Online- and offline- monitoring of stem cell expansion on microcarrier.

In the biopharmaceutical industry, adherent growing stem cell cultures gain worldwide importance as cell products. The cultivation process of these cells, such as in stirred tank reactors or in fixed bed reactors, is highly sophisticated. Cultivations need to be monitored and controlled to guarantee product quality and to satisfy GMP requirements. With the process analytical technology (PAT) initiative, requirements regarding process monitoring and control have changed and real-time on-line monitoring tools are recommended. A tool meeting the new requirements may be the dielectric spectroscopy for online viable cell mass determination by measurement of the permittivity. To establish these tools, proper offline methods for data correlation are required. The cell number determination of adherent cells on microcarrier is difficult, as it requires cell detachment from the carrier, which highly increases the statistical error. As an offline method, a fluorescence assay based on SYBR(®)GreenI was developed allowing fast and easy total cell concentration determination without the need to detach the cells from the carrier. The assay is suitable for glass carriers used in stirred tank reactor systems or in fixed bed systems, may be suitable for different cell lines and can be applied to high sample numbers easily. The linear dependency of permittivity to cell concentration of suspended stem cells with the dielectric spectroscopy is shown for even very small cell concentrations. With this offline-method, a correlation of the cell concentration grown on carrier to the permittivity data measured by the dielectric spectroscopy was done successfully.

Block of HAC1 mRNA translation by long-range base pairing is released by cytoplasmic splicing upon induction of the unfolded protein response.

Expression of the yeast transcription factor Hac1p, which controls the unfolded protein response, is regulated posttranscriptionally. Hac1p is only produced when an intron at the 3' end of its mRNA is removed by a nonconventional, regulated splicing reaction. We show that a previously unrecognized base-pairing interaction between the intron and the 5' untranslated region is required and sufficient to block mRNA translation. Unspliced HAC1 mRNA is stable, located in the cytosol, and is associated with polyribosomes, yet does not produce protein, indicating that the ribosomes engaged on the mRNA are stalled. We show that the polysomal, cytoplasmic pool of HAC1 mRNA is a substrate for splicing, suggesting that the stalled ribosomes may resume translation after the intron is removed.

Nonpeptide endothelin receptor antagonists. VII: Binding characteristics of [3H]SB 209670, a novel nonpeptide antagonist of endothelin receptors.

The data presented in this manuscript describes the binding characteristics of [3H]SB 209670, a potent nonpeptide tritium-labeled endothelin (ET) receptor antagonist. The binding of this antagonist to cloned human ETA and ETB receptors was specific, saturable and of high affinity. The apparent dissociation constants were 0.20 and 1.0 nM for ETA and ETB receptors, respectively. The maximum binding was 4.7 and 22.5 pmol/mg protein for ETA and ETB receptors, respectively. Unlike [125]ET-1, the binding of [3H]SB 209670 was reversible. The half-times (T1/2) for dissociation of this ligand from ETA and ETB receptors were approximately 60 and 10 min, respectively. Competition binding studies using [3H]SB 209670 and unlabeled agonists ET-1, ET-3 and S6c indicated that these agonists displayed similar affinities for human ETB receptors, whereas with ETA receptors, ET-1 was approximately 50-fold and 1500-fold more potent than ET-3 and S6c, respectively. Of the peptide antagonists tested, BQ123 (ETA-selective peptide antagonist), displayed Ki values of 40 and > 2300 nM for ETA and ETB, whereas RES701 (ETB-selective antagonist) displayed Ki values of > 1600 and 81 nM for ETA and ETB receptors, respectively. The nonselective peptide antagonist, PD 142893, was approximately 2-fold more potent for ETA compared with ETB receptors. Similar observations were made with nonselective nonpeptide antagonists, Bosentan, (+/-) SB 209670, SB 209670, and (-) SB 209670. All these compounds were 2 to 10 times more potent for ETA than ETB receptors.

[Mucormycosis--a rare complication in patients with diabetes mellitus]. / Mucormykose--Eine seltene Komplikation bei Patienten mit Diabetes mellitus.

Mucormycosis usually occurs in immunocompromised patients or in patients with diabetes mellitus. Pathogens are moulds of the mucorales species. The diagnosis is made by histological examination of biopsies. A 39 year-old patient with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus was admitted with a tentative diagnosis of a tumour of the maxilla. After diagnosis of hyphae of the mucorales species, the patient's diabetes was stabilised and he was treated over 17 weeks with amphotericin B (40 mg per day) and made a good recovery. A 58 year-old insulin-dependent patient with ethmoidali and sphenoidali sinusitis did not respond to antibiotic therapy. Mucormycosis was diagnosed by means of biopsy. Although treatment with amphotericin B was started, the patient died after 3 weeks due to multiple organ failure.

The multidomain structure of Orc1p reveals similarity to regulators of DNA replication and transcriptional silencing.

The origin recognition complex (ORC) is a six protein assembly that binds S. cerevisiae origins of replication and directs DNA replication throughout the genome and transcriptional silencing at the yeast mating-type loci. Here we report the cloning of the genes encoding the 120 kDa (ORC1), 62 kDa (ORC3), and 56 kDa (ORC4) subunits of ORC and the reconstitution of the complete complex after expression of all six subunits in insect cells. Orc1p is related to Cdc6p and Cdc18p, which regulate DNA replication and mitosis, and to Sir3p, a regulator of transcriptional silencing. The N-terminal region of Orc1p is highly related to Sir3p, and studies of Orc1p/Sir3p chimeric proteins indicate that this domain is dedicated to the transcriptional silencing function of ORC.

Lysine 182 of endothelin B receptor modulates agonist selectivity and antagonist affinity: evidence for the overlap of peptide and non-peptide ligand binding sites.

The potent vasoactive peptide hormone endothelin (ET) binds to receptors which belong to the G-protein coupled receptor family. The availability of non-peptide antagonists for ET receptors allows investigation of the relationship among the binding sites for peptide and non-peptide ligands. In this study, a lysine residue, conserved within transmembrane domain 3 (TM3) of the ETA and ETB receptor subtypes, is implicated in agonist and antagonist binding by its analogous position within TM3 to a binding site aspartate residue conserved within bioactive amine receptors. Replacement of this lysine within hETB by arginine, alanine, methionine, aspartate, or glutamate results in hETB variants with unaltered affinities for agonist peptide ET-1 but which have affinities for peptide agonists ET-2, ET-3, sarafotoxin 6C, and TRL 1736 which are between 1-3 orders of magnitude lower than their corresponding wild-type hETB values. Significantly, the affinities of non-peptide antagonists, (+/-)-SB 209670 and its analogs as well as Ro 46-2005, are abrogated. The results suggest that an interaction of K182 of hETB with the indan 2-carboxyl of (+/-)-SB 209670 may contribute to the high-affinity binding of the diarylindan antagonists. The results indicate that TM3 of hETB is a region of overlap among the binding sites of non-peptide antagonists and the affected peptide agonists.

SB 209670, a rationally designed potent nonpeptide endothelin receptor antagonist.

An extremely potent and highly specific non-peptide, subnanomolar endothelin (ET) receptor antagonist, SB 209670, has been synthesized and characterized. SB 209670, which was rationally designed using conformational models of ET-1, selectively inhibits binding of 125I-labeled ET-1 to cloned human ET receptor subtypes ETA and ETB (Ki = 0.2 and 18 nM, respectively). SB 209670 produces concentration-dependent inhibition of ET-1-mediated vasoconstriction in isolated vascular tissues and in vivo following either intravenous or intraduodenal administration. SB 209670 produces a dose-dependent reduction in blood pressure in hypertensive rats, protects from ischemia-induced neuronal degeneration in a gerbil stroke model, and attenuates neointima formation following rat carotid artery balloon angioplasty. SB 209670 will be useful in characterizing and classifying the physiological and pathophysiological effects of ET.

Moderate induced hypotension provides satisfactory operating conditions in maxillofacial surgery.

Patients scheduled for maxillofacial surgery were randomly assigned to receive isoflurane (n = 22) or nitroglycerin (n = 18) in order to induce hypotension. Surgeons, blinded for the actual level of blood pressure and the technique used for inducing hypotension, were asked to rate operating conditions on a scale from 1 to 5. Systolic arterial pressure (SAP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were reduced by 26% for both groups. Although blood pressure levels showed little variation throughout the induced hypotension period, scores of 2 to 5 were given significantly more often at incision and at 30 min compared to the following measuring points (P < 0.01). In total, the surgical field was rated significantly more often with a score of 1 and 2 than with a score of 3 to 5 (P < 0.01). A relation between score and SAP and/or MAP could not be found. There was also no relation between scores and the technique used for hypotension. Our data suggest that, with the exception of the first half hour of surgery, on average a SAP of 89 mmHg and a MAP of 65 mmHg were sufficient to produce satisfactory operating conditions.

Synthesis of structural analogs of leukotriene B4 and their receptor binding activity.

Structural analogs of leukotriene B4 (LTB4) were designed using a preferred conformation of LTB4 (1). Appending an aromatic ring scaffold between LTB4 carbons 7 and 11 led to quinoline analogs 3 and 15. A similar modification to the LTB4 structure between carbons 7 and 9 led to the pyridine analogs 41 and 46. The compounds of this study were evaluated in receptor binding assays using [3H]LTB4 and intact human DMSO differentiated U-937 cells. The first analog prepared, quinoline 3, displayed moderate potency in the LTB4 receptor binding assay (Ki = 0.9 microM). Modification of 3 by appending an aromatic ring between carbons 2 and 4 of the acid side chain produced a dramatic increase in receptor binding (15, Ki = 0.01 microM); a further improvement in receptor binding was achieved in the pyridine series (e.g., 41; Ki = 0.001 microM). The LTB4 receptor agonist/antagonist activity of the test compounds was determined using a functional assay that relies upon intracellular calcium mobilization induced by LTB4. Of the analogs prepared in this report only 47 demonstrated LTB4 receptor antagonist activity.

Inhibition of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A synthase by antibiotic 1233A and other beta-lactones.

3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA synthase was shown to be inhibited in a time-dependent, irreversible manner by compounds containing the substituted beta-lactone functionality found in the natural product 1233A. The rate of inactivation (kinact) was found to approach the rate of catalysis (kcat). The inactivation was irreversible over several hours. A related compound lacking the hydroxymethyl substituent on the beta-lactone ring is a reversible inhibitor and is competitive with respect to acetylCoA. The results are consistent with beta-lactone ring opening by the active site Cys to form an enzyme bound thioester.

Slow binding inhibition of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase.

The mechanism of slow binding inhibition of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl- coenzyme A reductase by lovastatin, fluindostatin, and related compounds was studied. Several of these compounds, including lovastatin, were found to be slow binding, while other less potent inhibitors were not. From a comparison of kinetic parameters obtained by steady-state measurements and progress curve analysis, it was concluded that the slow binding inhibitors bind by a mechanism which is more accurately described by biphasic binding than by single-step binding. The overall association rates of the slow binding inhibitors range from 1 x 10(6) to 4 x 10(-7) M-1 s-1, and the dissociation rates are in the range of 10(-3) s-1. The structures of slow binding and reversible inhibitors were compared by using molecular modeling methods. From these comparisons, it was proposed that the slow binding and very potent inhibition of, for instance, lovastatin, is not simply a result of binding of a transition state or reaction intermediate analogue. The various lipophilic groups of the inhibitors that do not seem to be related to structural features of the substrate may also play a crucial role in determining the mechanism of binding of HMGR inhibitors.