Simulating the influence of plasma protein on measured receptor affinity in biochemical assays reveals the utility of Schild analysis for estimating compound affinity for plasma proteins.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Plasma protein binding (PPB) influences the free fraction of drug available to bind to its target and is therefore an important consideration in drug discovery. While traditional methods for assessing PPB (e.g. rapid equilibrium dialysis) are suitable for comparing compounds with relatively weak PPB, they are not able to accurately discriminate between highly bound compounds (typically >99.5%). The aim of the present work was to use mathematical modelling to explore the potential utility of receptor binding and cellular functional assays to estimate the affinity of compounds for plasma proteins. Plasma proteins are routinely added to in vitro assays, so a secondary goal was to investigate the effect of plasma proteins on observed ligand-receptor interactions. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Using the principle of conservation of mass and the law of mass action, a cubic equation was derived describing the ligand-receptor complex [LR] in the presence of plasma protein at equilibrium. KEY RESULTS: The model demonstrates the profound influence of PPB on in vitro assays and identifies the utility of Schild analysis, which is usually applied to determine receptor-antagonist affinities, for calculating affinity at plasma proteins (termed KP ). We have also extended this analysis to functional effects using operational modelling and demonstrate that these approaches can also be applied to cell-based assay systems. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: These mathematical models can potentially be used in conjunction with experimental data to estimate drug-plasma protein affinities in the earliest phases of drug discovery programmes.

Preclinical safety testing of DISC-hGMCSF to support phase I clinical trials in cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: DISC-hGMCSF is a gH-deleted HSV-2 based vector expressing human GM-CSF that is being developed for cancer immunotherapy. To support first clinical use, a range of preclinical safety studies were performed using DISC-hGMCSF in addition to DISC-murine-GMCSF and the backbone vector, TA-HSV. METHODS: The toxicity of the DISC vectors was assessed by repeated dose, neurovirulence and neuroinvasiveness studies in mice, and by safety studies in rabbits, guinea pigs and athymic nude mice. Studies were also conducted to determine whether the vector could establish latency in local ganglia in mice following intradermal injection, and whether it could reactivate from the latent state. The vector biodistribution following intravenous administration was also investigated in mice, using PCR to detect vector DNA. RESULTS: The DISC vectors were essentially non-toxic in all the systems studied. No adverse reactions were seen in mice receiving four intravenous doses of DISC-mGMCSF and the results from studies of neurovirulence, neuroinvasiveness, local tolerance in rabbit, general safety in mice and guinea pigs and safety in athymic nude mice were consistent with DISC being unable to replicate and cause disease. The vector could establish latency in local ganglia in mice, but at low efficiency, and could not reactivate infectious virions. Following intravenous administration, vector DNA was widely distributed up to Day 28, but by Day 56 had disappeared from gonads and brain and was only found in blood and liver. CONCLUSION: The panel of safety studies provided evidence that DISC-hGMCSF will be unable to replicate and cause disease, and has low toxicity in man. These data were presented to the Medicines Control Agency and the Gene Therapy Advisory Committee as part of the regulatory submissions for a clinical trial in melanoma patients. These submissions have been approved, and DISC-hGMCSF has now entered a phase I clinical trial in the UK by direct intratumoural injection.

Preclinical evaluation of "whole" cell vaccines for prophylaxis and therapy using a disabled infectious single cycle-herpes simplex virus vector to transduce cytokine genes.

The development of genetically modified "whole" tumor cell vaccines for cancer therapy relies on the efficient transduction and expression of genes by vectors. In the present study, we have used a disabled infectious single cycle-herpes simplex virus 2 (DISC-HSV-2) vector constructed to express cytokine or marker genes upon infection. DISC-HSV-2 is able to infect a wide range of tumor cells and efficiently express the beta-galactosidase reporter gene, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), or IL-2 genes. Gene expression occurred rapidly after infection of tumor cells, and the level of production of the gene product (beta-galactosidase, GM-CSF, or IL-2) was shown to be both time-and dose-dependent. Vaccination with irradiated DISC-mGM-CSF or DISC-hIL-2-infected murine tumor cells resulted in greatly enhanced immunity to tumor challenge with live parental tumor cells compared with control vaccines. When used therapeutically to treat existing tumors, vaccination with irradiated DISC-mGM-CSF-infected tumor cells significantly reduced the incidence and growth rates of tumors when administered locally adjacent to the tumor site, providing up to 90% protection. The prophylactic and therapeutic efficacy of DISC-mGM-CSF-infected cells was shown initially using a murine renal cell carcinoma model (RENCA), and the results were confirmed in two additional murine tumor models: the M3 melanoma and 302R sarcoma. Therapy with DISC-infected RENCA "whole" cell vaccines failed to reduce the incidence or growth of tumor in congenitally T-cell deficient (Nu+/Nu+) mice or mice depleted of CD4+ and/or CD8+ T-lymphocytes, confirming that both T-helper and T-cytotoxic effector arms of the immune response are required to promote tumor rejection. These preclinical results suggest that this "novel" DISC-HSV vector may prove to be efficacious in developing genetically modified whole-cell vaccines for clinical use.

Evolution of flight morphology in a butterfly that has recently expanded its geographic range.

Individuals colonizing unoccupied habitats typically possess characters associated with increased dispersal and, in insects, colonization success has been related to flight morphology. The speckled wood butterfly, Pararge aegeria, has undergone recent major expansions in its distribution: in the north of its range, P. aegeria has colonized many areas in north and east England, and in the south, it was first recorded on Madeira in 1976. We examined morphological traits associated with flight and reproduction in the northern subspecies tircis, and in the southern subspecies aegeria, from sites colonized about 20 years ago in northern England and on Madeira, respectively. Investment in flight was measured as relative wing area and thorax mass, and investment in reproduction as relative abdomen mass. All measurements were from individuals reared in a common environment and there were significant family effects in most of the variables measured. Compared with individuals from sites continuously occupied in recent history, colonizing individuals were larger (adult live mass). In the subspecies tircis, colonizing individuals also had relatively larger thoraxes and lower wing aspect ratios indicating that evolutionary changes in flight morphology may be related to colonization. However, sex by site interactions in analyses of thorax mass and abdomen mass suggest different selection pressures on flight morphology between the sexes in relation to colonization. Overall, the subspecies aegeria was smaller (adult live mass) and had a relatively larger thorax and wings, and smaller abdomen than subspecies tircis. Evolutionary changes in flight morphology and dispersal rate may be important determinants of range expansion, and may affect responses to future climate change.

A genetically inactivated herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) vaccine provides effective protection against primary and recurrent HSV-2 disease.

A glycoprotein H (gH)-deleted herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) was evaluated as a vaccine for the prevention of HSV-induced disease. This virus, which we term a DISC (disabled infectious single cycle) virus, can only complete one replication cycle in normal cells and should thus be safe yet still able to stimulate broad humoral and cell-mediated antiviral immune responses. A gH-deleted HSV-2 virus that has been tested as a vaccine in the guinea pig model of recurrent HSV-2 infection was constructed. Animals vaccinated with DISC HSV-2 showed complete protection against primary HSV-2-induced disease, even when challenged 6 months after vaccination. In addition, the animals were almost completely protected against recurrent disease. Even at low vaccination doses, there was a high degree of protection against primary disease. A reduction in recurrent disease symptoms was also observed following therapeutic vaccination of animals already infected with wild type HSV-2.

Noninvasive carotid artery testing. A meta-analytic review.

PURPOSE: To compare the operating characteristics of six noninvasive tests for carotid artery stenosis. DATA SOURCES: A structured search was done using MEDLINE, reference lists from selected articles, and bibliographies from neurology textbooks that focused on the diagnosis of carotid artery stenosis in humans. The search yielded 568 articles. STUDY SELECTION: Articles were selected if the noninvasive test results they presented used carotid angiography as the reference standard for comparison, if carotid artery occlusion was considered as a separate category, and if contingency tables could be constructed. DATA EXTRACTION: At least two physicians reviewed all selected articles. Items abstracted included patient demographics, study design, sites of patient enrollment, whether the interpretation of test outcomes was blinded, and specific results. Sensitivity, specificity, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and summary measures of effectiveness for each test were calculated. RESULTS: Carotid duplex ultrasonography, carotid Doppler ultrasonography, and magnetic resonance angiography have sensitivities between 0.82 and 0.86, specificities at 0.98, and test-effectiveness measures at or exceeding 3.0 when predicting 100% occlusion. For carotid stenosis of 70% or more, these three tests and supraorbital Doppler ultrasonography all have sensitivities of 0.83 to 0.86, specificities of 0.89 to 0.94, test-effectiveness measures approaching 3.0, and composite ROC areas of 0.91 to 0.92. Limiting analysis to studies that enrolled consecutive patients and those in which interpretation of the noninvasive tests was independent of the angiograms did not substantially change our results. CONCLUSIONS: Carotid duplex ultrasonography, carotid Doppler ultrasonography, and magnetic resonance angiography are all similarly successful at predicting 100% carotid artery occlusion and 70% stenosis. Other factors, such as cost, availability, and local experience may influence the decision to use these tests to screen for carotid artery atherosclerosis that may respond to surgery.

Dry instant blood typing plate for bedside use.

A monoclonal antibody-derived, dry blood grouping plate, based upon the simple disaccharide, trehalose, is described that is indefinitely stable at room temperature and was found to have a 99.8% accuracy when tested against a standard semiautomated assay. This plate can be used by personnel with no specific training to check the recorded A,B,O, and Rhesus blood type of potential transfusion recipients in the field and at the bedside. Trehalose-based reagents may be important for bedside testing and in developing countries where refrigeration is unreliable.

Differential potentiation of mitogen-stimulated phosphoinositide hydrolysis in protein kinase C-depleted Swiss 3T3 cells.

In Swiss 3T3 cells, depletion of protein kinase C (PKC) by prolonged incubation with phorbol esters potentiates the formation of total inositol phosphates in response to bombesin or vasopressin [Blakeley, Corps & Brown (1989) Biochem. J. 258, 177-185]. The characteristics of the accumulation of inositol phosphates in control and PKC-depleted cells stimulated by bombesin, vasopressin or prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha) have now been compared. The potentiation of the PGF2 alpha response was greater than that of the vasopressin response which was, in turn, greater than that of the bombesin response. The time courses of the responses to all three agonists were biphasic, and both phases of the response were amplified in the PKC-depleted cells. These results provide further evidence for the involvement of a PKC-mediated negative-feedback loop regulating phosphoinositide hydrolysis in response to several 3T3 cell mitogens. The differential potentiation of the response to these agonists suggests that PKC might act at multiple sites within the signal transduction pathway.

Tissue-specific effects of castration and ovariectomy on murine epidermal growth factor and its mRNA.

The polypeptide mitogen, epidermal growth factor (EGF), was originally isolated from mouse submaxillary gland (SMG). In mice, these glands are sexually dimorphic; the SMG of male animals typically contains up to 400 pmol EGF/mg protein whereas EGF concentrations in the SMG of female mice are only 5-20 pmol/mg protein. When mice were castrated at 8 weeks of age, EGF mRNA levels in the SMG fell rapidly to the low levels observed in control female animals. Although the concentration of EGF in the SMG, measured by radioimmunoassay, also fell to very low levels (13.8 +/- 0.7 (S.E.M.) pmol/mg protein) in the castrated mice, the rate of decrease was considerably slower than that of the mRNA. In contrast to the loss of EGF and EGF mRNA from mice following castration, ovariectomy led to a rise in EGF mRNA levels in SMG, with a maximal increase (approximately 100-fold) 4-6 weeks after ovariectomy. Concentrations of EGF in the SMG also rose markedly in the ovariectomized animals, from a control value of 5.4 +/- 0.8 to 34.7 +/- 7.9 pmol/mg protein at 6 weeks. In mice, the kidney displays the second highest level of EGF gene expression. However, in contrast to the effects on SMG, kidney EGF mRNA was not affected by either castration or ovariectomy. These results provide further evidence for the tissue-specific control of EGF gene expression in response to steroid hormones.

Stimulation of polyphosphoinositide hydrolysis in Swiss 3T3 cells by recombinant fibroblast growth factors.

Mitogenic concentrations of recombinant acidic or basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF) stimulated the accumulation of [3H]inositol phosphates ([3H]IPs) in Swiss 3T3 cells pre-labelled for 48 h with [3H]inositol. Maximal effects were obtained at 0.3 ng/ml and 3 ng/ml for basic and acidic FGF, respectively. Higher doses of either factor led to a diminished stimulation. FGF also stimulated 45Ca2+ release from cells pre-labelled with the isotope. However, FGF-stimulated production of [3H]IPs and release of 45Ca2+ exhibited marked differences when compared with the responses to the peptide mitogen bombesin; the FGF responses were markedly slower and were not inhibited by phorbol esters.

Bombesin and platelet-derived growth factor stimulate formation of inositol phosphates and Ca2+ mobilization in Swiss 3T3 cells by different mechanisms.

Highly purified platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) or recombinant PDGF stimulate DNA synthesis in quiescent Swiss 3T3 cells. The dose-response curves for the natural and recombinant factors were similar, with half-maximal responses at 2-3 ng/ml and maximal responses at approx. 10 ng/ml. Over this dose range, both natural and recombinant PDGF stimulated a pronounced accumulation of [3H]inositol phosphates in cells labelled for 72 h with [3H]inositol. In addition, mitogenic concentrations of PDGF stimulated the release of 45Ca2+ from cells prelabelled with the radioisotope. However, in comparison with the response to the peptide mitogens bombesin and vasopressin, a pronounced lag was evident in both the generation of inositol phosphates and the stimulation of 45Ca2+ efflux in response to PDGF. Furthermore, although the bombesin-stimulated efflux of 45Ca2+ was independent of extracellular Ca2+, the PDGF-stimulated efflux was markedly inhibited by chelation of external Ca2+ by using EGTA. Neither the stimulation of formation of inositol phosphates nor the stimulation of 45Ca2+ efflux in response to PDGF were affected by tumour-promoting phorbol esters such as 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA). In contrast, TPA inhibited phosphoinositide hydrolysis and 45Ca2+ efflux stimulated by either bombesin or vasopressin. Furthermore, whereas formation of inositol phosphates in response to both vasopressin and bombesin was increased in cells in which protein kinase C had been down-modulated by prolonged exposure to phorbol esters, the response to PDGF was decreased in these cells. These results suggest that, in Swiss 3T3 cells, PDGF receptors are coupled to phosphoinositidase activation by a mechanism that does not exhibit protein kinase C-mediated negative-feedback control and which appears to be fundamentally different from the coupling mechanism utilized by the receptors for bombesin and vasopressin.

Guanine nucleotides stimulate hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol and polyphosphoinositides in permeabilized Swiss 3T3 cells.

Hydrolysis-resistant analogues of GTP specifically stimulate the formation of [3H]inositol mono-, bis- and trisphosphates by saponin-permeabilized Swiss 3T3 cells prelabelled with [3H]inositol. Each inositol phosphate is formed largely by hydrolysis of its parent lipid and not by dephosphorylation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate [(1,4,5)IP3]. Although hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) is most sensitive to guanine nucleotides, hydrolysis of phosphatidyl-inositol (PI) and phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PIP) is quantitatively more important. These results suggest that a guanine nucleotide-dependent regulatory protein(s) (G-protein) is involved in regulating the hydrolysis of PI and PIP, as well as PIP2, and so may allow formation of diacylglycerol (DG) without simultaneous production of (1,4,5)IP3 and mobilization of intracellular Ca2+.

Characterization of the high-affinity receptors on Swiss 3T3 cells which mediate the binding, internalization and degradation of the mitogenic peptide bombesin.

Bombesin and bombesin-related peptides such as gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) stimulate DNA synthesis and proliferation of Swiss 3T3 cells in culture. We have used 125I-labelled [Tyr4]bombesin and 125I-labelled GRP to characterize and identify the receptors for these peptides on Swiss 3T3 cells. The binding of 125I-[Tyr4]bombesin, which retained full biological activity, was maximal between 20 and 30 min incubation at 37 degrees C, after which continued incubation led to a decline in cell-associated radioactivity. This decline was markedly slowed by the presence of lysosomal enzyme inhibitors. Specificity of the binding site was indicated by the competitive inhibition of binding by bombesin-related peptides, but not by unrelated peptides and growth factors. Scatchard analysis of binding data indicated a single class of high-affinity receptors. The calculated value for the dissociation constant (Kd) was 2.1 nM and each cell possesses approx. 240,000 receptors. Because [Tyr4]bombesin has no free amino group, 125I-GRP was used in chemical cross-linking studies. When disuccinimidyl suberate was used to covalently couple 125I-GRP to the cells, two major radiolabelled complexes were detected with molecular masses of approx. 80,000-85,000 and 140,000. The binding of 125I-[Tyr4]bombesin to the cells was pH-dependent with maximal binding at pH 6.5-7.5 and effectively no specific binding at pH values below 4.5. At 37 degrees C, cell-associated 125I-[Tyr4]bombesin quickly became resistant to removal by acidic buffers, suggesting its rapid transfer to an intracellular compartment. However, pre-incubation with unlabelled [Tyr4]bombesin did not induce down-regulation of bombesin receptors as measured by the subsequent binding of 125I-[Tyr4]bombesin. In contrast with the Swiss 3T3 cells, specific binding of 125I-[Tyr4]bombesin was not detectable in two cell lines which are biologically unresponsive to bombesin-related peptides.

Effects of pertussis toxin on growth factor-stimulated inositol phosphate formation and DNA synthesis in Swiss 3T3 cells.

We have compared the effects of pretreatment of Swiss 3T3 cell with pertussis toxin on the stimulation of DNA synthesis and phosphoinositide hydrolysis in response to a wide variety of mitogens. The toxin substantially inhibited the stimulation of DNA synthesis in response to a phorbol ester or various peptide and polypeptide growth factors irrespective of their ability to activate phosphoinositidase C. Production of inositol phosphates in response to platelet-derived growth factor, fibroblast growth factor and prostaglandin F2 alpha were unaffected by the toxin while bombesin- and vasopressin-stimulated formation of inositol phosphates were inhibited by only 27 and 23% respectively. These results argue against a major role for a pertussis toxin-sensitive G protein in coupling any of these mitogen receptors to activation of a phosphoinositidase C. Furthermore, the results suggest that the widespread inhibitory effects of pertussis toxin on mitogen-stimulated DNA synthesis may be unrelated to the toxin's limited actions on phosphoinositide hydrolysis.

Protein kinase C-mediated negative-feedback inhibition of unstimulated and bombesin-stimulated polyphosphoinositide hydrolysis in Swiss-mouse 3T3 cells.

Bombesin-related peptides stimulate a rapid increase in polyphosphoinositide hydrolysis in Swiss-mouse 3T3 cells. These peptides generate an increase in the efflux of 45Ca2+ from pre-labelled cells, a response consistent with an inositol trisphosphate-mediated mobilization of intracellular Ca2+. The bombesin-stimulated release of cellular 45Ca2+ is inhibited by tumour-promoting phorbol esters (e.g. 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate, TPA). Although there are several possible sites of action at which this effect might occur, our results indicate that TPA induces an uncoupling of bombesin-stimulated hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) without decreasing cellular binding of bombesin. In cultured cells, protein kinase C can be down-modulated by a prolonged incubation of the cells with phorbol esters. Such pretreatment greatly decreased the inhibitory effect of TPA on bombesin-stimulated PIP2 hydrolysis, suggesting that this action of the phorbol ester is mediated via protein kinase C. Since diacylglycerol is an endogenous activator of protein kinase C and a direct product of PIP2 hydrolysis, these results suggest that protein kinase C inhibition of polyphosphoinositide hydrolysis may function as a negative-feedback pathway. Cells in which protein kinase C has been down-modulated show elevated basal and bombesin-stimulated production of inositol phosphates, providing evidence that such a feedback loop limits polyphosphoinositide turnover in both unstimulated and mitogen-stimulated cells.

Synergistic stimulation of Swiss mouse 3T3 fibroblasts by epidermal growth factor and other factors in human mammary secretions.

The concentration of epidermal growth factor (EGF) in human mammary secretions was about 50 nmol/l for several weeks prepartum. It then fell to about 13 nmol/l within 4 days after parturition, in parallel with the decrease in protein concentration which is associated with the onset of lactation. In contrast, the concentration of EGF in urine samples from the same donors remained constant throughout this period. All the immunoreactive EGF in mammary secretions competed at the EGF receptors on Swiss mouse 3T3 fibroblasts. The stimulation of these cells by samples of mammary secretions was, however, much greater than that induced by EGF alone, indicating the presence of other factors which synergize with EGF. Gel filtration of mammary secretions revealed two major peaks of mitogenic activity, corresponding to EGF and a factor of higher molecular weight. The latter could synergize with added EGF, insulin or bombesin, and thus falls into a different functional class from any of these factors.

Effects of bombesin and insulin on inositol (1,4,5)trisphosphate and inositol (1,3,4)trisphosphate formation in Swiss 3T3 cells.

The effects of bombesin and insulin, separately and in combination, have been studied in Swiss mouse 3T3 cells. Bombesin caused a rapid transfer of 3H from the lipid inositol pool of prelabeled cells into inositol phosphates. Label in inositol tetrakisphosphate (InsP4) and in Ins1,4,5P3 and Ins1,3,4P3 rose within 10 sec of stimulation and that in Ins1,4P2, another InsP2 and InsP1, more slowly. Insulin, which had little effect on its own, increased the turnover of inositol lipids due to acute bombesin stimulation and also enhanced the DNA synthesis evoked by prolonged bombesin treatment. The results suggest that bombesin acting as a growth factor, uses inositol lipids as part of its transduction mechanism and that insulin acts synergistically to enhance both inositol phosphate formation and DNA synthesis.

Kinetics of transfer of 125I-labelled epidermal growth factor from blood into mammary secretions of goats.

125I-Labelled mouse epidermal growth factor (125I-EGF) was transferred intact and undegraded from circulating blood into milk in conscious lactating goats. Greater than 90% of the total radioactivity present in milk from the infused gland was in the aqueous phase and more than 72% was acid-precipitable. This radiolabelled material co-eluted with authentic EGF through gel filtration and was immunoprecipitable by a specific rabbit anti-mouse EGF immunoglobulin. Mammary uptake of 125I-EGF infused into mammary arterial blood (close-arterial infusion) for 1 h varied from 20 to 83% at different stages of the reproductive cycle. Only 0.5-2.9% of the infused 125I-EGF was transferred into milk during the first 3 h after the start of the infusion, which represents 0.7-6.3% of mammary uptake of EGF. The kinetics of transfer of 125I-EGF were followed in two lactating goats. Radioactivity reached peak levels in milk about 120 min after the start of a 1 h close-arterial infusion into the mammary gland, with an initial lag of about 30 min when little transfer occurred. Transfer was slower in two non-lactating goats with maximal levels of activity in milk being reached after about 180 min. The results are consistent with a transcellular transfer, whereby the factor is bound to receptors on the baso-lateral membrane, internalized by epithelial cells and subsequently secreted across the apical membrane into the alveolar lumen. The low level of degraded labelled EGF in milk (and mammary vein blood) suggests a modification of the normal pathway of EGF degradation such that the delivery of internalized factor to lysosomes is avoided.