Biomedical subjects

Debra Taylor

Publications and source records attributed to Debra Taylor.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2004

Action of celgosivir (6 O-butanoyl castanospermine) against the pestivirus BVDV: implications for the treatment of hepatitis C.

Alpha-glucosidase I inhibitors have been shown to inhibit the replication of a broad range of enveloped viruses by preventing the correct folding of their envelope glycoproteins. This study assesses the potential of 6 O-butanoyl castanospermine (celgosivir) as a treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV). In the absence of an adequate culture system for HCV, the closely related virus, bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV), was used as a surrogate model. Using both a plaque assay and a cytopathic effect assay, celgosivir (IC50 16 and 47 microM respectively) was shown to be more potent than N-nonyl DNJ (105 and 74 microM), castanospermine (110 and 367 microM) and N-butyl DNJ (> 250 and 550 microM). Of the alpha-glucosidase inhibitors tested, only N-nonyl DNJ showed evidence of toxicity (CC50 > or = 120 microM). Two-way combinations of interferon-alpha, ribavirin and either celgosivir or castanospermine demonstrated that each could enhance the antiviral efficacy of the others, either additively or synergistically. The observation that the number of viral genomes released from BVDV-infected cells was inhibited by either castanospermine or celgosivir in parallel with the number of infectious units was taken as confirmation that these alpha-glucosidase I inhibitors block the production or release of flavivirus particles.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Computational vaccinology: quantitative approaches.

The immune system is hierarchical and has many levels, exhibiting much emergent behaviour. However, at its heart are molecular recognition events that are indistinguishable from other types of biomacromolecular interaction. These can be addressed well by quantitative experimental and theoretical biophysical techniques, and particularly by methods from drug design. We review here our approach to computational immunovaccinology. In particular, we describe the JenPep database and two new techniques for T cell epitope prediction. One is based on quantitative structure-activity relationships (a 3D-QSAR method based on CoMSIA and another 2D method based on the Free-Wilson approach) and the other on atomistic molecular dynamic simulations using high performance computing. JenPep (http://www.jenner.ar.uk/ JenPep) is a relational database system supporting quantitative data on peptide binding to major histocompatibility complexes, TAP transporters, TCR-pMHC complexes, and an annotated list of B cell and T cell epitopes. Our 2D-QSAR method factors the contribution to peptide binding from individual amino acids as well as 1-2 and 1-3 residue interactions. In the 3D-QSAR approach, the influence of five physicochemical properties (volume, electrostatic potential, hydrophobicity, hydrogen-bond donor and acceptor abilities) on peptide affinity were considered. Both methods are exemplified through their application to the well-studied problem of peptide binding to the human class I MHC molecule HLA-A*0201.

Allergy and Immunology↗

PubMed2002

Emmyguyacins A and B: unusual glycolipids from a sterile fungus species that inhibit the low-pH conformational change of hemagglutinin A during replication of influenza virus.

Two novel glycolipids, emmyguyacin A (1a) and emmyguyacin B (1b), were isolated at concentrations of 1.51 g/L from a potato dextrose agar fermentation of a sterile fungus species. The compounds inhibit replication of influenza A virus (A/X31) in MDCK cells by inhibiting the pH-dependent conformational change of hemagglutinin A (IC(50) 9 microM). The structures were deduced using one- and two-dimensional NMR techniques and mass spectrometric analyses on both the parent compounds and a host of degradation products and derivatives. A novel and unusual oxalic acid ester of a monohydroxylated fatty acid (5, 17-oxalyloxydocosanoic acid) is reported. The first isolation and characterization of the fatty acid 17-hydroxydocosanoic acid (3) itself is also reported as a saponification product of 1.

Animals↗