Rational design of novel, potent piperazinone and imidazolidinone BACE1 inhibitors.

Guided by structure-based design, we synthesized two novel series of potent inhibitors of BACE1 and generated extensive SAR around both the prime and non-prime side binding pockets. The key feature of both series is a cyclic amine motif specifically crafted to achieve interactions with both the flap and with the S2' pocket.

Ultra-high throughput screen of two-million-member combinatorial compound collection in a miniaturized, 1536-well assay format.

Results of a complete survey of the more than 2-million-member Pharmacopeia compound collection in a 1536-well microvolume screening assay format are reported. A complete technology platform, enabling the performance of ultra-high throughput screening in a miniaturized 1536-well assay format, has been assembled and utilized. The platform consists of tools for performing microvolume assays, including assay plates, liquid handlers, optical imagers, and data management software. A fluorogenic screening assay for inhibition of a protease enzyme target was designed and developed using this platform. The assay was used to perform a survey screen of the Pharmacopeia compound collection for active inhibitors of the target enzyme. The results from the survey demonstrate the successful implementation of the ultra-high throughout platform for routine screening purposes. Performance of the assay in the miniaturized format is equivalent to that of a standard 96-well assay, showing the same dependence on kinetic parameters and ability to measure enzyme inhibition. The survey screen identified an active class of compounds within the Pharmacopeia compound collection. These results were confirmed using a standard 96-well assay.

Presence in human eosinophils of a lysophospholipase similar to that found in the pancreas.

The supernatant fraction from lysed human eosinophils, when separated by gel-filtration chromatography, contains a protein with lysophospholipase activity of approximate molecular mass 74 kDa. This mass differs substantially from the 17 kDa of a previously cloned eosinophil lysophospholipase (Charcot-Leyden crystal protein), but is similar to that reported for a pancreatic enzyme. We have therefore further characterized this pancreatic-like lysophospholipase in human eosinophils. A rabbit polyclonal antibody was produced against a synthetic peptide consisting of amino acids 325-349 from the 74 kDa rat pancreatic lysophospholipase. Western-blot analysis of eosinophil extracts indicate that this antibody recognizes a single 74 kDa band in these preparations. Incubation of the supernatant fraction from sonified eosinophils with this antibody, followed by precipitation of antibody-antigen complexes with Protein A, removes the majority of the lysophospholipase activity. Indirect immunofluorescence examination with this antibody indicates this protein to be localized to granules of eosinophils and not in other leucocytes. Moreover, reverse transcriptase PCR of polyadenylated RNA from eosinophils and from rat pancreatic tissue with primers to rat pancreatic lysophospholipase resulted in readily detectable 1 kb DNA products in both samples. Sequencing revealed this DNA fragment to be identical with the human pancreatic lysophospholipase cDNA sequence. Taken together, these data indicate that eosinophils contain a lysophospholipase that is similar to the human pancreatic enzyme.

Comparison of six mammalian lysophospholipases.

Lysophospholipases participate in the regulation of the levels of lysophospholipid, compounds with pleiotropic biological effects. Lysophospholipases were purified from a macrophage cell line (WEHI 265.1), a myelocytic leukemia cell line (HL-60) and peripheral blood eosinophils. WEHI 265.1 cells contain three lysophospholipases 28, 27 and 110 kDa as determined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The 110 kDa lysophospholipase also exhibits phospholipase A2 activity and appears to be identical to a previously described 110 kDa phospholipase A2. Similarly, the HL-60 cells have three lysophospholipases, the largest again a 110 kDa enzyme with phospholipase A2 activity and the smaller are 20 and 21 kDa. The low molecular mass lysophospholipases have distinctive chromatographic properties and amino acid compositions. However, the two low molecular mass enzymes from a given cell type are not radically different, e.g., 15 of the 20 amino acids of the C-terminal sequences of the HL-60 enzymes are identical. A single lysophospholipase, approx. 15 kDa, is a major eosinophil protein. This enzyme is different from those described above.

Isolation and characterization of three lysophospholipases from the murine macrophage cell line WEHI 265.1.

Anion exchange chromatography of WEHI 265.1 cell homogenates resolved the lysophospholipase activity into three peaks, when assayed using lysophosphatidylcholine as a substrate. Peaks 1 and 2 were purified by sequential hydrophobic interaction and gel filtration chromatography. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the purified peaks 1 and 2 indicated homogeneous proteins with apparent masses of 28 and 27 kDa, respectively. Peak 3 lysophospholipases was partially purified by hydrophobic, hydroxyapatite and gel filtration chromatography. Peak 3 lysophospholipase also had calcium-dependent phospholipase A2 activity, which further co-purified with the lysophospholipase activity. The three lysophospholipases were characterized with respect to substrate specificity, additional enzymatic activities and the effects of lipids, metal ions and other compounds on enzymatic activity. Peaks 1, 2 and 3 hydrolyzed lysophosphatidylcholine most readily, but lysophosphatidylethanolamine also served as substrate for each enzyme. Furthermore, all three enzymes hydrolyzed platelet activating factor and acetylated lysophosphatidylcholine. Each lysophospholipase was inhibited by free fatty acids and by palmitoyl carnitine, although the relative sensitivities to these agents differed among the enzymes. The lysophospholipase activities of peaks 1 and 2, but not peak 3, were inhibited by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, diisopropyl fluorophosphate and N-ethylmaleimide. Although they had similar masses, the amino acid compositions of peaks 1 and 2 differed, indicating that these are distinct proteins rather than posttranslational modifications of the same gene product.

Cloning of a phospholipase A2-activating protein.

Recently we have described the isolation and biochemical characterization of a phospholipase A2-activating protein (PLAP). We have cloned this protein and found it to be expressed as a 2.5-kilobase mRNA. The steady-state levels of PLAP mRNA are induced in smooth muscle and endothelial cells following treatment with leukotriene D4. The increased message levels coincide with increased amounts of PLAP. Synthetic antisense DNA was used to block the synthesis of PLAP and this treatment effectively blocked the activation of phospholipase A2 and the increased generation of prostanoids in smooth muscle and endothelial cells treated with leukotriene D4.