Synthesis and biological activity of a photoaffinity-biotinylated pheromone-biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (PBAN) analog.

To study the mode of action of pheromone-biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (PBAN) at the receptor level and for receptor purification, we synthesized and tested the biologic properties of a photoaffinity biotinylated PBAN analog N-[N-(4-azido-tetrafluorobenzoyl)-biocytinyloxyl-succinimide (Atf-Bct-NHS-PBAN). The Atf-Bct-NHS-PBAN was separated from unreacted reagent and synthetic Hez-PBAN by high-performance liquid chromatography. Conjugated biotin was detected by using enzyme-linked assay as well as tricine sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The biologic activity of purified Atf-Bct-NHS-PBAN was confirmed using both in vivo and in vitro pheromonotropic bioassays. These observations indicate that Atf-Bct-NHS-PBAN is a full agonist of PBAN action in pheromone glands and may be used to study PBAN receptors by employing avidin coupled to various reporter groups.

Three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity studies of octopaminergic agonists responsible for the inhibition of sex-pheromone production in Helicoverpa [correction of Hercoverpa] armigera.

The quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) of octopaminergic agonists responsible for the inhibition of sex-pheromone production in Helicoverpa [corrected] armigera, was analyzed using physicochemical parameters, molecular shape analysis (MSA), molecular field analysis (MFA), and receptor surface model (RSM), respectively. The dose-response studies were performed in vitro analyzing the effect of these compounds on intracellular cAMP production in the presence of pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (PBAN) at 1 pmol/intersegment. Six active derivatives were identified in the order of decreasing pheromonostatic activity: 2-(2,6-dimethylanilino)imidazolide (6) > 2-(2-methyl-4-chloroanilino)oxazolidine (1) > clonidine (5) > 2-(2,6-diethylanilino)thiazolidine (8) > 2-(3,5-dichlorobenzylamino)-2-oxazoline (4) > tolazoline (10) which were all active in the nanomolar range in inhibition of cAMP production by 1 pmol PBAN/intersegment. Four other compounds were less active having Ki in the micromolar range. An MSA was tried to obtain QSAR equation that incorporates spatial molecular similarity data of those compounds. MFA on the training set of those compounds evaluated effectively the energy between a probe and a molecular model at a series of points defined by a rectangular or spherical grid. An RSM was generated using some subset of the most active structures. Three-dimensional energetics descriptors were calculated from RSM/ligand interaction and these three-dimensional descriptors were used in QSAR analysis. These results indicate that these derivatives could provide useful information in the characterization and differentiation of octopaminergic receptor types and subtypes.

Three-dimensional pharmacophore hypotheses of octopamine receptor responsible for the inhibition of sex-pheromone production in Helicoverpa armigera.

Three-dimensional pharmacophore hypotheses were built on the basis of a set of nine octopamine (OA) agonists responsible for the inhibition of sex-pheromone production in Helicoverpa armigera. Of the 10 models generated by the program Catalyst/Hypo, hypotheses including hydrogen-bond acceptor (HBA), hydrophobic (Hp), and hydrophobic aliphatic (HpAl) features were considered important and predictive in evaluating OA agonists. An HBA and four hydrophobic features are the minimum components of an effective OA agonist-binding hypothesis, which resembles the results of binding activity to locust OAR3. Active agonists mapped well onto all of the features of the hypothesis, such as HBA, Hp, and HpAl features. On the other hand, inactive compounds lacking binding affinity were shown to be poorly capable of achieving an energetically favorable conformation shared by the active molecules in order to fit the 3D chemical feature pharmacophore models. Those hypotheses are considered useful in designing new leads for more active compounds. Further research on the comparison of models from agonists may help elucidate the mechanisms of OA receptor-ligand interactions.

Drosophila melanogaster sex peptide stimulates juvenile hormone synthesis and depresses sex pheromone production in Helicoverpa armigera.

Previous studies demonstrate that virgin female adult Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) moths exhibit calling behaviour and produce sex pheromone in scotophase from the day after emergence, and that mating turns off both of these pre-mating activities. In the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, a product of the male accessory glands, termed sex peptide (SP), has been identified as being responsible for suppressing female receptivity after transfer to the female genital tract during mating. Juvenile hormone (JH) production is activated in the D. melanogaster corpus allatum (CA) by SP in vitro. We herein demonstrate cross-reactivity of D. melanogaster SP in the H. armigera moth: JH production in photophase virgin female moth CA in vitro is directly activated in a dose-dependent manner by synthetic D. melanogaster SP, and concurrently inhibits pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (PBAN)-activated pheromone production by isolated pheromone glands of virgin females. Control peptides (locust adipokinetic hormone, AKH-I, and human corticotropin, ACTH) do not inhibit in vitro pheromone biosynthesis. Moreover, SP injected into virgin H. armigera females, decapitated 24 h after eclosion, or into scotophase virgin females, suppresses pheromone production. In the light of these results, we hypothesize the presumptive existence of a SP-like factor among the peptides transmitted to female H. armigera during copulation, inducing an increased level of JH production and depressing the levels of pheromone produced thereafter.

Physiological Mechanisms of Pheromonostatic Responses: effects of Adrenergic Agonists and Antagonists on Moth (Helicoverpa armigera) Pheromone Biosynthesis.

The adrenergic agonists octopamine, tyramine and clonidine inhibited the normal pheromonotropic action due to PBAN (pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide) in incubations of intersegmental tissues that are situated between the 8th and 9th abdominal segments of the moth ovipositor tip. This inhibition was reversed in the presence of the adrenergic antagonists phentolamine, yohimbine and chlorpromazine. Incubations of 8th segments alone, which do not produce pheromone, resulted in elevated levels of intracellular cAMP in the presence of octopamine. The physiological significance of this phenomenon is unclear. However, clonidine (an alpha(2) selective agonist) did not duplicate octopamine stimulation of intracellular cAMP in 8th segment cultures. In intersegmental membrane cultures clonidine successfully duplicated the octopamine inhibition of both pheromone and intracellular cAMP production. The physiological significance of octopaminergic receptors mediating the inhibitory response of intersegments was investigated by experiments in vivo. When PBAN was injected into photophase females the normal pheromonotropic activity due to the injected PBAN dropped after 2h. In the presence of clonidine, normal peak stimulatory levels were never attained and a faster decline was observed. Clonidine also inhibited the pheromonotropic response of 24h-decapitated females to PBAN. Adrenergic antagonists successfully reversed the inhibitory effect of clonidine in decapitated females, but did not reverse the effect of clonidine in photophase females. In addition, when clonidine was injected into female moths during the scotophase normal peak pheromone titers were reduced although no effect on calling behavior was observed. Copyright 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

Modulation of apoptosis in human myeloid leukemic cells by GM-CSF.

Apoptosis (programmed cell death) regulates cell population size. To determine the mechanisms whereby hematopoietic growth factors (HGFs) modulate apoptosis in human myeloid leukemic cells, we evaluated the roles of protein and mRNA synthesis for altering apoptosis in growth factor-stimulated vs. quiescent leukemic TF1 cells. Lysates of cells from the granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)-dependent myeloid leukemic cell line TF1 were separated into high molecular weight (HMW) pellets of intact DNA and supernatants of fragmented low MW (LMW) DNA, and the DNA purified from these fractions was quantified. In the absence of both GM-CSF and fetal bovine serum (FBS), 70% of the DNA was fragmented after 3 days in culture, with a characteristic apoptotic ladder-like pattern on agarose gel electrophoresis, whereas this proportion had initially been < 5%. In contrast, less than 5% of the DNA was fragmented in cells incubated with GM-CSF plus FBS or GM-CSF alone. Delayed addition of GM-CSF, but not FBS, permitted partial rescue of the cells, inhibiting increasing rates of accumulation of fragmented DNA. When the macro-molecular synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide (CHX) or actinomycin D (Act D) was present for 26 hours in the absence of GM-CSF and FBS, apoptosis was inhibited. In contrast, in the presence of GM-CSF or FBS, apoptosis was enhanced upon addition of CHX or Act D. The latter effect persisted even with the late addition of CHX. These findings indicate that disparate mechanisms of enhancing or inhibiting apoptosis exist in myeloid leukemic cells related to environmental conditions, including HGF-regulated cellular synthesis of distinct proteins and mRNA.

Interaction of the beta-adrenergic receptor with Gs following delipidation. Specific lipid requirements for Gs activation and GTPase function.

Preparations of beta-adrenergic receptor and Gs from turkey erythrocytes were delipidated by previously developed procedures. Three synthetic phospholipids, dioleoylglycerophosphoethanolamine, dioleoylglycerophosphocholine and dioleoylglycerophosphoserine plus an unphosphorylated lipid, were all required to restore receptor-mediated activation of Gs by GTP[gamma S]. The same lipids were necessary for the reconstitution of the isoproterenol-enhanced GTPase. The requirement for the unphosphorylated lipid could be fulfilled by 1-mono-oleoyl glycerol, alpha-tocopherol or oleic acid. Cholesterol hemisuccinate further enhanced the receptor-mediated activity of the relipidated system when present in addition to the lipids specified above. Cholesterol hemisuccinate had no effect on the basal rate of Gs activation and depressed the basal GTPase. It is therefore suggested that cholesterol hemisuccinate affects the receptor or the coupling of the receptor to Gs. In the system relipidated with the three dioleoyl phospholipids, plus alpha-tocopherol and cholesterol hemisuccinate, the initial rate of Gs activation per mole receptor appeared to be considerably higher than in the native turkey erythrocyte membrane.