Identification of a glycosaminoglycan binding surface on human interleukin-8.

The activation of leukocytes by chemokines is believed to be mediated via binding of chemokines to glycosaminoglycan chains of the extracellular matrix. The binding site on the chemokine interleukin-8 (IL-8) for the glycosaminoglycan heparin has been characterized using a systematic series of site-directed mutants of IL-8 in which the basic residues of the protein have been replaced by alanine. Mutation of K64 and R68 caused the largest decrease in affinity for a heparin Sepharose matrix, with smaller effects seen with mutations of K20, R60, and K67. Heparin-derived disaccharides that could disrupt the IL-8-heparin Sepharose interaction were identified by a competitive binding assay. Heteronuclear NMR spectroscopic titration of 15N-labeled IL-8 with a trisulfated disaccharide revealed a cluster of residues on IL-8 which were perturbed by disaccharide binding. These data identify a heparin-binding surface on IL-8 that includes the C-terminal alpha-helix and the proximal loop around residues 18-23. The heparin-binding site is spatially distinct from the residues involved in receptor binding.

Hplc-nmr identification of the human urinary metabolites of (-)-cis-5-fluoro-1-[2-(hydroxymethyl)-1,3-oxathiolan-5-yl] cytosine, a nucleoside analogue active against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

1. Human urine samples from a clinical trial of the anti-HIV compound (-)-cis-5-fluoro-1-[2-(hydroxymethyl)-1,3-oxathiolan-5-yl]-cyto sin e (BW524W91) have been analysed using 19F-nmr and 1H-hplc-nmr spectroscopy. 2. The identities and relative levels of the xenobiotic species in the urine have been determined by 470-MHz 19F-nmr spectroscopy and by directly coupled 600-MHz 1H-hplc-nmr in the stop-flow mode with confirmation of the metabolite identities being made by comparison with nmr spectra of synthetic standard compounds. 3. The principal urinary xenobiotic was the unchanged drug, but the glucuronide ether conjugate at the 5' position of BW524W91, one of the two diastereomeric sulphoxides and the deaminated metabolite were also characterized. 4. The detection limit of directly coupled hplc-600-MHz 1H-nmr spectroscopy was evaluated by measuring two-dimensional nmr spectra of the glucuronide conjugate of BW524W91 and shown to be approximately 1 microgram material for 1H-1H-TOCSY and 20 micrograms metabolite for 1H-13C-HMQC spectra for overnight (16 h) acquisition.

750 MHz HPLC-NMR spectroscopic studies on the separation and characterization of the positional isomers of the glucuronides of 6,11-dihydro-11-oxodibenz[b,e]oxepin-2-acetic acid.

Ester glucuronides (beta-1-O-acyl-D-glucopyranuronates) of many drugs can undergo a series of acyl migration reactions, resulting in positional isomers and anomers which can react with serum proteins with possible toxicological consequences. We have investigated the acyl migration of the ester glucuronides of the model drug 6,-11-dihydro-11-oxodibenz[b,e]oxepin-2-acetic acid in pH 7.4 buffer using directly coupled 750 MHz stopped-flow HPLC-NMR spectroscopy. Using a reversed phase isocratic HPLC method with 21% acetonitrile and 79% D2O in the mobile phase, it was possible to separate and hence identify the individual positional isomers of the model drug glucuronide by 750 MHz HPLC-NMR. The order of elution of the isomers from the C18 column was 4alpha-, 4beta-, aglycon, 1beta-, 3beta-, 3alpha-, 2alpha-, 2beta- (alpha- and beta- referring to the anomerization state at C1 on the glucuronide ring and the numbers referring to the carbon number on the glucuronide ring to which the drug moiety has migrated). It is shown that directly coupled ultra-high-field HPLC-NMR spectroscopy offers a unique analytical advantage for obtaining structural information of interconverting compounds in equilibrium mixtures, and this method will be of value in the study of reactive drug glucuronides of toxicological importance.

Characterization of in vitro metabolites from human liver microsomes using directly coupled hplc-nmr: application to a phenoxathiin monoamine oxidase-A inhibitor.

1. The metabolism of 1-ethylphenoxathiin-10,10-dioxide (BW1370U87), an experimental compound designed as an inhibitor of monoamine oxidase-A for use as a possible anti-depression agent, has been studied in a human liver microsome preparation. 2. The identities of the metabolites have been determined using directly coupled hplc-1H nmr at 600 MHz in the stop-flow mode in this first study of in vitro xenobiotic metabolism using hplc-nmr. 3. The xenobiotic substances that were identified comprised the parent compound BW1370U87 (with -CH2CH3 at C1) together with sidechain-oxidized metabolites with C1 substituents of -CHOH.CH3, -CH2.CH2OH, -CHOH.CH2OH and -CH2.COOH, plus the unsubstituted phenoxathiin-10,10-dioxide.

Characterisation of the solution conformation of a cyclic RGD peptide analogue by NMR spectroscopy allied with a genetic algorithm approach and constrained molecular dynamics.

The solution conformation of a cyclic RGD peptide analogue, cyclo-(S,S)-2-mercaptobenzoate-arginine-glycine-aspartate-2-mer captoanilide, has been determined via two independent approaches for the searching of conformational space and identification of conformations consistent with NMR and CD spectroscopic data: (i) the use of a binary genetic algorithm and (ii) a molecular dynamics simulation. Inter-proton distances were obtained via analysis of cross-peak volumes from a two-dimensional ROESY NMR spectroscopy experiment at 600 MHz and were used as constraints for the computational calculations. The mercaptoanilide amide proton resonance chemical shift had a very small temperature coefficient, indicating that this proton was hydrogen-bonded. Circular dichroism data showed that, in solution, the torsion angle about the disulfide bond was negative, consistent with one of the distinct conformations around this bond in the 200 ps molecular dynamics simulation. The backbone conformations of the structures resulting from the two different approaches were very similar.

Chondroitinase ABC digestion of dermatan sulphate. N.m.r. spectroscopic characterization of the oligo- and poly-saccharides.

Dermatan sulphates, in which iduronate was the predominant uronate constituent, were partially digested by chondroitinase ABC to produce oligosaccharides of the following structure: delta UA-[GalNAc(4SO3)-IdoA]mGalNAc(4SO3) [where m = 0-5, delta UA represents beta-D-gluco-4-enepyranosyluronate, IdoA represents alpha-L-iduronate and GalNAc(4SO3) represents 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-beta-D-galactose 4-O-sulphate], which were fractionated by gel-permeation chromatography and examined by 100 MHz 13C-n.m.r. and 400/500 MHz 1H-n.m.r. spectroscopy. Experimental conditions were established for the removal of non-reducing terminal unsaturated uronate residues by treatment with HgCL2, and reducing terminal N-acetylgalactosamine residues of the oligosaccharides were reduced with alkaline borohydride. These modifications were shown by 13C-n.m.r. spectroscopy to have proceeded to completion. Assignments of both 13C-n.m.r. and 1H-n.m.r. resonances are reported for the GalNAc(4SO3)-IdoA repeat sequence in the oligosaccharides as well as for the terminal residues resulting from enzyme digestion and subsequent modifications. A full analysis of a trisaccharide derived from dermatan sulphate led to the amendment of published 13C-n.m.r. chemical-shift assignments for the polymer.

Conformational equilibria of alpha-L-iduronate residues in disaccharides derived from heparin.

The disaccharides IdoA(2SO3)-anManOH(6SO3) and IdoA-anManOH (where IdoA represents alpha-L-iduronate, anManOH represents 2,5-anhydro-D-mannitol and SO3 represents sulphate ester) were prepared from bovine lung heparin using HNO2 depolymerization, borohydride reduction and desulphation, and were examined by 400 MHz 1H-n.m.r. spectroscopy. Three-bond proton-proton coupling constants around the IdoA ring were determined under a range of experimental conditions. For unsulphated IdoA all four proton-proton coupling constants varied markedly as a function of temperature, pH and solvent, providing clear evidence for a rapid conformational equilibrium. These data were analysed in terms of the three most energetically stable IdoA conformers: 1C4, 4C1, and 2S0. Predicted coupling constants for these conformers were determined using a modified Karplus-type relationship. For unsulphated IdoA in dimethyl sulphoxide the equilibrium was provoked strongly in favour of a slightly distorted 4C1 'chair' IdoA conformer for which coupling constants have not previously been reported. For sulphated IdoA in aqueous conditions and at low pH the equilibrium is strongly in favour of the alternative 1C4 chair conformer. Under many conditions, however, significant contributions from all three conformers occur for the non-reducing terminal IdoA in these disaccharides.

N.m.r. studies of oligosaccharides obtained by degradation of bovine lung heparin with nitrous acid.

The oligosaccharides IdoA(2SO3)-[GlcNSO3(6SO3)-IdoA(2SO3) ]n-anManOH(6SO3) (n = 1-4) have been prepared from bovine lung heparin by treatment with nitrous acid followed by borohydride reduction and then fractionation by gel filtration. The major resonances of the 1H- (400 MHz) and 13C-n.m.r. (100 MHz) spectra for each oligosaccharide fraction have been assigned using two-dimensional COSY, NOESY, and 13C-1H correlation experiments. The 1H resonances, representing the three distinct molecular environments of IdoA(2SO3), namely, at the non-reducing terminus, adjacent to the reducing terminal anManOH(6SO3), and in the [GlcNSO3(6SO3)-IdoA(2SO3)] repeat sequence, have been assigned.

N.m.r. studies of the disulphated disaccharide obtained by degradation of bovine lung heparin with nitrous acid.

The disulphated disaccharide IdoA(2SO3)-anManOH(6SO3) was prepared from bovine lung heparin by treatment with nitrous acid followed by borohydride reduction. The 1H- (400 MHz) and 13C-n.m.r. (100 MHz) spectra of this disaccharide derivative have been assigned completely using homonuclear spin-decoupling experiments, 13C-1H correlations, and a COSY-45 two-dimensional homonuclear correlation experiment. The 3JH,H values show that the IdoA(2SO3) residue exists in a single conformation throughout the temperature range 20-90 degrees.

Very-high-field n.m.r. studies of bovine lung heparan sulphate tetrasaccharides produced by nitrous acid deaminative cleavage. Determination of saccharide sequence, uronate composition and degrees of sulphation.

Tetrasaccharides with the general structure UA-GlcNAc-GlcUA-aManOH (where UA represents uronate, GlcNAc N-acetylglucosamine, GlcUA glucuronate and aManOH anhydromannitol) were prepared from low-sulphated heparan sulphates of bovine lung origin by complete nitrous acid deaminative cleavage followed by reduction and fractionated by gel filtration. Ion-exchange chromatography of the tetrasaccharides yielded three major fractions in approximate yields of 37%, 45% and 14%. These were shown to be non-, mono- and di-sulphated respectively. Complete structural characterization of the tetrasaccharide fractions by quantitative high-field n.m.r. spectroscopy showed that each fraction contained only two discrete species and led to the following observations. (1) All of the uronate residues in the tetrasaccharides (and in larger oligosaccharides) are unsulphated, and hence sulphated iduronate [IdUA(2SO3)] must occur exclusively within -GlcNSO3-IdUA(2SO3)-GlcNSO3- sequences (where GlcNSO3 represents N-sulpho-glucosamine) in the parent polymers. (2) The GlcNAc residues in the tetrasaccharides are more highly C-6-O-sulphated than are the aManOH residues, and furthermore sulphation on the aManOH appears to occur only where the GlcNAc is also sulphated. (3) Where the GlcNAc is C-6-O-sulphated, iduronate is the major non-reducing terminal residue, whereas glucuronate predominates in this position if the GlcNAc is unsulphated. The quantitative data obtained are used to determine the degree of C-6-O-sulphation of glucosamine residues in specific sequences within the parent heparan sulphates.

Very-high-field n.m.r. studies of bovine lung heparan sulphate oligosaccharides produced by nitrous acid deaminative cleavage. 13C-n.m.r. study of methylene resonances: degree and positions of C-6 sulphation.

Oligosaccharides with the general structure UA-(GlcNAc-GlcUA-)m-aManOH (m = 1-5) (where UA represents uronic acid, GlcNAc N-acetylglucosamine, GlcUA glucuronic acid and aManOH anhydromannitol) were prepared from low-sulphated heparan sulphates of bovine lung origin by nitrous acid deaminative cleavage followed by reduction. Analysis of the methylene signals in the 100 MHz 13C-n.m.r. spectrum of the tetrasaccharide (m = 1) shows that, whereas the extent of C-6 O-sulphation in the GlcNAc is approx. 65%, in the aManOH [formerly a GlcNSO3 (N-sulphoglucosamine) residue in the parent heparan sulphate] it is only approx. 10%. In the higher oligosaccharides (m = 2-5) the gross extent of C-6 O-sulphation of GlcNAc residues falls systematically with increasing oligosaccharide size, whereas that in the aManOH residues remains below 10%. There is also evidence that the C-6 O-sulphation of the GlcNAc residues is confined to the GlcNAc residue adjacent to the non-reducing terminal uronic acid residue. It is therefore tentatively proposed that the GlcNAc in the sequence -GlcNSO3-UA-GlcNAc- might be a favoured substrate for the 6-O-sulphotransferase. It is concluded that in the low-sulphated heparan sulphates GlcNSO3 residues that do not occur in (GlcNSO3-UA-)n blocks tend to have a significantly smaller extent of C-6 O-sulphation than do GlcNAc residues that occur in -GlcNSO3-UA-GlcNAc-GlcUA-GlcNSO3-sequences.