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R Breslow

Publications and source records attributed to R Breslow.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Enzyme mimics.

'Two is better than one' in cooperating systems. Synthetic ditopic host molecules have been constructed from cyclodextrins and from synthetic hydrophobic cavities bridged with simple connectors or with catalytic groups. These host molecules show very strong binding of appropriate substrates, and selective catalysis. A cyclodextrin bis-imidazole shows bifunctional catalysis of the cleavage of a cyclic phosphate that is simultaneous, judged from isotopic studies. The best geometry is consistent with mechanistic evidence on the preferred mechanism for such bifunctional catalysis. Certain polar compounds bind to a still unidentified cellular receptor and induce differentiation of malignant cells. Ditopic drugs that have been designed and synthesized bind strongly to two receptor sites and induce cancer cell differentiation at low concentrations with few side-effects. Clinical results with these compounds are already promising in a few cancer patients.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Antigen-dependent leukotriene synthesis and histamine release from IgG1 passively-sensitized guinea pig lungs ex vivo: relationship between serum levels of antigen-specific IgG1 and mediator synthesis/release.

Naive guinea-pigs were passively sensitized with varying amounts of affinity column purified, homologous, anti-ovalbumin IgG1 (anti-OA IgG1) and then examined for a) the capacity of lung tissue to release mediators (histamine and LTB4/LTD4) in response to antigen-challenge ex vivo and b) the attendant circulating levels of anti-OA IgG1. Intraperitoneal administration of anti-OA IgG1 (0.125-0.75 mg/kg) to guinea-pigs facilitated the synthesis of LTB4 (8-25 ng/g lung) and LTD4 (18-80 ng/g) and the release of histamine (1-7 ug/g) from lung tissue after exposure to 10 micrograms/ml of ovalbumin for 20 min ex vivo. Peak levels of mediators were found using 0.5 mg/kg anti-OA IgG1 with an ED50 = 0.35 mg/kg. LTD4/LTB4 synthesis and histamine release were both antigen concentration- and time-dependent, and LT synthesis was observable in non-perfused lungs and in lungs perfused free of blood. Maximum sensitization occurred at 1-2 days post i.p. administration of anti-OA IgG1 and was maintained up to 7 days. Measurement of anti-OA IgG1 using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay demonstrated that circulating antibody levels were 2-6 micrograms/ml at the doses which caused sensitization. The level of anti-OA IgG1 found in passively sensitized animals was at least 100-fold less than that found in actively-sensitized guinea-pigs despite the similar magnitude in LTD4/LTB4 synthesized and the amount of histamine released. Using purified antibody, the results demonstrate that in guinea-pigs, IgG1 can play a prominent role in regulating lung LT synthesis and histamine release, and that microgram per ml circulating levels of this antibody are sufficient to sensitize naive lungs.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Surface tension measurements show that chaotropic salting-in denaturants are not just water-structure breakers.

Since the salting-in agents guanidinium chloride, urea, and lithium perchlorate increase the surface tension of water, the salting-in phenomenon does not reflect easier cavity formation in water. Therefore, these salting-in agents must be directly contributing to the solvation of a solute such as benzene in water, probably by a direct solvation interaction. The increased surface-tension effects do not overbalance these solvation effects since they are smaller than the large surface-tension increases with lithium chloride, a typical salting-out agent. The salting-in agent tetra-n-butylammonium chloride differs in that it lowers the surface tension of water. Thus, it probably contributes both to easier cavity formation and to direct solvation of the substrate. The previous findings that most salting-in agents switch to become salting-out agents in other polar solvents such as ethylene glycol and formamide but that tetra-n-butylammonium chloride does not switch in these solvents can be understood in terms of relative polarities.

Benzene↗
PubMed1990

Evidence that peptidoleukotriene is a prerequisite for antigen-dependent thromboxane synthesis in IgG1-passively sensitized guinea pig lungs.

Lungs from guinea pigs passively sensitized with an affinity-purified IgG1 antibody produce both leukotriene (LT)D4 and thromboxane (Tx)B2 upon ex vivo antigen challenge. This study was undertaken to determine the possibility of endogenously generated peptido-LTs being a prerequisite for Tx synthesis. In immunoglobulin G1-sensitized lungs, exogenous LTD4 induced TxB2 production with a median effective dose of 4.1 nM, whereas the response to LTE4, LTB4 or platelet-activating factor was relatively weak. Although LTC4 was as potent as LTD4 in stimulating TxB2 generation, LTC4's dose-response curve was shifted significantly to the right by AT-125, an irreversible gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase inhibitor, suggesting that at least a part of LTC4 sensitized lungs with antigen (0.01-30 micrograms/ml ovalbumin) for 20 min precipitated a significant amount of LTD4 production. The levels of LTD4 range from 8 to 26 nM (without taking LTD4 recovery into consideration). This level is 2- to 7-fold greater than the median effective dose value observed with exogenous LTD4. Moreover, pretreatment of sensitized lungs with ICI-198,615 a specific LTD4 antagonist, blocked equally both antigen (IC50 = 0.01 microM)- and LTD4 (IC50 = 0.017 microM)-induced TxB2 production. When sensitized lung fragments were treated with 5 mM AT-125, ICI-198,615 was effective in preventing not only antigen-but also LTC4-dependent production of TxB2 (IC50 = 0.018 and 0.021 microM, respectively). In contrast, neither WEB-2086, a platelet-activating factor antagonist, nor pyrilamine, a histamine antagonist, inhibited antigen and LTD4 responses (IC50 greater than 30 microM). Unlike its effect on antigen response, ICI-198,615 was unable to block Ca2+ ionophore-induced TxB2 production.2

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Polar/apolar chemical inducers of differentiation of transformed cells: strategies to improve therapeutic potential.

N,N'-Hexamethylenebisacetamide (HMBA) induces transformed cells to differentiate, accompanied by suppression of oncogenicity. Clinical trials have shown that HMBA can cause positive therapeutic responses in some cancer patients, but clinical efficacy may be limited, in part, by dose-related toxicity. Potential improvements in efficacy may be accomplished by changes in the chemical structure of inducing agents and by increasing the sensitivity of tumor cells to inducers of differentiation. We have previously described an approach to improving tumor cell responsiveness to inducing agents. Transformed cell lines that have acquired low levels of resistance to vincristine display a markedly increased sensitivity to HMBA. We now report on a series of hybrid polar/apolar compounds--some of which are as active as HMBA and several of which are significantly more active than HMBA in vitro--whose chemical structures make it likely that they have different pharmacokinetics. Vincristine-resistant murine erythroleukemia cells also are shown to have marked increased sensitivity to these hybrid polar/apolar compounds. Thus these findings suggest potentially useful strategies for the application of polar/apolar inducers of differentiation to the treatment of cancers. These studies also provide approaches to further understanding of the biological process of terminal differentiation.

Acetamides↗
PubMed1989

On the mechanism of action of ribonucleases: dinucleotide cleavage catalyzed by imidazole and Zn2+.

Cyclization/cleavage of the 2-(p-nitrophenyl) phosphate ester of propylene glycol is catalyzed by imidazole and, much more effectively, by Zn2+ with imidazole. In the latter case, the mechanism involves simultaneous Lewis acid/base catalysis. Similar Zn2+ and imidazole catalysis of cyclization/cleavage is seen with the dinucleotide 3',5'-UpU (uridylyluridine). Again, the zinc system is much more effective than is catalysis by imidazole alone, and in this case simultaneous Lewis acid/base catalysis substitutes for the sequential proton acid/base catalysis seen with polynucleotides or dinucleotides and imidazole buffer catalysts. A mechanism is proposed for catalysis of RNA cleavage by the enzyme ribonuclease A, and the relationship of that mechanism to the action of the enzyme model systems is discussed.

Catalysis↗
PubMed1989

Involvement of peptidoleukotrienes in antigen-dependent thromboxane (TX) synthesis in IgG1-sensitized guinea pig lungs.

Lungs from IgG1-sensitized guinea pigs synthesize both leukotrienes (LTs) and thromboxane (Tx) upon ex vivo antigen challenge. This study was undertaken to investigate whether antigen-dependent Tx synthesis could result from prior formation of LTD4. In IgG1-sensitized lungs, LTD4 effectively induced Tx formation (ED50 = 2-4 nM). In these lungs, the levels of antigen-dependent formation of LTD4 (8-26 nM formed by 0.01-10 micrograms/ml antigen challenge) were 2-7 X greater than the ED50 value of LTD4-stimulated Tx synthesis. In addition, incubation of the sensitized lungs with ICI-198,615, a LTD4 antagonist, prior to antigen-challenge prevented Tx formation (IC50 = 0.01 microM). Our results indicate that LTD4 generated from IgG1-sensitized lungs could play a prominent role in stimulating Tx synthesis. LTC4 may also be involved because of rapid formation of LTC4 upon antigen-stimulation and its capacity to induce Tx synthesis.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Artificial enzymes.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Carboxypeptidases↗
PubMed1985

An assay to determine the kinetics of RNA cleavage.

To evaluate some synthetic catalysts that mimic ribonuclease, a quantitative assay has been developed that measures the number of phosphate diester bonds cleaved in a polymeric RNA substrate. This assay involves determining the number of 5'-oligonucleotide termini produced during the cleavage, using polyuridylic acid as the substrate. Samples withdrawn from the kinetic run are treated with venom exonuclease (phosphodiesterase I), and the increase in the concentration of uridine is determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. A related assay has been developed to monitor the catalyzed cleavage of the dinucleotide uridylyl(3'----5') uridine (UpU).

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗
PubMed1984

Hexadeoxycycloheptaamylose-pyridoxamine, an artificial transaminase with a "deeper" binding pocket.

Cycloheptaamylose was converted in four steps into a monosulfonylated, hexadeoxy derivative that, on treatment with pyridoxaminethiol, provided an artificial transaminase with activity similar to that found in the nondeoxygenated analogue. Characterization of the intermediate hexadeoxycycloheptaamylose was facilitated by the use of field-desorption mass spectrometry, which was uniquely able to distinguish between penta-, hexa-, and hepta-deoxycycloheptaamylose. A detailed description of experimental methods for the first time makes this modified binding-site available for general use in the design of enzyme mimics.

Amylose↗
PubMed1983

Evidence for the general base mechanism in carboxypeptidase A-catalyzed reactions: partitioning studies on nucleophiles and H2(18)O kinetic isotope effects.

Methanol does not detectably compete with water in carboxypeptidase-catalyzed cleavage of any substrate, although it is preferentially reactive in a model for the proposed nucleophilic mechanism for the enzyme that involves an anhydride intermediate. To test for such a common intermediate in the cleavage of related peptide and ester substrates, a method has been developed to examine H2(16)O-H2(18)O kinetic isotope-partitioning effects. The finding that benzoylglycylphenylalanine has an isotope effect of 1.019 +/- 0.002 while benzoylglycyl-beta-L-phenyl-lactate shows a small inverse isotope effect excludes most versions of a nucleophilic mechanism having a common anhydride intermediate. The bulk of the available evidence strongly favors the previously proposed general base mechanism.

Carboxypeptidases↗
PubMed1982

Artificial enzymes.

Simple chemical catalysts have been designed to achieve some desirable features of enzymes. These novel catalysts are not proteins, but they may incorporate the typical enzyme catalytic groups and they achieve selectivity in their reactions by use of geometric control, as do enzymes. Catalysts that carry out geometrically controlled chlorinations of aromatic rings and steroids have been constructed. Other catalysts achieve the selective synthesis of amino acids, and still others imitate ribonuclease in detailed mechanism and hydrolyze RNA. Optimization of geometries has led to a rate acceleration of over 10(8) in one instance.

Catalysis↗
PubMed1981

Contribution of the depressive perspective to memory function in depression.

The authors used a story recall paradigm to elucidate some aspects of the memory problems of depressive patients. They compared 21 hospitalized depressed patients with a matched group of control subjects for recall of a theme story containing material with positive, negative, and neutral affective tones. The results indicated an overall deficit in the story recall of the depressed patients, most of which could be ascribed to a decrement in recall of the positive themes in the story. Recall of the negative and neutral themes remained intact. These results are consistent with the view that a depressive perspective contributes one component to the memory difficulties of depressed patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

On the role of reduced auditory feedback and kinesic self-stimulation during Stroop Color-Word Performance.

Feedback from one's own voice provides important vocal-motor cues for effective cognitive processing. Reduction of such feedback is known to disturb such functioning. Work in our laboratory has shown that kinesic self-stimulation also plays an important role in cognition, and appears to regulate the focusing of attention under conditions of distraction. The present study investigated the effects of both auditory feedback and kinesic self-stimulation in the regulation of cognitive interference during performance of the Stroop Color-Word Task. Twelve subjects were tested on the Stroop task under conditions of normal and occluded hearing. Kinesic self-stimulation and response errors during color-word performance were recorded on video tape. The findings indicated that not only did self-stimulation increase when voice feedback was reduced, but that this increase was associated with a reduction in specific types of color-word performance errors. Individual differences revealed that high kinesic responders made significantly fewer errors in task performance than did low kinesic responders. Results were interpreted as revealing a kinesic feedback mechanism which has adaptive significance in regard to self-editing when auditory feedback is reduced.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Effect of vocal feedback on Stroop Color-Word interference.

The present study tested the hypothesis that vocal feedback affects the interference obtained during performance on the Stroop Color-Word task. Two measures were studied as indicators of ability to name colors on the Stroop, speed (performance time) and accuracy (number of errors). Speed of performance on the interference task by 16 male college students was not aided by reduction of vocal feedback. Accuracy of performance in the interference condition was strongly facilitated by reduction of vocal feedback, while little change was noted with no interference. These results are consistent with a view that in vocal feedback on Stroop interference the experience of a mismatch between the auditory feedback produced by the weaker color-naming response in the presence of the prepotent tendency to make the reading response increases interference.

Adolescent↗