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L Lun

Publications and source records attributed to L Lun.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Anthracycline antibiotic blockade of SV40 T antigen helicase action.

We previously showed that anthracycline antibiotics potently block SV40 large T antigen helicase; in the present study, we describe the kinetics and the structure-activity characteristics of this process. The concentration vs effect data for helicase blockade were fitted by the Hill equation to yield nearly parallel log-concentration effect curves for a series of active anthracycline antibiotics. The effective concentration for 50% helicase blockade (EC50) values ranged from 0.34 microM for daunorubicin to 40.8 microM for 3'-deaminodaunorubicin. Clinically inactive 3'-N-acyl anthracyclines produced no blockade. The Hill constants for the blockade ranged from 1.1 to 1.6 for the entire series of active anthracyclines, indicating no positive cooperativity and suggesting that a single molecule of bound drug is sufficient to block helicase action. The EC50 values for several clinically effective anthracyclines showed a relationship to the average DNA binding constants for these drugs, and Lineweaver-Burk analysis of the blockade kinetics indicated non-competitive inhibition. The kinetics of the blockade indicated that the anthracycline, DNA, and helicase form a ternary complex that is irreversible under the reaction conditions. This mechanism may be central to the cytotoxic and anti-cancer activities of anthracycline antibiotics and may be useful in understanding the enzymatic mechanism of DNA helicase action.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

Antihelicase action of CI-958, a new drug for prostate cancer.

CI-958, a new DNA-intercalating drug derived from a series of substituted 2H-[1] benzothiopyrano[4,3,2-cd]indazoles, is being tested in clinical trails because of its curative properties against murine solid tumor models and because it has demonstrated activity in a pilot phase II study of patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer. However, the mechanism of anticancer action of CI-958 has not been established. Because CI-958 binds to DNA and DNA helicases are profoundly affected by DNA-binding drugs, we examined the effects of CI-958 on human DNA helicase action. DNA helicase activity was measured by strand dissociation of double-stranded (ds) DNA with a gel electrophoresis assay, and ATPase activities were determined on thin-layer chromatography by measurement of the conversion of ATP to ADP. For human helicase blockade, CI-958 is slightly more potent than doxorubicin (EC50 values 0.17 and 0.26 microM, respectively). We observed no difference in helicase-blockade EC50 values recorded for three helicase substrates containing A-T rich, G-C rich, and both types of oligonucleotide sequences. The effects of CI-958 helicase blockade and DNA-dependent ATPase activities were similar for the two reactions. The kinetics of the blockade by CI-958 of the human DNA helicase indicates that it involves a reversible ternary complex of helicase-drug-dsDNA. CI-958 produces potent blockade of human DNA helicases with no apparent strong DNA sequence-binding preference. Similar potency against helicase strand dissociation and DNA-dependent ATPase suggests that the mechanism against these reactions is the same. The blockade of DNA helicases by CI-958 may be central in its mechanism of action as an anticancer drug.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

Gestational assessment of the newborn Melanesian infant.

A population of 211 Melanesian babies born in Port Moresby after a known gestation were studied using the Dubowitz gestational assessment in order to assess the method in Melanesians. After exclusion of obvious outliers the regression equation for gestational age on total score was not significantly different from that of Dubowitz. Melanesian babies had relatively more mature neurological scores than external scores. The Dubowitz method of gestational assessment may be used without restandardization in a Melanesian population.

Gestational Age↗