Biomedical subjects

J Goodchild

Publications and source records attributed to J Goodchild.

34 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1988

Inhibition of human immunodeficiency virus replication by antisense oligodeoxynucleotides.

Twenty different target sites within human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) RNA were selected for studies of inhibition of HIV replication by antisense oligonucleotides. Target sites were selected based on their potential capacity to block recognition functions during viral replication. Antisense oligomers complementary to sites within or near the sequence repeated at the ends of retrovirus RNA (R region) and to certain splice sites were most effective. The effect of antisense oligomer length on inhibiting virus replication was also investigated, and preliminary toxicity studies in mice show that these compounds are toxic only at high levels. The results indicate potential usefulness for these oligomers in the treatment of patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and AIDS-related complex either alone or in combination with other drugs.

Animals↗

PubMed1988

Oligodeoxynucleoside phosphoramidates and phosphorothioates as inhibitors of human immunodeficiency virus.

Modified oligodeoxynucleotides complementary to RNA of human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) were tested for their ability to inhibit virally induced syncytium formation and expression of viral p24 protein. The modifications of oligomers include replacement of backbone phosphodiester groups with phosphorothioates and various phosphoramidates. All oligomers were found to be active. Oligomers with complete replacement of phosphodiesters with phosphoramidate or phosphorothioate groups were more active at the micromolar range than were unmodified oligomers of the same sequence. In addition, modified and unmodified homooligonucleotides also showed inhibition of HIV-1 replication. It is suggested that different classes of oligonucleotides may inhibit HIV replication by different mechanisms.

Animals↗

PubMed1988

Inhibition of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome virus by oligodeoxynucleoside methylphosphonates.

Antisense oligodeoxynucleotides containing internucleoside methylphosphonate linkages were examined for their ability to inhibit human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-induced syncytium formation and virus expression. HIV inhibitory activity was found to be dependent on both chain length and the number of phosphonate residues. Introduction of 18 phosphonate groups in an oligomer of chain length 20 significantly increased HIV inhibitory activity relative to the parent oligonucleotide, whereas 5 such groups showed little or no increase in the HIV inhibition capacity. Methylphosphonate-linked oligomers are more stable to nuclease degradation and hence could be potentially useful in the treatment of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1987

Eukaryotic initiation factor 4A stimulates translation in microinjected Xenopus oocytes.

The injection of heterologous mRNA into fully grown Xenopus oocytes results not only in the synthesis of the heterologous protein but also in a reciprocal decrease in the synthesis of endogenous proteins. This indicates that injected and endogenous mRNAs compete for some component which is rate-limiting for translation in oocytes. We have attempted to identify this rate-limiting translational component. We find that heterologous and homologous polysomes compete with endogenous mRNAs as effectively as naked mRNA, indicating that polysomes do not contain detectable levels of the rate-limiting factor. In addition, we have used micrococcal nuclease digestion and a mRNA-specific oligonucleotide to destroy the mRNA component of polysomes. The remaining polysome factors, when injected into oocytes, failed to stimulate translation. When several eukaryotic translation initiation factors were injected into oocytes, initiation factor 4A consistently increased general oocyte protein synthesis by about twofold. It is possible that the availability of eIF-4A in oocytes is a key factor in limiting the overall rate of protein synthesis.

Animals↗

PubMed1987

Oligonucleotides with rapid turnover of the phosphate groups occur endogenously in eukaryotic cells.

Endogenous oligonucleotides were found in trichloroacetic acid extracts of hamster lung fibroblasts and Tetrahymena cells. Peaks of radioactivity that eluted with retention times similar to oligonucleotide markers (5- to 50-mer) were found by HPLC in cells labeled briefly with 32Pi. Only minute amounts of UV-absorbing material were detected, consistent with a rapid turnover of phosphate groups. The 32P-labeled material also migrated as oligonucleotides on 20% polyacrylamide gels; it was not hydrolyzed by alkaline phosphatase but was digested by snake venom phosphodiesterase, S1 nuclease, and pancreatic RNase and was phosphorylated by T4 polynucleotide kinase. The 32P-labeled material isolated by HPLC was alkali labile and the hydrolyzate ran as nucleotides on paper chromatography. It is concluded that the oligonucleotides are mainly oligoribonucleotides, but it is possible that oligodeoxynucleotides are also present.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗

PubMed1986

Transposition studies of mini-Mu plasmids constructed from the chemically synthesized ends of bacteriophage Mu.

We describe below the chemical synthesis of the right and left ends of bacteriophage Mu and characterize the activity of these synthetic ends in mini-Mu transposition. Mini-Mu plasmids were constructed which carry the synthetic Mu ends together with the Mu A and B genes under control of the bacteriophage lambda pL promoter. Derepression of pL leads to a high frequency of mini-Mu transposition (5.6 X 10(-2) which is dependent on the presence of the Mu ends and the Mu A and B proteins. Five deletion mutants in the Mu ends were tested in the mini-Mu transposition system and their effects on transposition are described.

Bacteriophage mu↗

PubMed1986

Inhibition of replication and expression of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type III in cultured cells by exogenous synthetic oligonucleotides complementary to viral RNA.

The possibility of using oligodeoxynucleotides complementary to viral RNA or proviral DNA to inhibit the replication of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type III (HTLV-III) [the etiological agent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)] in cultured human cells was addressed by studying the association of 32P-labeled oligodeoxynucleotides with mammalian cellular components. The results indicated that exogenous oligodeoxynucleotides at 20 microM became associated with the membrane/cytosol fractions of the cell in amounts approximating 1.5 microM. Oligodeoxynucleotides complementary to a region close to the tRNALys primer binding site on HTLV-III RNA and others complementary to HTLV-III mRNA donor or acceptor splice sites inhibited viral replication (assayed as reverse transcriptase) and gene expression (assayed as virus-encoded proteins p15 and p24) by as much as 95%. Use of control (random) oligodeoxynucleotides suggests that the antiviral effects were specific. Although these results pertain to HTLV-III-infected cells in tissue culture, rather than to AIDS patients, they nevertheless point to a therapeutic potential of the complementary oligodeoxynucleotide ("hybridization competition" or "hybridon") approach in the treatment of patients with AIDS and AIDS-related complex.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed1985

A novel deletion found during cloning of a synthetic palindromic DNA.

A 212-bp palindromic DNA comprising two copies of the left end of bacteriophage Mu was assembled from chemically synthesized oligonucleotides and inserted into plasmid pUC9. When cloned and propagated in Escherichia coli, the palindrome was found to be unstable and was generally lost. However, in a few cases, a precise, asymmetric deletion of one half of the insert was observed. This pattern of deletion suggests that the symmetry axis region of the palindrome was involved as recognition site in the deletion process.

Bacteriophage mu↗

PubMed1983

Structural requirements of olefinic 5-substituted deoxyuridines for antiherpes activity.

A number of structurally related 5-substituted pyrimidine 2'-deoxyribonucleosides were synthesized and tested for antiviral activity against herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) in cell culture. A minimum inhibitory concentration was determined for each compound, and from a comparison of these values a number of conclusions were drawn with regard to those molecular features that enhance or reduce antiviral activity. Optimum inhibition of HSV-1 in cell culture occurred when the 5-substituent was unsaturated and conjugated with the pyrimidine ring, was not longer than four carbon atoms in length, had E stereochemistry, and included a hydrophobic, electronegative function but did not contain a branching point. Such features are contained in (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine, which was the most active of the compounds described.

Animals↗

PubMed1983

Possible molecular basis for antiviral activity of certain 5-substituted deoxyuridines.

The antiviral activity of five structurally related pyrimidine nucleosides, E-5-propenyl-2'-deoxyuridine, 5-allyl-2'-deoxyuridine, E-5-(1-butenyl)-2'-deoxyuridine, 5-(2-butenyl)-2'-deoxyuridine, and 5-butyl-2'-deoxyuridine, in cell culture against herpes simplex virus type 1 was examined. Analogs in which the C-C double bond of the 5-substituent was in conjugation with the pyrimidine ring were more potent antiviral drugs than were the corresponding nonconjugated and alkyl-substituted analogs. Differences in antiviral activity similar to those observed in cell culture occurred in virus-infected mice. The molecular basis for the greater antiviral activity of the conjugated isomers was investigated. It was observed that the conjugated isomer E-5-propenyl-2'-deoxyuridine had a greater affinity for virus thymidine kinase and, as the 5'-triphosphate, for virus DNA polymerase than did the nonconjugated isomer 5-allyl-2'-deoxyuridine. The results are discussed in relation to other data in the literature.

Animals↗

PubMed1975

The determination of secondary structure in the poly(C) tract of encephalomyocarditis virus RNA with sodium bisulphite.

The degree of secondary structure in the poly(C) tract of encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) RNA has been investigated using sodium bisulphite, which brings about the hydrolysis of non-base-paired cytidylic acid to uridylic acid in RNA. The percentage conversion of C to U in the poly(C) region of native EMCV RNA was similar to that found in a synthetic polynucleotide lacking secondary structure [poly(C)]. When poly(I) was annealed to either native or denatured EMCV RNA, it protected the poly(C) tract from the action of bisulphite. It is concluded that the poly(C) tract of EMCV RNA in solution is very largely single-stranded.

Chemical Phenomena↗

PubMed1972