Molecular structure of deoxycytidyl-3'-methylphosphonate (RP) 5'-deoxyguanidine, d[Cp(CH3)G]. A neutral dinucleotide with Watson-Crick base pairing and a right handed helical twist.

The crystal structure of d[Cp(CH3)G] has been determined as part of a project to study the mechanism of the B----Z transition in DNA. The asymmetric unit contains two dinucleotides and the equivalent of 7.5 water molecules, partially disordered over 12 definable positions. The two symmetry-independent dinucleotides form a duplex with Watson-Crick base-pairing and a right-handed helical sense. Comparison with previously determined structures of the B and A conformation showed that this duplex is closer to B than to A but significantly different from B. It corresponds to a stretched out helix with a 4 A rise per base pair and a helical twist of 32 degrees. This structure may serve as a model for the bending of DNA in certain situations. The configuration at the methyl phosphonate is RP, and a mechanism, based on this assignment, is presented for the B----Z transition in DNA.

The binding of CC-1065 to thymidine and deoxyadenosine oligonucleotides and to poly(dA).poly(dT).

In this work, we report on the binding of the novel antitumor agent CC-1065 to poly(dA).poly(dT) and to mixtures of dA and dT oligomers as determined by electronic absorption and circular dichroism (CD) methods. In addition, the DNA binding properties of CC-1065 and its binding mechanism are compared to those of netropsin. CC-1065 binds to the polymer by at least three mechanisms to produce one irreversibly and two reversibly bound species. One reversibly bound species is moderately stable, but in time (days), it converts to the irreversibly bound species. Both of these species bind within the minor groove of the polymer and exhibit intense CC-1065 induced CD spectra. The other reversibly bound species does not acquire an induced CD. CC-1065 forces B-form duplex formation between mixtures of single strand dA and dT oligomers and binds irreversibly to the duplexes without showing the presence of an intermediate, reversibly bound species. The induced CD increases with increasing length of the oligomer, from the 5-mer (barely detectable CD) to the 14-mer (intense CD). The 7-, 10- and 14-mer mixtures bind about 1, between 1 and 2, and between 2 and 3 CC-1065 molecules, respectively. Computer graphic models of the CC-1065-DNA complex show that the covalent adduct of CC-1065 and unreacted CC-1065 can attain the same close van der Waals contacts between adenine C2 hydrogens and antibiotic CH groups that were observed in the crystal structure of the netropsin-DNA complex. These contacts may account for the dA-dT base pair binding specificity of CC-1065 and for the stability of the reversibly bound CC-1065 species.

Structure-activity correlations for a series of antiallergy agents. 2. Geometric and electronic characterization of some oxamic and dioxamic acids.

Hartree-Fock self-consistent field calculations using the ab initio molecular fragment technique have been performed on some phenyloxamic and m-phenylenedioxamic acids, which exhibit markedly different activities in the rat passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) assay. Attention is focused upon structural features that are most likely to affect the drug-receptor interactions, such as the preferred molecular geometry, the electronic charge distribution, and the nature of the higher occupied (HOMO) and lower unoccupied (LUMO) molecular orbitals. Judging from the regions of high density in HOMOs and LUMOs, the benzene ring would preferably act as an electron acceptor, while the oxamic acid moiety would serve best as an electron donor. Factors affecting the relative PCA activities of oxamic and dioxamic acids are discussed.

Metabolic fate of tolazamide in man and in the rat.

The metabolic fate of tolazamide, 1-(hexahydroazepin-1-yl)-3-p-tolylsulfonylurea (1), was studied in man and in the rat using tritium-labeled 1. The metabolites were isolated in crystalline form from urine for structure determination. The crystal structure and final molecular structure of one of these, 1-(4-hydroxyhexahydroazepin-1-yl)-3-p-tolylsulfonylurea (5), were determined using single-crystal X-ray techniques. Following oral administration of tritiated tolazamide to male humans, 85% of the radioactivity was excreted in urine during a 5-day period. In addition to being excreted in urine unchanged, tolazamide was metabolized to 1-(hexahydroazepin-1-yl)-3-p-(carboxyphenyl)sulfonylurea (2), p-toluenesulfonamide (3), 1-(hexahydroazepin-1-yl)-3-p-(hydroxymethylphenyl)sulfonylurea (4), 1-(4-hydroxyhexahydroazepin-1-yl)-3-p-tolylsulfonylurea (5) and a labile, unidentified metabolite 6 by man. The relative amounts of these materials excreted in 0-24-h urine collections from eight subjects averaged 7, 17, 26, 10, 25, and 15% for 1-6, respectively. In the female rat, 79% of an orally administered dose of tritiated tolazamide was excreted in urine during a 5-day period as 1-4. The relative amounts of these materials excreted during the 24-h period following administration of tolazamide were 10, 5, 5, and 80% for 1-4, respectively.

Novel anxiolytic agents derived from alpha-amino-alpha-phenyl-o-tolyl-4H-triazoles and -imidazoles.

Several new alpha-amino-alpha-phenyl-o-tolytriazoles and -imidazoles have been prepared in one step by means of a novel reductive rearrangement of the corresponding benzodiazepines with hydrazine hydrate. These new triazoles were found to have moderate sedative and muscle relaxing activity in mice (i.e., these compounds depressed the traction and dish reflexes at higher doses than did diazepam) but were very potent antagonists of the clonic convulsions induced in mice by the administration of pentylenetetrazole. Furthermore, they antagonized the lethality induced by thiosemicarbazide. While these new compounds were very active in mice, most were inactive in rats. These results are discussed with reference to the metabolism of compound 13.