In vivo evaluation of 99mTc/188Re-labeled linear alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone analogs for specific melanoma targeting.

Radiolabeled alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) analogs were examined in melanoma-bearing mice to determine the effects of peptide length, structure, and radiometal chelation chemistry on tumor targeting and in vivo biodistribution. The linear alpha-MSH analogs [Nle4,D-Phe7]alpha-MSH (NDPMSH) and [D-Phe7]alpha-MSH(5-10) (DPMSH) were radiolabeled with 99mTc and 188Re via the addition of tetrafluorophenyl mercapto-acetylglycylglycyl-gamma-aminobutyrate (MAG2) or tetrapeptide Ac-Cys-Gly-Cys-Gly (CGCG) chelation moieties. 125I-Tyr2-NDPMSH was obtained by direct iodination of the Tyr2 residue. Tumor uptake of 99mTc-labeled CGCG- and MAG2-NDPMSH analogs at 30 min postinjection were 6.52 +/- 1.11 %ID/g and 4.17 +/- 1.34 %ID/g, respectively, resulting in a significantly higher tumor-to-blood uptake ratio than that of 125I-NDPMSH or a shorter alpha-MSH analog, 99mTc-CGCG-DPMSH. The combination of radiolabeling efficacy and in vivo tumor uptake highlights the potential of 99mTc-CGCG-NDPMSH as a melanoma imaging agent.

Design and characterization of alpha-melanotropin peptide analogs cyclized through rhenium and technetium metal coordination.

alpha-Melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) analogs, cyclized through site-specific rhenium (Re) and technetium (Tc) metal coordination, were structurally characterized and analyzed for their abilities to bind alpha-MSH receptors present on melanoma cells and in tumor-bearing mice. Results from receptor-binding assays conducted with B16 F1 murine melanoma cells indicated that receptor-binding affinity was reduced to approximately 1% of its original levels after Re incorporation into the cyclic Cys4,10, D-Phe7-alpha-MSH4-13 analog. Structural analysis of the Re-peptide complex showed that the disulfide bond of the original peptide was replaced by thiolate-metal-thiolate cyclization. A comparison of the metal-bound and metal-free structures indicated that metal complexation dramatically altered the structure of the receptor-binding core sequence. Redesign of the metal binding site resulted in a second-generation Re-peptide complex (ReCCMSH) that displayed a receptor-binding affinity of 2.9 nM, 25-fold higher than the initial Re-alpha-MSH analog. Characterization of the second-generation Re-peptide complex indicated that the peptide was still cyclized through Re coordination, but the structure of the receptor-binding sequence was no longer constrained. The corresponding 99mTc- and 188ReCCMSH complexes were synthesized and shown to be stable in phosphate-buffered saline and to challenges from diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) and free cysteine. In vivo, the 99mTcCCMSH complex exhibited significant tumor uptake and retention and was effective in imaging melanoma in a murine-tumor model system. Cyclization of alpha-MSH analogs via 99mTc and 188Re yields chemically stable and biologically active molecules with potential melanoma-imaging and therapeutic properties.

Synthesis and characterization of rhenium-complexed alpha-melanotropin analogs.

Receptor binding peptides labeled with medically important radionuclides such as technetium and rhenium are an important tool for the imaging and treatment of many forms of cancer. This paper describes a method of labeling peptides with rhenium using a natural amino acid chelating moiety. The structural characteristics of this chelate moiety, N-acetyl-cysteine-glycine-cysteine-glycine (NAc-CGCG) complexed with nonradioactive rhenium, have been investigated. The stability of this peptide-metal complex has been evaluated on the tracer level using radioactive rhenium-186. The rhenium-bound peptide has been appended to the N termini of receptor binding alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH, NAc-Ser-Tyr-Ser-Met-Glu-His-Phe-Arg-Trp-Gly-Lys-Pro-Val-NH2) fragments via solid phase peptide synthesis. Bioassays and receptor binding studies of the resulting complexes demonstrate that the fragments retained biological activity and exhibited receptor binding constants ranging from 0.3 to 1.1 nM. This method could provide a general means of labeling bioactive peptide fragments that would simplify product purification and characterization.

Isolation and characterization of nucleic acid-binding antibody fragments from autoimmune mice-derived bacteriophage display libraries.

The display of antibody fragments (Fab) on the surface of filamentous bacteriophage and selection of phage that bind to a particular antigen has enabled the isolation of Fab with numerous specificities, including haptens, proteins and viral particles. We have examined the possibility of isolating nucleic acid-binding Fab by constructing a combinatorial library of phage displaying Fab derived from autoimmune (MRL/lpr) mice. Autoimmune mice were chosen because they contain antibodies (Ab) reactive against nuclear components, including DNA, RNA and protein complexes. The library was panned against single-stranded (ss) calf thymus (CT) DNA and the selected Fabs were analyzed further. Characterization of the nucleic acid-binding phage led to the identification of two kinds of Fab with quite different properties. One Fab bound with high affinity a variety of ssDNA molecules, as well as several model RNA substrates. This Fab has been affinity purified to greater than 95% and competition studies revealed a marked preference for binding to poly(dT). The second Fab showed a reduced binding to RNA ligands and a restricted number of ssDNA molecules. Analysis of the deduced amino acid (aa) sequences of the Fab variable (V) regions revealed that the heavy (H) chain V region from the strong nucleic acid-binding Fab was derived from a VH gene that is used recurrently in autoantibodies. This VH domain was most similar to an anti-ssDNA autoimmune monoclonal antibody (mAb) suggesting that antigen-binding specificities present in an autoimmune repertoire may be directly accessed by this approach.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)