Disruption of insect isoprenoid biosynthesis with pyridinium bisphosphonates.

Farnesyl diphosphate synthase (FPPS) catalyzes the condensation of the non-allylic diphosphate, isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP; C5), with the allylic diphosphate primer dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP; C5) to generate the C15 prenyl chain (FPP) used for protein prenylation as well as sterol and terpene biosynthesis. Here, we designed and prepared a series of pyridinium bisphosphonate (PyrBP) compounds, with the aim of selectively inhibiting FPPS of the lepidopteran insect order. FPPSs of Drosophila melanogaster and the spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana, were inhibited by several PyrBPs, and as hypothesized, larger bisphosphonates were more selective for the lepidopteran protein and completely inactive towards dipteran and vertebrate FPPSs.

Development of Small Molecular Proteasome Inhibitors Using a Caenorhabditis elegans Screen.

We have developed a screening protocol to identify compounds with characteristics of small molecule proteasome inhibitors using the real-time analysis of the Caenorhabditis elegans germ line. This screen is able to identify compounds that induce germ line phenotypes characteristic of a reduction in proteasome function such as changes in polarity, aberrant nuclear morphology, and stimulation of apoptosis. This basic protocol is amenable to a high throughput (96-well) format and has been used successfully to identify multiple compounds for further analysis based on structural elements from the naturally occurring compounds lactacystin and the β-lactone homologs omuralide and salinosporamide A.

Farnesylcysteine lyase is involved in negative regulation of abscisic acid signaling in Arabidopsis.

The Arabidopsis FCLY gene encodes a specific farnesylcysteine (FC) lyase, which is responsible for the oxidative metabolism of FC to farnesal and cysteine. In addition, fcly mutants with quantitative decreases in FC lyase activity exhibit an enhanced response to ABA. However, the enzymological properties of the FCLY-encoded enzyme and its precise role in ABA signaling remain unclear.