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Isolation of a short, cytosine-rich repeating unit from the DNA of Escherichia coli.

Hybridization of heterologous nucleic acids has provided the means for isolating a repeating sequence which is located next to template regions of DNA. Separated single strands of 32P-labelled DNA from Escherichia coli were to a limited extent able to anneal with DNA of Micrococcus lysodeikticus immobilized on nitrocellulose membrane filters. The resulting hybrid was resistant to enzymes specific for unpaired strands, nuclease S1 (Aspergillus oryzae) and exonuclease I (E. coli). The E. coli DNA so hybridized was isolated and characterized. It contained all four bases with cytosine predominating; strand length was about 50-60 nucleotides. Since these units occupied about 1-2% of the length of the E. coli chromosome, they would have to be repeated about 2000 times in a single cell. Formation of the unusual hybrid was not diminished by prior saturation of the E. coli DNA with homologous 3H-labelled RNA. In fact both RNA and additional increments of DNA were detected on the filters approximately in a 1:1 ratio, showing that some of the repeating sequences were physically continuous with transcribed regions of DNA.

Cytosine↗

Unusual properties of the DNA from Xanthomonas phage XP-12 in which 5-methylcytosine completely replaces cytosine.

Xanthomonas phage XP-12 contains 5-methylcytosine completely replacing cytosine. This substitution confers several unusual properties upon XP-12 DNA. The buoyant density of XP-12 DNA in CsCl gradients is 1.710 g/cm-3, 0.16 g/cm-3 lower than that expected for a normal DNA with the same percentage of adenine plus thymine. The melting temperature for XP-12 DNA in 0.012 M Na+ is the highest reported for any naturally occurring DNA, 83.2 degrees C, 6.1 degrees C higher than that of normal DNAs with the same percentage of adenine plus thymine. Unlike the minor amounts of 5-methylcytosine found in most plant and animal DNAs, the 5-methylcytosine residues of XP-12 derive their methyl group from the 3-carbon of serine instead of from the thiomethyl carbon of methionine. .

Bacteriophages↗

Prevention of G:C pairing in mouse DNA by complete blocking of guanine residues with glyoxal. Availability of cytosine, adenine and thymine for hydrogen bonding with added unmodified polynucleotides.

We have developed conditions for the reaction of single-stranded DNA with glyoxal which permit blocking of essentially all guanine residues. This procedure effectively prevents base pairing involving these guanine residues, yet permits cytosine, thymine and adenine residues in the DNA to pair with added polynucleotides. Modification of DNA with glyoxal greatly reduces intrastrand helical regions, resulting in a very low binding to hydroxyapatite, as compared to unmodified DNA. Annealing of modified DNA with some synthetic polynucleotides of restricted composition (but not others) leads to a significant increase in binding, presumably because mouse DNA has sequences not containing guanine which are capable of hydrogen bonding to the added polynucleotides. This relatively simple procedure may allow isolation and further study of these guanine-free sequences in DNA.

Adenine↗

A theoretical study of the interaction of guanine and cytosine with specific amino acid side chains.

Quantum-mechanical computations are performed on the in vacuo and in water interactions between the purine bases guanine and cytosine and the side chains of the amino acids arginine, lysine, glutamic acid and glutamine. The results predict that while guanine should be the more strongly interacting base both in vacuo and in water, lysine should be the most strongly interacting amino acid in vacuo and arginine the most strongly interacting amino acid in water solvent. The theoretical results on the interactions in water agree satisfactorily with experimentation.

Amino Acids↗

Mutual assistance of hydrogen-bond pairing and aromatic stacking interactions for molecular recognition: spectroscopic study on the interaction of guanine base with cytosine and tryptophan molecules.

Fluorescence and 1H-NMR spectroscopic experiments on the interaction of guanine base with cytosine base and Trp indole ring using the model compounds have shown the first clear-cut evidence that both of the hydrogen-bond pairing and aromatic stacking interactions, which are recognized as important forces for the strict molecular recognition, do not function independently, but highly help each other for the recognition of guest molecule.

Cytosine↗

Mechanism of uptake of the phosphonate analog (S)-1-(3-hydroxy-2-phosphonylmethoxypropyl)cytosine (HPMPC) in Vero cells.

The cellular uptake of phosphonylmethoxypropyl cytosine (HPMPC) was characterized to gain insight into the molecular properties that allow this anticytomegalovirus drug to permeate cell membranes. The time course of uptake of HPMPC into Vero cells was linear between 10 and 75 min and proportional to the concentration in the medium from 10(-6) to 10(-2) M. HPMPC uptake was temperature sensitive and the rate of uptake was considerably lower at 27 degrees than at 37 degrees and almost totally inhibited at 4 degrees. In competition studies with naturally occurring nucleosides, nucleotides or the phosphonylmethoxyethyl derivatives, none affected the uptake of HPMPC at concentrations up to 2000-fold molar excess. The uptake of [3H]HPMPC into Vero cells was compared with that of [14C]sucrose, a probe for fluid-phase endocytosis. Kinetics for both compounds were very similar, as were the effects of the microtubule antagonist colchicine and the tumor promoting agent phorbol myristate acetate. Colchicine and the phorbol ester are known to, respectively, inhibit and stimulate endocytosis. It is concluded from these data that HPMPC enters Vero cells by fluid-phase endocytosis and that once internalized it may accumulate in the lysosome. Protonation of the negative charge on the phosphonyl group in HPMPC may allow its diffusion across the lysosome membrane and eventual activation to its putative active diphosphorylated form in the cell cytoplasm.

Animals↗

Kinetic analysis of the interaction between the diphosphate of (S)-1-(3-hydroxy-2-phosphonylmethoxypropyl)cytosine, ddCTP, AZTTP, and FIAUTP with human DNA polymerases beta and gamma.

The inhibitory effects of the diphosphate of (S)-1-(3-hydroxy-2-phosphonylmethoxy-propyl)cytosine (HPMPCpp) toward human DNA polymerases beta and gamma were studied. The Ki values of HPMPCpp were compared with the Ki values of the triphosphates of 3'-azidothymidine (AZTTP), 2',3'-dideoxycytidine (ddCTP) and 5-iodo-2'-fluoroarabinosyluridine (FIAUTP). The Ki values toward DNA polymerase beta in increasing order were 1.32, 1.43, 140, and 520 microM for ddCTP, FIAUTP, AZTTP and HPMPCpp, respectively. The Ki values toward DNA polymerase gamma in increasing order were 0.034, 0.031, 18.3 and 299 microM for ddCTP, FIAUTP, AZTTP and HPMPCpp, respectively. Therefore, HPMPC would be expected to have less inhibitory effects on DNA repair (DNA polymerase beta) and mitochondrial DNA synthesis (DNA polymerase gamma) than ddC, FIAU or AZT.

Antiviral Agents↗

Sequence-dependence of the conformational changes induced by the 5-methyl cytosine in synthetic RNA oligomers.

The RNA hexamer containing a 5-methyl cytosine (m5C) r(CGUAm5CG) was studied by 1H and 31P NMR at 500 MHz and 121 MHz, respectively. In contrast to r(CGm5CGCG) which exhibits an atypic duplex structure [(1987) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 109, 2539-2541], r(CGUAm5CG) adopts a classical A-type conformation. This result demonstrates that the influence of the m5C on the conformation of RNA hexamers is sequence-dependent.

5-Methylcytosine↗

Influence of streptozotocin upon the induction of tyrosine aminotransferase, the content of NAD and of 5-methyl cytosine in rat liver.

The antibiotic, streptozotocin, has carcinostatic, carcinogenic, and diabetogenic properties. Moreover, it is capable of inducing the enzyme tyrosine aminotransferase in a permanent line of rat liver cells. In the present publication, the effects of streptozotocin upon the induction of tyrosine aminotransferase, NAD synthesis, and methylation of DNA in different organs were analyzed in vivo. If administered alone, streptozotocin slightly induced tyrosine aminotransferase. The induction of tyrosine aminotransferase caused by tryptophan or nicotinamide was inhibited by streptozotocin. Streptozotocin reduced the NAD content of the liver. NAD synthesis induced by tryptophan was reduced by streptozotocin, while that induced by nicotinamide was enhanced. DNA methylation in the form of 5-methyl cytosine was not influenced by streptozotocin.

5-Methylcytosine↗

Adenovirus-assisted lipofection: efficient in vitro gene transfer of luciferase and cytosine deaminase to human smooth muscle cells.

Smooth muscle cells (SMC) are a central cell type involved in multiple processes of coronary artery diseases including restenosis and therefore are major target cells for different aspects of gene transfer. Previous attempts to transfect primary arterial cells using different techniques like liposomes, CaPO4 and electroporation resulted in only low transfection efficiency. The development of recombinant adenoviruses dramatically improved the delivery of foreign genes into different cell types including SMC. However, cloning and identification of recombinants remain difficult and time-consuming techniques. The present study demonstrates that a complex consisting of reporter plasmid encoding firefly luciferase (pLUC), polycationic liposomes and replication-deficient adenovirus was able to yield very high in vitro transfection of primary human smooth muscle cells under optimized conditions. The technique of adenovirus-assisted lipofection (AAL) increases transfer and expression of plasmid DNA in human smooth muscle cells in vitro up to 1000-fold compared to lipofection. To verify the applicability of AAL for gene transfer into human smooth muscle cells we studied a gene therapy approach to suppress proliferation of SMC in vitro, using the prokaryotic cytosine deaminase gene (CD) which enables transfected mammalian cells to deaminate 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC) to the highly toxic 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). The effect of a transient CD expression on RNA synthesis was investigated by means of a cotransfection with a RSV-CD expression plasmid and the luciferase reporter plasmid. Western blot analysis demonstrated high expression of CD protein in transfected SMC. Cotransfected SMC demonstrated two-fold less luciferase activity in the presence of 5-FC (5 mmol/l) after 48 h compared to cells transfected with a non-CD coding plasmid. The data demonstrate that a transient expression of CD could be sufficient to reduce the capacity of protein synthesis in human SMC. This simple and effective in vitro transfection method may also be applicable to in vivo delivery of target genes to the vascular wall to inhibit SMC proliferation.

Adenoviruses, Human↗

Mechanism of the mutagenic action of hydroxylamine. X. Certain specificities in the mutagenesis of N-hydroxy and N-methoxy analogs of cytosine and adenine derivatives.

In contrast with N4-methoxycytidine, N6-methoxyadenosine and the corresponding 2'-deoxynucleosides, N4-hydroxycytidine readily penetrates cells of Escherichia coli. Apparently this explains the non-mutagenicity of the N-methoxy compounds when added to an E. coli suspension, and the potent mutagenic effects of the N4-hydroxy analogs under the same conditions. 1-Deazaadenosine and N9- and N1-hydroxyalkyl-substituted adenines and cytosines, inhibitors of adenosine and cytidinedeaminases, are also incapable of crossing the E. coli cell wall.

Adenine↗

Selective inhibition of human cytomegalovirus DNA synthesis by (S)-1-(3-hydroxy-2-phosphonylmethoxypropyl)cytosine [(S)-HPMPC] and 9-(1,3-dihydroxy-2-propoxymethyl)guanine (DHPG).

The novel acyclic nucleoside phosphonate, (S)-1-(3-hydroxy-2-phosphonylmethoxypropyl)cytosine [(S)-HPMPC], is a potent and selective inhibitor of human cytomegalovirus (CMV) replication in cell culture. (S)-HPMPC inhibits CMV DNA synthesis in a concentration-dependent manner within the concentration range of 0.04-4 micrograms/ml. At 4 micrograms/ml, viral DNA synthesis is completely suppressed. (S)-HPMPC proved more inhibitory to CMV replication and CMV DNA synthesis than 9-(1,3-dihydroxy-2-propoxymethyl)guanine (DHPG, ganciclovir), the current drug of choice for the treatment of CMV infections. Both compounds affected cell proliferation and cellular DNA synthesis only at a concentration that was 100- to 500-fold higher than the antivirally effective concentrations. In accord with the postulated target (viral DNA synthesis) for its antiviral action, (S)-HPMPC did not prevent immediate early antigen expression in CMV-infected cells. A limited exposure time (as short as 6 hr postinfection) of the CMV-infected cells to (S)-HPMPC sufficed to afford a pronounced and prolonged inhibition of viral DNA synthesis and virus replication. This gives (S)-HPMPC a definite advantage over DHPG, which only afforded a weak and transient inhibition of CMV DNA synthesis and virus replication after it had been exposed to the cells for a short exposure time. The long-lasting antiviral action of (S)-HPMPC is a unique property that opens new therapeutic modalities for the treatment of virus infections.

Antiviral Agents↗

Activity of (S)-1-(3-hydroxy-2-phosphonylmethoxypropyl)cytosine (HPMPC) against guinea pig cytomegalovirus infection in cultured cells and in guinea pigs.

(S)-1-(3-hydroxy-2-phosphonylmethoxypropyl)cytosine, HPMPC, and two HPMPC-related nucleoside analogs, (S)-9-(3-hydroxy-2-phosphonylmethoxypropyl)adenine, HPMPA, and (2-phosphonylmethoxyethyl)guanine, PMEG, were evaluated for their antiviral activities against guinea pig cytomegalovirus (GPCMV) infection in guinea pig embryo (GPE) cells and human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection in human diploid fibroblast (MRC-5) cells. DHPG, 9-(1,3-dihydroxy-2-propoxymethyl)guanine, was used for comparison. The antiviral activity of HPMPC against GPCMV infection in vivo and its toxicity to Hartley guinea pigs were also evaluated. The 50% antiviral effective doses (ED50) of HPMPC, HPMPA, PMEG and DHPG against GPCMV infection in GPE cells were 0.22, 1.4, 0.07 and 62 microM, respectively; and against HCMV infection in MRC-5 cells, the ED50s were 0.51, 0.72, 0.01 and 17.5 microM, respectively. Their cytotoxic doses (CyD50) in GPE replicating cells were 84, 35, 1.4 and 700 microM, respectively and in MRC-5 cells were approximately 114, 31, 0.86 and 750 microM, respectively. Based on their calculated therapeutic indexes, HPMPC was the most potent and selective of the four compounds tested. In vivo, during acute infection, the spleen indexes of all infected animals that were treated with 1.25 to 5.0 mg/kg/day of HPMPC for 5 days were significantly reduced as compared with sham-treated animals. Virus infectivity titers in blood and various tissues of infected animals treated with HPMPC, 2.5 or 1.25 mg/kg/day were not significantly lower than those of the infected, sham-treated animals; with 5 mg/kg/day, infectivity titers in the blood, spleen, and salivary gland were significantly lower in HPMPC-treated than in sham-treated animals. However, HPMPC was toxic to guinea pigs especially at doses of 5 to 10 mg/kg/day. These data showed that HPMPC was highly active and selective in cultured guinea pig cells and human fibroblast cells against CMV infection but did not effectively inhibit GPCMV infection in guinea pigs at minimum toxic concentrations.

Animals↗

Evaluation of infrequent dosing regimens with (S)-1-[3-hydroxy-2-(phosphonylmethoxy)propyl]-cytosine (S-HPMPC) on simian varicella infection in monkeys.

(S)-1-[3-Hydroxy-2-(phosphonylmethoxy)propyl]cytosine (S-HPMPC) was able to prevent simian varicella infection in African green monkeys inoculated intratracheally with virus. A dose of 50 mg/S-HPMPC/kg administered intravenously was shown to prevent the development of rash, reduce viremia and protect the monkeys from death. The 50 mg/kg dose was effective when treatments initiated on day 2 post-infection (p.i.) was given as ten daily doses of 5 mg/kg, as 10 mg/kg administered on five days on an alternate-day schedule, as two 25 mg/kg doses given on day 2 and on day 7 p.i., or as a single injection of 50 mg/kg on day 2. The single 50 mg/kg dose was also effective when treatment was delayed until four days p.i., but was ineffective when treatment was delayed until six days p.i. The 50 mg/kg dose was not effective when given orally by gavage. No evidence of toxicity was noted in daily clinical examinations, or in frequent hematology and clinical chemistry tests performed during the clinical evaluation of the infection.

Administration, Oral↗

Immunotoxic potential of antiviral drugs: effects of ganciclovir and (S)-1-(3-hydroxy-2-phosphonylmethoxy propyl) cytosine on lymphocyte transformation and delayed-type hypersensitivity responses.

In the present studies, we examined the in vitro and in vivo effects of ganciclovir (DHPG) and a relatively new nucleoside analogue, (S)-1-(3-hydroxy-2-phosphonylmethoxy propyl) cytosine (HPMPC), on lymphocyte responses to T cell mitogens and delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses to dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB). Initially, responses of mouse splenic mononuclear cells and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells to PHA and con A were evaluated in vitro in the presence of each drug. Both drugs inhibited the responses to each mitogens; however, DHPG had a greater inhibitory effect on con A responses of human and mouse lymphocytes than did HPMPC. Also, spleen cells from mice treated for 7 days with DHPG responded less well to PHA stimulation than cells from untreated or HPMPC-treated mice. No effect of either drug was observed on con A responses. Treatment of mice with either drug decreased the development of DTH responses, with HPMPC having a greater inhibitory effect than DHPG. The results from the present studies suggest that both DHPG and HPMPC may have inhibitory effects on the development of certain immune functions at high dosages, but at drug concentrations that were therapeutic in animal model studies, little inhibitory effects were observed.

Animals↗

Effect of (S)-1-[(3-hydroxy-2-phosphonyl methoxy) propyl] cytosine on the replication and morphogenesis of herpes simplex virus type 1.

Treatment of African green monkey kidney cells with 1 microgram/ml of (S)-1-[(3-hydroxy-2-phosphonyl methoxy) propyl] cytosine (HPMPC) inhibited the release of infectious herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) by more than 90%. Electron microscopic observations of HPMPC-treated monkey kidney cells demonstrated few intracellular or extracellular viral particles. The viral particles seen were without dense cores. In addition, HPMPC blocked cell fusion induced by HSV-1 in monkey kidney cells. Immunoblot analysis showed that HPMPC significantly blocked the expression of HSV-1-specific proteins. Furthermore, HPMPC inhibited the synthesis of viral DNA as determined by in situ hybridization. These results indicate that HPMPC inhibits the replication of HSV by blocking one of the events involved in DNA synthesis.

Animals↗