Inhibition of L-NAME-induced hypertension by combined treatment with apocynin and catalase: the role of Nox 4 expression.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as superoxide (O2-) generated by NAD(P)H oxidases have emerged as important molecules in blood pressure regulation. This study investigated the effect of apocynin and catalase on blood pressure and renal haemodynamic and excretory function in an L-NAME induced hypertension model. Forty Male Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats (n=8 per group) were treated with either: vehicle (WKY-C); L-NAME (WKY-L, 15 mg/kg/day in drinking fluid); WKY-L given apocynin to block NAD(P)H oxidase (WKY-LApo, 73 mg/kg/day in drinking water.); WKY-L given catalase to enhance ROS scavenging (WKY-LCat, 10000 U/kg/day i.p.); and WKY-L receiving apocynin plus catalase (WKY-LApoCat) daily for 14 days. L-NAME elevated systolic blood pressure (SBP), 116+/-1 to 181±4 mmHg, reduced creatinine clearance, 1.69+/-0.26 to 0.97+/-0.05 ml/min/kg and fractional sodium excretion, 0.84+/-0.09 to 0.55+/-0.09 % at day 14. Concomitantly, plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) increased six fold, while plasma total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), plasma nitric oxide (NO) and plasma total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) were decreased by 60-70 % and Nox 4 mRNA expression was increased 2-fold. Treatment with apocynin and catalase attenuated the increase in SBP and improved renal function, enhanced antioxidative stress capacity and reduced the magnitude of Nox4 mRNAs expression in the L-NAME treated rats. This study demonstrated that apocynin and catalase offset the development of L-NAME induced hypertension, renal dysfunction and reduced oxidative stress status, possibly contributed by a reduction in Nox4 expression during NOS inhibition. These findings would suggest that antioxidant compounds such as apocynin and catalase have potential in treating cardiovascular diseases.

The restorative effect of apocynin and catalase in l-arginine induced hypotension on normotensive subjects - the role of oxidative stress.

L-arginine is a substrate for nitric oxide synthase (NOS) responsible for the production of NO. This investigation studied the effect of apocynin, an NADPH oxidase inhibitor and catalase, an H2O2 scavenger on L-arginine induced oxidative stress and hypotension. Forty Wistar-Kyoto rats were treated for 14 days with vehicle, L-arginine (12.5mg/ml p.o.), L-arginine+apocynin (2.5mmol/L p.o.), L-arginine+catalase (10000U/kg/day i.p.) and L-arginine plus apocynin+catalase respectively. Weekly renal functional and hemodynamic parameters were measured and kidneys harvested at the end of the study for histopathological and renal NADPH oxidase 4 (Nox4) assessments. L-arginine administration in normotensive rats decreased systolic blood pressure (120±2 vs 91±2mmHg) and heart rate (298±21 vs 254±15b/min), enhanced urinary output (21.5±4.2 vs 32±1.9ml/24h , increased creatinine clearance (1.72±0.56 vs 2.62±0.40ml/min/kg), and fractional sodium excretion (0.88±0.16 vs 1.18±0.16 %), caused proteinuria (28.10±1.93 vs 35.26±1.69mg/kg/day) and a significant decrease in renal cortical blood perfusion (292±3 vs 258±5bpu) and pulse wave velocity (3.72±0.20 vs 2.84±0.13m/s) (all P<0.05). L-arginine increased plasma malondialdehyde (by ~206 % P<0.05) and NO (by~51 %, P<0.05) but decreased superoxide dismutase (by~31 %, P<0.05) and total antioxidant capacity (by~35 %, P<0.05) compared to control. Renal Nox4 mRNA activity was approximately 2.1 fold higher (P<0.05) in the L-arginine treated rats but was normalized by apocynin and apocynin plus catalase treatment. Administration of apocynin and catalase, but not catalase alone to rats fed L-arginine, restored the deranged renal function and structure, prevented hypotension and enhanced the antioxidant capacity and suppressed Nox4 expression. These findings suggest that apocynin and catalase might be used prophylactically in states of oxidative stress.

Inhibitors of protein-RNA complexation that target the RNA: specific recognition of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 TAR RNA by small organic molecules.

TAR RNA represents an attractive target for the intervention of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) replication by small molecules. We now describe three small molecule inhibitors of the HIV-1 Tat-TAR interaction that target the RNA, not the protein. The chemical structures and RNA binding characteristics of these inhibitors are unique for each molecule. Results from various biochemical and spectroscopic methods reveal that each of the three Tat-TAR inhibitors recognizes a different structural feature at the bulge, lower stem, or loop region of TAR. Furthermore, one of these Tat-TAR inhibitors has been demonstrated, in cellular environments, to inhibit (a) a TAR-dependent, Tat-activated transcription and (b) the replication of HIV-1 in a latently infectious model.

Binding of neomycin to the TAR element of HIV-1 RNA induces dissociation of Tat protein by an allosteric mechanism.

Neomycin inhibits the binding of Tat-derived peptides to the trans-activating region (TAR) of HIV-1 RNA. Kinetic studies reveal that neomycin acts as a noncompetitive inhibitor that can bind to the Tat-TAR complex and increase the rate constant (koff) for dissociation of the peptide from the RNA. Neomycin effects a conformational change in the structure of TAR that can be detected by circular dichroism spectroscopy. The increase in ellipticity measured at 265 nm upon binding of the aminoglycoside is opposite to the decrease seen when Tat peptides bind to the RNA. Thus, the structural transition induced by neomycin is apparently incompatible with the binding of Tat and underlies the inhibitory action of the antibiotic. The binding site for neomycin on TAR was identified in ribonuclease protection experiments and is located in the stem immediately below the three-nucleotide bulge that serves as the primary identity element for Tat. Apparent protection of residues in the bulge by neomycin may represent additional contacts to the aminoglycoside, but more likely result from changes in the structure of this region when the ligand binds to the RNA. Binding assays using variants of TAR in which inosine residues were substituted for guanosine residues support the results from the ribonuclease protection experiments. Inosine substitutions in the lower stem, but not the upper stem, decrease the binding constant for neomycin by approximately 100-fold. Neither of these variants affected the binding affinity of Tat peptide. In addition, these latter experiments suggest that the aminoglycoside may be located in the minor groove of the stem. This mode of association may be a critical aspect of neomycin's ability to bind to the Tat-TAR complex and could serve as a guide for the design of other drugs that bind to specific RNA targets as noncompetitive inhibitors.

DNA ligands that bind tightly and selectively to cellobiose.

Cell surface oligosaccharides have been shown to play essential biological roles in such diverse biological phenomena as cellular adhesion, molecular recognition, and inflammatory response. The development of high-affinity ligands capable of selectively recognizing a variety of small motifs in different oligosaccharides would be of significant interest as experimental and diagnostic tools. As a step toward this goal we have developed DNA ligands that recognize the disaccharide cellobiose, whether in soluble form or as the repeating unit of the polymer, cellulose. These DNA "aptamers" bind with high selectivity to cellobiose with little or no affinity for the related disaccharides lactose, maltose, and gentiobiose. Thus, the DNA ligands can discriminate sugar epimers, anomers, and disaccharide linkages.

Discovery of selective, small-molecule inhibitors of RNA complexes--I. The Tat protein/TAR RNA complexes required for HIV-1 transcription.

We have developed a therapeutic program focusing on the inhibition of a human immunodeficiency virus-1 specific protein-RNA interaction. This program begins with a search for small organic molecules that would interfere with the binding of Tat protein to TAR RNA. The methodologies chosen to study the HIV-1 Tat-TAR interaction and inhibition include gel mobility shift assays, scintillation proximity assays, filtration assays, and mass spectrometry. These methods helped establish in vitro high-throughput screening assays which rapidly identified Tat-TAR inhibitors from our corporate compound library. Tat-activated reporter gene assays were then used to investigate the cellular activities of the Tat-TAR inhibitors. The cellular activity, selectivity, and toxicity data for select Tat-TAR inhibitors were determined. Evaluation of both the cellular data and the Tat-TAR inhibition results led to further testing in anti-HIV-1 infection assays.

Discovery of selective, small-molecule inhibitors of RNA complexes--II. Self-splicing group I intron ribozyme.

Self-splicing group I intron RNA was chosen as a potential therapeutic target for small-molecule intervention. High-throughput screening methodologies have been developed to identify small organic molecules that regulate the activities of these catalytic introns. Group introns derived from pathogenic Pneumocystis carinii and phage T4 were used as model systems. Inhibitors identified from a library of approximately equal to 150,000 compounds were shown to regulate biochemical reactions including the two-step intron splicing and an RNA ligation catalyzed by the group I introns. These inhibitors provide a unique opportunity to understand small-molecule recognition of the self-splicing RNA. The methodologies developed for group I introns should be applicable to studies of other RNA systems.

HIV-1 Tat peptide binding to TAR RNA by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) has been used to study the noncovalent complexes formed from the interaction between HIV-1 Tat peptide and Tat protein with TAR RNA. Both positive ion and negative ion ESI mass spectra showed a maximum stoichiometry of 3:1 between Tat peptide and TAR RNA. However, the higher order complexes only occurred at high relative concentrations of Tat peptide. The 1:1 Tat peptide-TAR RNA complex is believed to involve only specific interactions, whereas the higher order complexes involve nonspecific interactions. Relative binding affinities between Tat peptide and TAR RNA and its various mutants (TAR missing the three-nucleotide bulge, TAR with a poly(ethylene glycol) linker in the bulge region, and TAR with a poly(ethylene glycol) linker in the loop region) can be differentiated by competitive binding experiments and ESI-MS measurements. The gas phase mass spectrometry experiments are consistent with solution phase studies, as they show that mutations in the bulge region reduce TAR RNA affinity to Tat peptide.

Inhibition of self-splicing group I intron RNA: high-throughput screening assays.

High-throughput screening assays have been developed to rapidly identify small molecule inhibitors targeting catalytic group I introns. Biochemical reactions catalyzed by a self-splicing group I intron derived from Pneumocystis carinii or from bacteriophage T4 have been investigated. In vitro biochemical assays amenable to high-throughput screening have been established. Small molecules that inhibit the functions of group I introns have been identified. These inhibitors should be useful in better understanding ribozyme catalysis or in therapeutic intervention of group I intron-containing microorganisms.

Rational design of substituted tripyrrole peptides that complex with DNA by both selective minor-groove binding and electrostatic interaction with the phosphate backbone.

The structures of the compounds we call 3a, 3b, and 3c-compounds that incorporate (i) the tripyrrole peptide of the minor-groove-binding distamycin class of compounds and (ii) polyamine ligands that extend from the minor groove and can interact with phosphodiester bonds--were arrived at by computer-graphics designing by using the x-ray structure of distamycin A complexed in the minor groove of d(CGCAAATTTGCG)2. Compounds 3a, 3b, and 3c are elaborations of distamycin analog 2, designed for improved stability in solution and easier synthesis and purification, which itself binds weakly to DNA. Compounds 3a, 3b, and 3c have been synthesized, and the interaction of distamycin A, 2, 3a, 3b, and 3c with calf thymus DNA, poly(dA-dT), poly(dG-dC), poly(dI-dC), pBR322 superhelical plasmid DNA, and, in the case of 3b, T4 coliphage DNA have been studied. The following pertinent conclusions can be drawn. Binding of 3a, 3b, and 3c occurs in the minor groove of DNA and, because of favorable electrostatic interaction of diprotonated polyamine side chains and DNA phosphodiester linkages, the tenacity of DNA binding and site specificity of 3a, 3b, and 3c are comparable to that of native distamycin A. 3b has been found to induce changes in the superhelical density of pBR322 plasmid DNA. The study establishes that the central pyrrole N-CH3 substituent of 2 can be replaced by bulky polyamine metal ligands to create any number of compounds that bind into the minor groove at A + T-rich sites and are putative catalysts for the hydrolysis of DNA.

Structural polymorphism in the major groove of a 5S RNA gene complements the zinc finger domains of transcription factor IIIA.

Metal complexes that bind to DNA on the basis of shape-selection have been used to map the conformational features of the DNA binding site for transcription factor IIIA. Conformationally distinct segments are detected on the 5S rRNA gene that correspond closely to the binding sites identified for the individual zinc finger domains of the protein. The local conformations are characterized by a major groove opened because of a change in base pair inclination and/or displacement at a central 5'-pyrimidine-purine-3' step, flanked by a widened minor groove, as would arise at the junctions between alternating B- and A-like DNA segments. Docking experiments with a consensus structure of a zinc finger reveal that the mixed A-B binding site accommodates the peptide domain better than either canonical B- or A-DNA helices. The close structural matching of the conformational variations in the 5S rDNA both to the proposed sites of zinc finger binding and to the shape of an individual zinc finger domain points to DNA structural polymorphism as providing an important determinant in recognition. In particular, shape selection in the 5' half of the internal control region may orient the multiple finger domains.

A computational approach to the mechanism of self-cleavage of hammerhead RNA.

Extensive minimization and dynamics computational studies of the hammerhead structural domain of the virusoid of lucerne transient streak virus have been carried out. The following observations at the self-cleavage position are derived from the resulting three-dimensional structure: (i) the cytosine base is at the surface and does not interact with another base (it is free to move), and (ii) the ribose-phosphate backbone is forced to take an abrupt turn since it bridges stems I and III, and this turn points the pro-S and pro-R oxygens of the phosphate to the inward side of the hammerhead. These structural features are independent of the hammerhead being open or closed and allow an unencumbered 3'- to 2'-endo conformational change of the ribose with the resultant creation of an unusual stereochemistry that allows a direct in-line self-cleavage reaction. In the closed hammerhead structure, interactions of stems I and II create a vacancy into which the catalytic hydrated Mg(II) may be docked on labile phosphate. This opening is not present if stems I and II are shortened.

Tris(tetramethylphenanthroline)ruthenium(II): a chiral probe that cleaves A-DNA conformations.

lambda-Tris(3,4,7,8-tetramethyl-1,10-phenanthroline)ruthenium(II) [lambda-Ru(TMP)2+3] was found to be a distinctive molecular tool to examine the local variations in conformation along the strand. The metal complex binds cooperatively to A-form helices of various base sequences under conditions where little or no binding was found to analogous B-form DNAs. Photoactivated DNA cleavage may be coupled to this conformation-specific binding by taking advantage of the photophysical properties of ruthenium(II) complexes. lambda-Ru(TMP)2+3 cleaves preferentially 3H-labeled A-form polynucleotides upon irradiation with visible light. The photoinduced DNA strand scission is likely to be mediated by singlet oxygen, which leads to a preferential cleavage of guanine residues. Comparative mapping of cleavage sites on a linear pBR322 fragment for tris(phenanthroline)ruthenium(II), which binds to B-DNA and cleaves also by sensitization of singlet oxygen, and for Ru(TMP)2+3 shows the selective binding of lambda-Ru(TMP)2+3 to conformationally distinct sites along the fragment. These sites correspond to 5- to 13-base-pair homopyrimidine stretches.