Substituted hippurates and hippurate analogs as substrates and inhibitors of peptidylglycine alpha-hydroxylating monooxygenase (PHM).

Peptidyl alpha-hydroxylating monooxygenase (PHM) functions in vivo towards the biosynthesis of alpha-amidated peptide hormones in mammals and insects. PHM is a potential target for the development of inhibitors as drugs for the treatment of human disease and as insecticides for the management of insect pests. We show here that relatively simple ground state analogs of the PHM substrate hippuric acid (C(6)H(5)-CO-NH-CH(2)-COOH) inhibit the enzyme with K(i) values as low as 0.

Characterization of regulatory intronic and exonic sequences involved in alternative splicing of scavenger receptor class B gene.

Scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI) is a major receptor of the high-density lipoprotein that mediates cholesterol efflux and reverse cholesterol transport. Alternative splicing of the scavenger receptor class B (SR-B) gene is observed and different splice forms, SR-BI and scavenger receptor class B type II (SR-BII), have been shown to function and localize in distinct ways. We have previously shown that SR-B alternative splicing regulation is associated with splicing factor ASF/SF2.

Prostaglandin F2alpha suppresses rat steroidogenic acute regulatory protein expression via induction of Yin Yang 1 protein and recruitment of histone deacetylase 1 protein.

Prostaglandin F2alpha (PGF2alpha) plays a pivotal role in ovarian luteolysis by inhibiting the expression of steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) protein, leading to a decrease in intracellular cholesterol transport and luteal steroid production. Previously we have demonstrated that the transcription factor Yin Yang 1 (YY1) bound to three regions in the StAR promoter in vitro and repressed promoter activity. This study further defined the YY1-mediated PGF2alpha effect on the inhibition of StAR protein expression through YY1 interaction with a single region in the StAR promoter in vivo.

Regulation of alternative splicing of liver scavenger receptor class B gene by estrogen and the involved regulatory splicing factors.

The scavenger receptor class B isoforms (SR-B) type I and type II mediate the selective uptake of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and promote reverse cholesterol transport, an important atherosclerosis protection mechanism, in the liver. Previously it was shown that the hepatic expression of SR-BI and SR-BII is regulated by estrogen. In the present study, we demonstrate that estrogen differentially regulates expression of the glycosylated and nonglycosylated forms of SR-BI and SR-BII in rat liver and hepatic cells.

Evaluation of toxicity following electrically mediated interleukin-12 gene delivery in a B16 mouse melanoma model.

Purpose: Interleukin-12 (IL-12) has potential as an immunotherapeutic agent for the treatment of cancer but is unfortunately associated with toxicity. Delivery of a plasmid encoding IL-12 with electroporation induces an antitumor effect in the B16 mouse melanoma model without serious side effects. To translate this observation to the clinic, an evaluation of toxicity was done in the mouse model.

Oleic acid derived metabolites in mouse neuroblastoma N18TG2 cells.

Oleamide is an endogenous sleep-inducing lipid that has been isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid of sleep-deprived mammals. Oleamide is the best-understood member of the primary fatty acid amide family. One key unanswered question regarding oleamide and all other primary acid amides is the pathway by which these molecules are produced.

Amidation of salicyluric acid and gentisuric acid: a possible role for peptidylglycine alpha-amidating monooxygenase in the metabolism of aspirin.

Bifunctional peptidylglycine alpha-amidating monooxygenase (PAM) catalyzes the copper-, ascorbate-, and O2-dependent cleavage of C-terminal glycine-extended peptides, N-acylglycines, and the bile acid glycine conjugates to the corresponding amides and glyoxylate. Two known metabolites of aspirin, salicyluric acid and gentisuric acid, are also substrates for PAM, leading to the formation of salicylamide and gentisamide. The time course for O2 consumption and glyoxylate production indicates that salicylurate amidation is a two-step reaction.

The enzymatic formation of novel bile acid primary amides.

Bifunctional peptidylglycine alpha-amidating monooxygenase (PAM) catalyzes the copper-, ascorbate-, and O(2)-dependent cleavage of C-terminal glycine-extended peptides and N-acylglycines to the corresponding amides and glyoxylate. The alpha-amidated peptides and the long-chain acylamides are hormones in humans and other mammals. Bile acid glycine conjugates are also substrates for PAM leading to the formation of bile acid amides.

Induction of peptidylglycine alpha-amidating monooxygenase in N(18)TG(2) cells: a model for studying oleamide biosynthesis.

The fatty-acid primary amide, oleamide, is a novel signaling molecule whose mechanism of biosynthesis is unknown. Recently, the N(18)TG(2) cell line was shown to synthesize oleamide from oleic acid, thereby demonstrating that these cells contain the necessary catalytic activities for generating the fatty-acid primary amide. The ability of peptide alpha-amidating enzyme, peptidylglycine-alpha-amidating monooxygenase (PAM; EC 1.

Dose-dependent mutation profile in the c-Ha-ras proto-oncogene of skin tumors in mice initiated with benzo[a]pyrene.

Female CD-1 mice were treated topically with a low (25-50 nmol) or high (800 nmol) dose of benzo[a]pyrene (BP) or acetone vehicle, followed by 5 nmol 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) twice a week for 26 weeks. Selective UV radiation fractionation followed by PCR methods were used to analyze histologically defined subsets of cells (approximately 100-200 cells) on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded and H&E stained microscope sections. DNA samples from normal-appearing, hyperplastic or tumor regions from the skin of animals from each treatment group were isolated and amplified by PCR with c-Ha-ras-specific primers.

N-acylglycine amidation: implications for the biosynthesis of fatty acid primary amides.

Bifunctional peptidylglycine alpha-amidating enzyme (alpha-AE) catalyzes the O2-dependent conversion of C-terminal glycine-extended prohormones to the active, C-terminal alpha-amidated peptide and glyoxylate. We show that alpha-AE will also catalyze the oxidative cleavage of N-acylglycines, from N-formylglycine to N-arachidonoylglycine. N-Formylglycine is the smallest amide substrate yet reported for alpha-AE.

The ratio of deoxyadenosine to deoxyguanosine adducts formed by (+)-(7R,8S,9S,10R)-7,8-dihydroxy-9,10-epoxy-7,8,9,10- tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene in purified calf thymus DNA and DNA in V-79 cells is independent of dose.

The hypothesis that the decrease in the proportion of mutations at AT base pairs in Chinese hamster V-79 cells treated with increasing doses of (+)-(R,S,S,R)-benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxide ((+)-BPDE) is due to saturation of A for adduct formation was investigated by comparing the ratio of dA to dG adducts formed at high (0.48 microM) and low (0.04 microM) doses of [3H]-labeled (+)-BPDE.

Dose-dependent differences in the mutational profiles of (-)-(1R,2S,3S,4R)-3,4-dihydroxy-1, 2-epoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrobenzo[c]phenanthrene and its less carcinogenic enantiomer.

Chinese hamster V-79 cells were treated with high cytotoxic or low noncytotoxic concentrations of the highly carcinogenic and mutagenic (-)-(1R,2S,3S,4R)-3,4-dihydroxy-1, 2-epoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrobenzo[c]phenanthrene [(-)-B[c]PhDE; fjord-region diol epoxide] or its biologically less active (+)-(1S,2R,3R,4S) enantiomer [(+)-B[c]PhDE]. The benzylic 4-hydroxyl group and the epoxide oxygen are trans in both enantiomers. Independent 8-azaguanine-resistant clones were isolated.

Fatty acid amide biosynthesis: a possible new role for peptidylglycine alpha-amidating enzyme and acyl-coenzyme A: glycine N-acyltransferase.

Fatty acid primary amides have recently been recognized as mammalian hormones [Cravatt et al. (1995) Science 268, 1506-1509]. The route to their biosynthesis is unknown.

Mutagenic selectivity at the HPRT locus in V-79 cells: comparison of mutations caused by bay-region benzo[a]pyrene 7,8-diol-9,-10-epoxide enantiomers with high and low carcinogenic activity.

Earlier studies from our laboratories characterized the mutation profile of the optically active (+)-7R,8S-dihydroxy-9S,10R-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene [(+)-BPDE--the ultimate carcinogenic metabolite of benzo[a]pyrene] in the coding region of the hypoxanthine (guanine) phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) gene of Chinese hamster V-79 cells. In the present study, we evaluated the mutation profile of (-)-7S,8R-dihydroxy-9R, 10S-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene [(-)-BPDE-a weakly carcinogenic or inactive enantiomer] and compared its mutation profile with that of (+)-BPDE. In both diol epoxide enantiomers, the benzylic 7-hydroxy group and epoxide oxygen are trans.

Dose-dependent differences in the profile of mutations induced by (+)-7R,8S-dihydroxy-9S,10R-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo(a)pyrene in the coding region of the hypoxanthine (guanine) phosphoribosyltransferase gene in Chinese hamster V-79 cells.

Chinese hamster V-79 cells were exposed to a high dose (0.30-0.48 microM; 32% cell survival), an intermediate dose (0.