Protection against Retrovirus Pathogenesis by SR Protein Inhibitors

Indole derivatives compounds (IDC) are a new class of splicing inhibitors that have a selective action on exonic splicing enhancers (ESE)-dependent activity of individual serine-arginine-rich (SR) proteins. Some of these molecules have been shown to compromise assembly of HIV infectious particles in cell cultures by interfering with the activity of the SR protein SF2/ASF and by subsequently suppressing production of splicing-dependent retroviral accessory proteins. For all replication-competent retroviruses, a limiting requirement for infection and pathogenesis is the expression of the envelope glycoprotein which strictly depends on the host splicing machinery. Here, we have evaluated the efficiency of IDC on an animal model of retroviral pathogenesis using a fully replication-competent retrovirus. In this model, all newborn mice infected with a fully replicative murine leukemia virus (MLV) develop erythroleukemia within 6 to 8 weeks of age. We tested several IDC for their ability to interfere ex vivo with MLV splicing and virus spreading as well as for their protective effect in vivo. We show here that two of these IDC, IDC13 and IDC78, selectively altered splicing-dependent production of the retroviral envelope gene, thus inhibiting early viral replication in vivo, sufficiently to protect mice from MLV-induced pathogenesis. The apparent specificity and clinical safety observed here for both IDC13 and IDC78 strongly support further assessment of inhibitors of SR protein splicing factors as a new class of antiretroviral therapeutic agents

Oxazole Dyes With Potential For Photoluminescence Bioprobes: A Two-Photon Absorption Study

In this work, six π-conjugated oxazole compounds dissolved in dichloromethane were characterized with linear and nonlinear optical measurements. Z-scan with femtosecond laser pulses was employed to determine the two-photon absorption (TPA) spectra. Other photophysical parameters, such as absorbance, solvatochromism, lifetime fluorescence, and fluorescence anisotropy, were evaluated with linear optical techniques. The experimental TPA cross section spectra were adjusted by the sum-over-states (SOS) model, by which important parameters such as transition dipole moments and broadening parameters were determined. To better understand the TPA spectra of the oxazole compounds, quantum-chemical calculations using the response function formalism and the density functional theory level of theory were performed. Using the results provided by the quantum-chemical calculations and the broadening parameters estimated through the application of the SOS model, the TPA spectra were simulated by the superposition (summation) of individual homogeneous Lorentzian absorption profiles

Small-Molecule Inhibition of HIV pre-mRNA Splicing as a Novel Antiretroviral Therapy to Overcome Drug Resistance

The development of multidrug-resistant viruses compromises antiretroviral therapy efficacy and limits therapeutic options. Therefore, it is an ongoing task to identify new targets for antiretroviral therapy and to develop new drugs. Here, we show that an indole derivative (IDC16) that interferes with exonic splicing enhancer activity of the SR protein splicing factor SF2/ASF suppresses the production of key viral proteins, thereby compromising subsequent synthesis of full-length HIV-1 pre-mRNA and assembly of infectious particles. IDC16 inhibits replication of macrophage- and T cell–tropic laboratory strains, clinical isolates, and strains with high-level resistance to inhibitors of viral protease and reverse transcriptase. Importantly, drug treatment of primary blood cells did not alter splicing profiles of endogenous genes involved in cell cycle transition and apoptosis. Thus, human splicing factors represent novel and promising drug targets for the development of antiretroviral therapies, particularly for the inhibition of multidrug-resistant viruses

Chimiothèque Nationale

La Chimiothèque Nationale (CN) est une fédération de chimiothèques académiques locales, une chimiothèque étant une collection de petites molécules de synthèse ou isolées de produits naturels. Une « extractothèque » contenant des extraits naturels est aussi proposée. La force de la Chimiothèque Nationale réside dans la diversité de sa collection et la possibilité de proposer des interlocuteurs chimistes aux biologistes cribleurs. Les collaborations post-criblage permettent, à travers la synthèse d’analogues et d’outils chimiques, d’identifier de nouvelles sondes chimiques pour comprendre le vivant et, dans certains cas, d’envisager des applications dans le domaine thérapeutique. Dans cet article, nous montrerons les avancées et les perspectives que cette fédération a permis d’engendrer

A [2+2+1] strategy for the conversion of olefins into cyclopentenones. Ring expansion of 2-N-methyl-N-tosyl-cyclobutanones

alpha-N-Methyl-N-tosylcyclobutanones prepared by asymmetric cycloadditions of the corresponding keteniminium triflate to olefins have been converted into a mixture of epoxides using dimethylsulfonium ylide. Treatment of these epoxides with lithium iodide unexpectedly yielded the corresponding cyclopentenones. This sequence amounts to a [2+2+1] cyclopentannulation of an olefin. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

Asymmetric [2+2+1] cyclopentannulation of olefins. Ring expansion of 2-N-methyl-N-tosyl-cyclobutanone

alpha-N-Methyl-N-tosyl cyclobutanones 2 which had been previously prepared in good yields and high enantiomeric excesses from olefins and chiral keteniminium salts have been converted into the corresponding oxiranes 3 by reaction with dimethylsulfonium methylid. The stereochemistry of this reaction was found to be dependent on several factors which have been analyzed. Treatment of these oxiranes with a stoichiometric amount of lithium iodide in refluxing tetrahydrofuran gave excellent yields of monocyclic or fused cyclopentenones 4 resulting from a P-elimination of N-methyl-N-tosylamide from a primarily formed cyclopentanone. The ring-expansion was totally selective but for oxiranes attached to a bicyclo[4.2.0]octanone system. In all cases, the enantiomeric purities of the starting cyclobutanones were preserved throughout the sequence which thus represents a useful [2+2+1] strategy for the cyclopentannulation of olefins. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved