyridine structure with a predicted P2 receptor recognition moiety, we have replaced one of the ester groups with a negatively charged phosphonate group. Several 4-phenyl-5-phosphonato-1,4-dihydropyridine derivatives, MRS 2154 (2, 6-dimethyl), MRS 2155 (6-methyl-2-phenyl), and MRS 2156 (2-methyl-6-phenyl), were synthesized through three component condensation reactions. These derivatives were not pure antagonists of the effects of ATP at P2X(2) receptors, rather were either inactive (MRS 2156) or potentiated the effects of ATP in a concentration-dependent manner (MRS 2154 in the 0.3-10 microM range and MRS 2155 at >1 microM). Antagonism of the effects of ATP at P2X(2) receptor superimposed on the potentiation was also observed at >10 microM (MRS 2154) or 0.3-1 microM (MRS 2155). Thus, while a conventional dihydropyridine, nicardipine, was found to antagonize rat P2X(2) receptors ninefold more potently than P2X(4) receptors, the effects of novel, anionic 5-phosphonate analogues at the receptor were more complex.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

PubMed2000

Methanocarba analogues of purine nucleosides as potent and selective adenosine receptor agonists.

Adenosine receptor agonists have cardioprotective, cerebroprotective, and antiinflammatory properties. We report that a carbocyclic modification of the ribose moiety incorporating ring constraints is a general approach for the design of A(1) and A(3) receptor agonists having favorable pharmacodynamic properties. While simple carbocyclic substitution of adenosine agonists greatly diminishes potency, methanocarba-adenosine analogues have now defined the role of sugar puckering in stabilizing the active adenosine receptor-bound conformation and thereby have allowed identification of a favored isomer. In such analogues a fused cyclopropane moiety constrains the pseudosugar ring of the nucleoside to either a Northern (N) or Southern (S) conformation, as defined in the pseudorotational cycle. In binding assays at A(1), A(2A), and A(3) receptors, (N)-methanocarba-adenosine was of higher affinity than the (S)-analogue, particularly at the human A(3) receptor (N/S affinity ratio of 150). (N)-Methanocarba analogues of various N(6)-substituted adenosine derivatives, including cyclopentyl and 3-iodobenzyl, in which the parent compounds are potent agonists at either A(1) or A(3) receptors, respectively, were synthesized. The N(6)-cyclopentyl derivatives were A(1) receptor-selective and maintained high efficacy at recombinant human but not rat brain A(1) receptors, as indicated by stimulation of binding of [(35)S]GTP-gamma-S. The (N)-methanocarba-N(6)-(3-iodobenzyl)adenosine and its 2-chloro derivative had K(i) values of 4.1 and 2.2 nM at A(3) receptors, respectively, and were highly selective partial agonists. Partial agonism combined with high functional potency at A(3) receptors (EC(50) < 1 nM) may produce tissue selectivity. In conclusion, as for P2Y(1) receptors, at least three adenosine receptors favor the ribose (N)-conformation.

Animals↗

PubMed2000

Induction of apoptosis in rat cardiocytes by A3 adenosine receptor activation and its suppression by isoproterenol.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the mechanisms involved in the induction of apoptosis in newborn cultured cardiomyocytes by activation of adenosine (ADO) A3 receptors and to examine the protective effects of beta-adrenoceptors. The selective agonist for A3 ADO receptors Cl-IB-MECA (2-chloro-N6-iodobenzyl-5-N-methylcarboxamidoadenosine) and the antagonist MRS1523 (5-propyl-2-ethyl-4-propyl-3-(ethylsulfanylcarbonyl)-6-phenylpy rid ine-5-carboxylate) were used. High concentrations of the Cl-IB-MECA (> or = 10 microM) agonist induced morphological modifications of myogenic cells, such as rounding and retraction of cell body and dissolution of contractile filaments, followed by apoptotic death. In addition, Cl-IB-MECA caused a sustained and reversible increase in [Ca2+]i, which was prevented by the selective antagonist MRS1523. Furthermore, MRS1523 protected the cardiocytes if briefly exposed to Cl-IB-MECA and partially protected from prolonged (48 h) agonist exposure. Apoptosis induced by Cl-IB-MECA was not redox-dependent, since the mitochondrial membrane potential remained constant until the terminal stage of cell death. Cl-IB-MECA activated caspase-3 protease in a concentration-dependent manner after 7 h of treatment and more effectively after 18 h of exposure. Bcl-2 protein was readily detected in control cells, and its expression was significantly decreased after 24 and 48 h of treatment with Cl-IB-MECA. Beta-adrenergic stimulation antagonized the pro-apoptotic effects of Cl-IB-MECA, probably through a cAMP/protein kinase A-independent mechanism, since addition of dibutyryl-cAMP did not abolish the apoptosis induced by Cl-IB-MECA. Incubation of cultured myocytes with isoproterenol (5 microM) for 3 or 24 h almost completely abolished the increase in [Ca2+]i. Prolonged incubation of cardiomyocytes with isoproterenol and Cl-IB-MECA did not induce apoptosis. Our data suggest that the apoptosis-inducing signal from activation of adenosine A3 receptors (or counteracting beta-adrenergic signal) leads to the activation of the G-protein-coupled enzymes and downstream pathways to a self-amplifying cascade. Expression of different genes within this cascade is responsible for orchestrating either cardiomyocyte apoptosis or its protection.

Adenosine↗

PubMed2000

Anilide derivatives of an 8-phenylxanthine carboxylic congener are highly potent and selective antagonists at human A(2B) adenosine receptors.

No highly selective antagonists of the A(2B) adenosine receptor (AR) have been reported; however such antagonists have therapeutic potential as antiasthmatic agents. Here we report the synthesis of potent and selective A(2B) receptor antagonists. The structure-activity relationships (SAR) of 8-phenyl-1, 3-di-(n-propyl)xanthine derivatives in binding to recombinant human A(2B) ARs in HEK-293 cells (HEK-A(2B)) and at other AR subtypes were explored. Various amide derivatives of 8-[4-[[carboxymethyl]oxy]phenyl]-1,3-di-(n-propyl)xanthine, 4a, were synthesized. A comparison of aryl, alkyl, and aralkyl amides demonstrated that simple anilides, particularly those substituted in the para-position with electron-withdrawing groups, such as nitro, cyano, and acetyl, bind selectively to human A(2B) receptors in the range of 1-3 nM. The unsubstituted anilide 12 had a K(i) value at A(2B) receptors of 1.48 nM but was only moderately selective versus human A(1)/A(2A) receptors and nonselective versus rat A(1) receptors. Highly potent and selective A(2B) antagonists were a p-aminoacetophenone derivative 20 (K(i) value 1.39 nM) and ap-cyanoanilide 27 (K(i) value 1.97 nM). Compound 27 was 400-, 245-, and 123-fold selective for human A(2B) receptors versus human A(1)/A(2A)/A(3) receptors, respectively, and 8.5- and 310-fold selective versus rat A(1)/A(2A) receptors, respectively. Substitution of the 1,3-dipropyl groups with 1,3-diethyl offered no disadvantage for selectivity, and high affinities at A(2B) receptors were maintained. Substitution of the p-carboxymethyloxy group of 4a and its amides with acrylic acid decreased affinity at A(2B) receptors while increasing affinity at A(1) receptors. 1, 3-Di(cyclohexylmethyl) groups greatly reduced affinity at ARs, although the p-carboxymethyloxy derivative 9 was moderately selective for A(2B) receptors. Several selective A(2B) antagonists inhibited NECA-stimulated calcium mobilization in HEK-A(2B) cells.

Anilides↗

PubMed2000

Synthesis, biological activity, and molecular modeling of ribose-modified deoxyadenosine bisphosphate analogues as P2Y(1) receptor ligands.

The structure-activity relationships of adenosine-3', 5'-bisphosphates as P2Y(1) receptor antagonists have been explored, revealing the potency-enhancing effects of the N(6)-methyl group and the ability to substitute the ribose moiety (Nandanan et al. J. Med. Chem. 1999, 42, 1625-1638). We have introduced constrained carbocyclic rings (to explore the role of sugar puckering), non-glycosyl bonds to the adenine moiety, and a phosphate group shift. The biological activity of each analogue at P2Y(1) receptors was characterized by measuring its capacity to stimulate phospholipase C in turkey erythrocyte membranes (agonist effect) and to inhibit its stimulation elicited by 30 nM 2-methylthioadenosine-5'-diphosphate (antagonist effect). Addition of the N(6)-methyl group in several cases converted pure agonists to antagonists. A carbocyclic N(6)-methyl-2'-deoxyadenosine bisphosphate analogue was a pure P2Y(1) receptor antagonist and equipotent to the ribose analogue (MRS 2179). In the series of ring-constrained methanocarba derivatives where a fused cyclopropane moiety constrained the pseudosugar ring of the nucleoside to either a Northern (N) or Southern (S) conformation, as defined in the pseudorotational cycle, the 6-NH(2) (N)-analogue was a pure agonist of EC(50) 155 nM and 86-fold more potent than the corresponding (S)-isomer. The 2-chloro-N(6)-methyl-(N)-methanocarba analogue was an antagonist of IC(50) 51.6 nM. Thus, the ribose ring (N)-conformation appeared to be favored in recognition at P2Y(1) receptors. A cyclobutyl analogue was an antagonist with IC(50) of 805 nM, while morpholine ring-containing analogues were nearly inactive. Anhydrohexitol ring-modified bisphosphate derivatives displayed micromolar potency as agonists (6-NH(2)) or antagonists (N(6)-methyl). A molecular model of the energy-minimized structures of the potent antagonists suggested that the two phosphate groups may occupy common regions. The (N)- and (S)-methanocarba agonist analogues were docked into the putative binding site of the previously reported P2Y(1) receptor model.

Animals↗

PubMed2000

Acyclic analogues of deoxyadenosine 3',5'-bisphosphates as P2Y(1) receptor antagonists.

P2Y(1) receptors are activated by ADP and occur on endothelial cells, smooth muscle, epithelial cells, lungs, pancreas, platelets, and in the central nervous system. With the aid of molecular modeling, we have designed nucleotide analogues that act as selective antagonists at this subtype. The present study has tested the hypothesis that acyclic modifications of the ribose ring, proven highly successful for nucleoside antiviral agents such as gancyclovir, are generalizable to P2Y receptor ligands. Specifically, the binding site of the P2Y(1) receptor was found to be sufficiently accommodating to allow the substitution of the ribose group with acyclic aliphatic and aromatic chains attached to the 9-position of adenine. Three groups of adenine derivatives having diverse side-chain structures, each containing two symmetrical phosphate or phosphonate groups, were prepared. Biological activity was demonstrated by the ability of the acyclic derivatives to act as agonists or antagonists in the stimulation of phospholipase C in turkey erythrocyte membranes. An acyclic N(6)-methyladenine derivative, 2-[2-(6-methylamino-purin-9-yl)-ethyl]-propane-1, 3-bisoxy(diammoniumphosphate) (10), containing an isopentyl bisphosphate moiety, was a full antagonist at the P2Y(1) receptor with an IC(50) value of 1.60 micro¿. The corresponding 2-Cl derivative (11) was even more potent with an IC(50) value of 0.84 microM. Homologation of the ethylene group at the 9-position to 3-5 methylene units or inclusion of cis- or trans-olefinic groups greatly reduced antagonist potency at the P2Y(1) receptor. Analogues containing a diethanolamine amide group and an aryl di(methylphosphonate) were both less potent than 10 as antagonists, with IC(50) values of 14 and 16 microM, respectively, and no agonist activity was observed for these analogues. Thus, the ribose moiety is clearly not essential for recognition by the turkey P2Y(1) receptor, although a cyclic structure appears to be important for receptor activation, and the acyclic approach to the design of P2 receptor antagonists is valid.

Adenine↗

PubMed2000

The utilization of a unified pharmacophore query in the discovery of new antagonists of the adenosine receptor family.

Pharmacophore queries from previously known potent selective A3 antagonists were generated by Chem-X. These queries were used to search a pharmacophore database of diverse compounds (CNS-Set). In vitro assays of 186 'hits' yielded over 30 active compounds, for four adenosine receptor subtypes. This search strategy may also be applicable to the discovery of new ligands via receptor homology data.

Adenosine-5'-(N-ethylcarboxamide)↗

PubMed2000

Activation of the A3 adenosine receptor affects cell cycle progression and cell growth.

The A3 adenosine receptor has been implicated in modulation of cell growth. As a first step to the characterization of the underlying mechanisms, we exposed Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells transfected with the human A3 receptor (A3R-CHO) to selective A3 receptor ligands. At micromolar concentrations, the A3 agonists N6-(3-iodobenzyl)-adenosine-5'-N-methyluronamide (IB-MECA) and its 2-chloro derivative Cl-IB-MECA reduced cell number, with no effects on either parental CHO cells (not expressing any adenosine receptor), or CHO cells transfected with the human A1 receptor. Cl-IB-MECA also reduced cell number in the human HEK293 cell line transfected with the human A3 receptor cDNA as opposed to the respective untransfected wild-type cells. In A3R-CHO, agonist-induced effects were antagonized by nanomolar concentrations of A3 antagonists, including the triazoloquinazoline derivative MRS 1220, the dihydropyridine derivative MRS 1191, and the triazolonaphthyridine derivative L-249,313. A3 agonist-induced effects were not due to modulation of cell adhesion, nor to necrosis or apoptosis. Growth curves revealed highly impeded growth, and flow-cytometric analysis showed markedly reduced bromodeoxyuridine incorporation into nuclei. The effect on cell cycle was completely antagonized by MRS1191. Hence, activation of the human A3 receptor in A3R-CHO results in markedly impaired cell cycle progression, suggesting an important role for this adenosine receptor subtype in cell cycle regulation and cell growth.

Adenosine↗

PubMed2000

Distinct cardioprotective effects of adenosine mediated by differential coupling of receptor subtypes to phospholipases C and D.

Adenosine released during cardiac ischemia exerts a marked protective effect in the heart that is mediated by the A(1) and A(3) subtypes of adenosine receptors. The signaling pathways activated by these adenosine receptors have now been characterized in a chick embryo ventricular myocyte culture model of cardioprotection against ischemia. Selective A(1) and A(3) receptor agonists were shown to activate phospholipases C and D, respectively, to achieve their distinct cardioprotective effects. The specificity of the A(3) receptor-phospholipase D interaction was also demonstrated in chick embryo atrial myocytes (which do not express endogenous A(3) receptors) that had been transfected with a vector encoding the human A(3) receptor. Activation of both endogenous A(1) and A(3) receptors in ventricular myocytes resulted in a protective response greater than that induced by stimulation of either receptor alone. Agonists that activate both adenosine A(1) and A(3) receptors may thus prove beneficial for the treatment of myocardial ischemia.

Adenosine↗

PubMed2000

Effects of a calcimimetic compound and naturally activating mutations on the human Ca2+ receptor and on Ca2+ receptor/metabotropic glutamate chimeric receptors.

Naturally occurring mutations identified in subjects with autosomal dominant hypocalcemia (ADH) and the calcimimetic compound, R-568, have both been reported to increase Ca2+ sensitivity of the Ca2+ receptor (CaR). To gain insight into their mechanism of action, we studied interactions between four different ADH mutations located in the amino-terminal extracellular domain (ECD) and R-568. We found that R-568 increased the sensitivity of three of the ADH mutant receptors, but the Leu125Pro mutant appeared to be maximally left-shifted in that neither R-568 addition nor combining other ADH mutations with Leu125Pro gave increases in sensitivity comparable to those seen with the three other ADH mutations studied. We also made use of truncation and deletion mutants of the CaR and CaR/metabotropic glutamate receptor type 1 (mGluR1) chimeras to study both the site of action of R-568 and the effect of the Leu125Pro activating mutation. R-568 was effective in receptor constructs containing the seven transmembrane domain (7TM) of the CaR, but not in those containing the mGluR1 7TM. R-568, moreover, imparted Ca2+ responsiveness to CaR constructs lacking all or part of the CaR ECD. The Leu125Pro mutation in contrast conferred no or minimal increase in Ca2+ responsiveness to CaR constructs lacking part of the CaR ECD but showed a striking increase in basal activity in the context of chimeras containing an mGluR1 7TM. Our results localize the site of action of NPS-568 specifically to the CaR 7TM. Our results with the Leu125Pro mutant, furthermore, suggest that the mGluR1 7TM domain may be more permissive for activation than the 7TM domain of the CaR.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2000

Structure-activity relationships for G2 checkpoint inhibition by caffeine analogs.

Caffeine inhibits the G2 checkpoint activated by DNA damage and enhances the toxicity of DNA-damaging agents towards p53-defective cancer cells. The relationship between structure and G2 checkpoint inhibition was determined for 56 caffeine analogs. Replacement of the methyl group at position 3 or 7 resulted in loss of activity, while replacement at position 1 by ethyl or propyl increased activity slightly. 8-Substituted caffeines retained activity, but were relatively insoluble. The structure-activity profile did not resemble those for other known pharmacological activities of caffeine. The active analogs also potentiated the killing of p53-defective cells by ionizing radiation, but none was as effective as caffeine.

Breast Neoplasms↗