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Biomedical subjects

L Tilley

Publications and source records attributed to L Tilley.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Isolation of peptides that mimic epitopes on a malarial antigen from random peptide libraries displayed on phage.

The ring-infected erythrocyte surface antigen (RESA) is a dense-granule protein of Plasmodium falciparum which binds to the cytoskeletal structure of the erythrocyte after parasite invasion. It is currently under trial as a vaccine candidate. In an effort to characterize further the antibody responses to this antigen, we have panned two independent libraries of random peptides expressed on the surface of filamentous phage with a monoclonal antibody (MAb 18/2) against RESA. One library consisted of a potentially constrained 17-mer peptide fused with the gpVIII phage coat protein, and the other displayed an unconstrained 15-mer as a fusion with the minor phage coat protein gpIII. Several rounds of biopanning resulted in enrichment from both libraries clones that interacted specifically with MAb 18/2 in protein-blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay experiments. Nucleotide sequencing of the random oligonucleotide insert revealed a common predominant motif: (S/T)AVDD. Several other clones had related but degenerate motifs. Thus, a monoclonal antibody against a malarial antigen can select common mimotopes from different random peptide libraries. We envisage many uses for this technology in malaria research.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Protein trafficking in malaria-infected erythrocytes.

The malaria parasite invades the human erythrocyte and converts this simple "sack of haemoglobin" back into a functional eukaryotic cell. Parasite-encoded proteins are trafficked to the red blood cell membrane where they modify its properties to meet the needs of the intracellular parasite. Trafficking of proteins within the parasite probably occurs via a "classical" vesicle-mediated secretory pathway; however, the transit of proteins from the parasite plasma membrane to the erythrocyte membrane appears to involve both a novel vesicle-mediated pathway and a direct protein-translocation system. The polypeptide signals that direct parasite proteins into these novel export pathways may include an unusual "internal" hydrophobic sequence, as well as a series of basic motifs.

Animals↗

Quinoline antimalarials: mechanisms of action and resistance and prospects for new agents.

Quinoline-containing antimalarial drugs, such as chloroquine, quinine and mefloquine, are mainstays of chemotherapy against malaria. The molecular basis of the action of these drugs is not completely understood, but they are thought to interfere with hemoglobin digestion in the blood stages of the malaria parasite's life cycle. The parasite degrades hemoglobin, in an acidic food vacuole, producing free heme and reactive oxygen species as toxic by-products. The heme moieties are neutralized by polymerisation, while the free radical species are detoxified by a vulnerable series of antioxidant mechanisms. Chloroquine, a dibasic drug, is accumulated several thousand-fold in the food vacuole. The high intravacuolar chloroquine concentration is proposed to interfere with the polymerisation of heme and/or the detoxification of the reactive oxygen species, effectively killing the parasite with its own metabolic waste. Chloroquine resistance appears to arise as a result of a decreased level of chloroquine uptake, due to an increased vacuolar pH or to changes in a chloroquine importer or receptor. The more lipophilic quinolinemethanol drugs mefloquine and quinine do not appear to be concentrated so extensively in the food vacuole and may act on alternative targets in the parasite. Resistance to the quinolinemethanols is thought to involve a plasmodial homolog of P-glycoprotein. As the malaria parasites become increasingly resistant to the quinoline antimalarials, there is an urgent need to understand the molecular mechanisms for drug action and resistance so that novel antimalarial drugs can be designed. A number of modified quinolines and bisquinoline compounds show some promise in this regard.

Animals↗

Genetic risk factors in Alzheimer's disease.

Following a brief introduction and discussion of the pathological features of Alzheimer's disease, the main emphasis of this review article will be the genetic factors that have been implicated in this disease. These can be divided into two main categories. First, the three genes in which mutations are known to result in early onset autosomal dominant familial Alzheimer's disease will be discussed. These are well characterised but account for only a small proportion of Alzheimer's disease cases. Late onset, sporadic Alzheimer's disease is more common and evidence suggests that there is a genetic component to this type of disease. A number of genetic risk factors have been implicated that might increase the risk of developing sporadic disease. Many of these are controversial and studies have shown conflicting results, which are discussed in this section. Finally, a brief discussion of some of the mechanisms suggested to play a role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease is included. It is hoped that this will show why particular genes have been implicated in Alzheimer's disease and how they might be able to influence the development of the disease.

Aged↗

The quinoline-based drug, N-[4-[1-hydroxy-2-(dibutylamino)ethyl] quinolin-8-yl]-4-azidosalicylamide, photoaffinity labels the multidrug resistance protein (MRP) at a biologically relevant site.

MRP is a member of the ABC trafficking proteins thought to mediate the transport of glutathione S-conjugates and amphiphilic natural products. However, unlike P-glycoprotein, the biochemical mechanism by which MRP mediates the resistance to cytotoxic drugs is not clear. In this report, we describe the interactions of a quinoline-based drug, N-{4-[1-hydroxy-2-(dibutylamino)ethyl] quinolin-8-yl}-4-azidosalicylamide (IAAQ), with MRP. Our results demonstrate the ability of IAAQ to photoaffinity label a 190 kDa protein in resistant Small Cell Lung Cancer cells (H69/AR) but not in the parental H69 cells. The photoaffinity labeling of the 190 kDa protein with IAAQ was both saturable and specific. The identity of the 190 kDa protein, as MRP, was confirmed by immunoprecipitation with the monoclonal antibody, QCRL-1. Furthermore, a molar excess of LTC4, MK 571 or vinblastine inhibited the photoaffinity labeling of MRP with IAAQ in intact cells and plasma membranes. Cell growth and drug transport studies showed H69/AR cells to be less sensitive to and to accumulate less IAAQ than the parental H69 cells. In addition, MK 571 and doxorubicin increased the sensitivity to and the accumulation of IAAQ in H69/AR cells. Together, the results of this study show for the first time the direct binding of unaltered cytotoxic drug to MRP. Moreover, given the structural similarities between IAAQ and MK 571, we suggest that MK 571 modulates MRP-mediated resistance by direct binding to MRP.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗

Erythrocyte membrane vesiculation: model for the molecular mechanism of protein sorting.

Budding and vesiculation of erythrocyte membranes occurs by a process involving an uncoupling of the membrane skeleton from the lipid bilayer. Vesicle formation provides an important means whereby protein sorting and trafficking can occur. To understand the mechanism of sorting at the molecular level, we have developed a micropipette technique to quantify the redistribution of fluorescently labeled erythrocyte membrane components during mechanically induced membrane deformation and vesiculation. Our previous studies indicated that the spectrin-based membrane skeleton deforms elastically, producing a constant density gradient during deformation. Our current studies showed that during vesiculation the skeleton did not fragment but rather retracted to the cell body, resulting in a vesicle completely depleted of skeleton. These local changes in skeletal density regulated the sorting of nonskeletal membrane components. Highly mobile membrane components, phosphatidylethanolamine- and glycosylphosphatidylinositol-linked CD59 with no specific skeletal association were enriched in the vesicle. In contrast, two components with known specific skeletal association, band 3 and glycophorin A, were differentially depleted in vesicles. Increasing the skeletal association of glycophorin A by liganding its extrafacial domain reduced the fraction partitioning to the vesicle. We conclude that this technique of bilayer/skeleton uncoupling provides a means with which to study protein sorting driven by changes in local skeletal density. Moreover, it is the interaction of particular membrane components with the spectrin-based skeleton that determines molecular partitioning during protein sorting.

Cytoskeleton↗

Isolation from phage display libraries of single chain variable fragment antibodies that recognize conformational epitopes in the malaria vaccine candidate, apical membrane antigen-1.

Phage display of single chain variable fragment (scFv) antibodies is a powerful tool for the selection of important and useful antibody specificities. We have constructed such a library from mice protected from malaria challenge by immunization with recombinant Plasmodium chabaudi DS apical membrane antigen (AMA-1). Panning on refolded AMA-1 enriched a population of scFvs which specifically bound the antigen. The single chain antibodies recognize conformational epitopes on AMA-1 from the P. chabaudi DS strain but not on AMA-1 of the 556KA strain of P. chabaudi. A subset of the antibody fragments recognized AMA-1 from the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Nucleotide sequencing revealed that at least four unique scFv genes were selected by the panning procedure. These scFv antibodies are valuable reagents for probing the structure and function of AMA-1 and will be used to test the feasibility of using recombinant antibodies in a passive immunization therapy against malaria.

Animals↗

Quinoline antimalarials: mechanisms of action and resistance.

The quinoline-containing antimalarial drugs, chloroquine, quinine and mefloquine, are a vital part of our chemotherapeutic armoury against malaria. These drugs are thought to act by interfering with the digestion of haemoglobin in the blood stages of the malaria life cycle. Chloroquine is a dibasic drug which diffuses down the pH gradient to accumulate about a 1000-fold in the acidic vacuole of the parasite. The high intravacuolar concentration of chloroquine is proposed to inhibit the polymerisation of haem. As a result, the haem which is released during haemoglobin breakdown builds up to poisonous levels, thereby killing the parasite with its own toxic waste. The more lipophilic quinolinemethanol drugs, mefloquine and quinine, are not concentrated so extensively in the food vacuole and probably have alternative sites of action. The technique of photoaffinity labelling has been used to identify a series of proteins which interact specifically with mefloquine. These studies have led us to speculate that the quinolinemethanols bind to high density lipoproteins in the serum and are delivered to the erythrocytes where they interact with an erythrocyte membrane protein, known as stomatin, and are then transferred to the intracellular parasite via a pathway used for the uptake of exogenous phospholipid. The final target(s) of quinine and mefloquine action are not yet fully characterised, but may include parasite proteins with apparent molecular weights of 22 kDa and 36 kDa. As resistance to the quinoline antimalarials rises inexorably, there is an urgent need to understand the molecular basis for decreased drug sensitivity. A parasite-encoded homologue of P-glycoprotein has been implicated in the development of drug resistance, possibly by controlling the level of accumulation of the quinoline-containing drugs. As our molecular understanding of these processes increases, it should be possible to design novel antimalarial strategies which circumvent the problem of drug resistance.

Animals↗

The antimalarial drug, chloroquine, interacts with lactate dehydrogenase from Plasmodium falciparum.

We have previously shown that a radioiodinated photoreactive analogue of chloroquine, [125I]N-(4-(4-diethylamino-1-methylbutylamino)quinolin-6-yl) -4-azido-2-hydroxybenzamide ([125I]ASA-Q), specifically labels two proteins in Plasmodium falciparum with apparent molecular weights (Mr) of 42 and 33 kDa (Foley M, Deady LW, Ng K, Cowman AF, Tilley L. J Biol Chem 1994:269:6955-6961). We now report the identification of the 33 kDa protein. The 33 kDa protein was purified from Plasmodium falciparum using photoaffinity labeling with [125I]ASA-Q to monitor the enrichment process. N-terminal sequence analysis of the purified protein revealed exact identity of the first 35 amino acids with P. falciparum lactate dehydrogenase (PfLDH). The plasmodial enzyme was cloned and expressed in E. coli and the recombinant protein used to produce a rabbit antiserum. Immunoprecipitation using affinity-purified anti-PfLDH antibodies confirmed the identity of the 33 kDa CQ-binding protein. The enzyme activity of purified PfLDH was not significantly affected by chloroquine indicating that PfLDH is not a direct target of CQ. PfLDH was, however, shown to be exquisitely sensitive to inhibition by free heme and chloroquine protected against this inhibitory effect.

Affinity Labels↗

Identification of an endoplasmic reticulum-resident calcium-binding protein with multiple EF-hand motifs in asexual stages of Plasmodium falciparum.

An endoplasmic reticulum-located, calcium-binding protein, with an apparent molecular weight (Mr) of approximately 40,000 (PfERC), has been identified in the asexual stages of the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. This protein appears to be equivalent to a previously described gametocyte protein, Pfs40, which was reported to be expressed on the gametocyte surface (Rawlings DJ, Kaslow DC. J Biol Chem 1992;267:3976-3982). Sequencing of the 3' end of the gene revealed the omission of a single base in the 3' region of the published sequence. The corrected gene sequence encodes a C-terminal IDEL motif, which indicates residency of the 40 kDa protein within the endoplasmic reticulum. The predicted C-terminal region also appears to contain a sixth EF-hand calcium-binding domain, which suggests that PfERC is related to previously reported ER-localized calcium-binding proteins, namely reticulocalbin and ERC-55 (Ozawa M. J. Biochem. 1995;117:1113-1119; Weis K, Griffiths G, Lamond AI. J. Biol. Chem. 1994;269:19142-19150). The presence of the 40 kDa calcium-binding protein in malaria parasites was confirmed using 45Ca2+-blotting and partial protein sequencing of the corresponding Coomassie blue-stained polypeptide. Confocal immunofluorescence microscopy of asexual stage parasites was used to show that PfERC co-localizes with the known ER-located protein, Pfgrp. Analysis of immunoblots of tightly synchronized parasites showed that expression of PfERC increases with increasing maturity of the parasite. We propose that PfERC is a member of the reticulocalbin family of calcium-binding proteins and may play a role in protein trafficking in the malaria parasite.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Photoaffinity labeling of mefloquine-binding proteins in human serum, uninfected erythrocytes and Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes.

A photoreactive quinolinemethanol analog, N-[4-[1-hydroxy-2-(dibutylamino)ethyl]quinolin-8yl]-4- azido-2-salicylamide (ASA-MQ) has been synthesized which closely mimics the action of mefloquine. ASA-MQ possesses potent antimalarial activity against a mefloquine-sensitive strain of Plasmodium falciparum and shows decreased activity against a mefloquine-resistant parasite strain. Radioiodinated ASA-MQ has been used in photoaffinity labeling studies to identify mefloquine-interacting proteins in serum, uninfected erythrocytes and Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes. We have shown that mefloquine interacts specifically with apo-A1, the major protein of serum high density lipoproteins. In addition, mefloquine was shown to interact specifically with the erythrocyte membrane protein, band 7.2b (stomatin). A further two high affinity mefloquine-binding proteins with apparent molecular masses of 22 and 36 kDa were identified in three different strains of Plasmodium falciparum. We suggest that these two mefloquine-binding parasite proteins may be involved in the uptake of mefloquine or may represent macromolecular targets of mefloquine action in malaria parasites.

Affinity Labels↗

Modulation of the function of human MDR1 P-glycoprotein by the antimalarial drug mefloquine.

MDR1 P-glycoprotein in membranes of human tumor cells of the CEM/VBL100 line was selectively labelled using photoreactive analogs of verapamil, N-(p-azido-3-[125I]salicyl)amino-verapamil ([125I]ASA-V) and prazosin, 2-[4-(4-azido-3-[125I]iodobenzoyl)piperazin-1-yl]4 -amino-6,7-dimethoxyyquinazoline ([125I]ASA-P). Mefloquine, a quinolinemethanol antimalarial drug, was shown to inhibit the labelling of P-glycoprotein with an efficiency similar to that for verapamil, a known chemosensitizer. By contrast, chloroquine competed poorly for the binding site on P-glycoprotein. Mefloquine also inhibited the functional activity of P-glycoprotein. It decreased the rates of extrusion of [3H]vinblastine and the fluorescent dyes, fluo-3 acetomethoxy ester and rhodamine 123, from drug-resistant cells and decreased the level of resistance of these cells to vinblastine. The ability of mefloquine to inhibit P-glycoprotein function may be involved in the neurotoxic side-effects occasionally associated with the use of mefloquine as an antimalarial drug.

ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Mem↗

Novel bisquinoline antimalarials. Synthesis, antimalarial activity, and inhibition of haem polymerisation.

We report the synthesis of two series of novel bisquinoline compounds that inhibit the growth of both chloroquine-sensitive and chloroquine-resistant strains of Plasmodium falciparum. To study the molecular basis of the action of these novel antimalarial drugs, we examined their ability to inhibit haem polymerisation in the presence and absence of parasite extracts. The level of antimalarial potency was correlated with the level of inhibition of haem polymerisation, suggesting that these bisquinolines exert their antimalarial activity by antagonising the sequestration of toxic haem moieties.

Antimalarials↗

Human erythrocyte band 7.2b is preferentially labeled by a photoreactive phospholipid.

A head-group modified, photoreactive analog of phosphatidylethanolamine, N-([125I]iodo-4-azidosalicy- lamidyl)-1,2-dilauryl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylethanolamine ([125I]-N-ASA-DLPE), has been used in photoaffinity labeling studies of proteins of the human erythrocyte membrane. [125I]-N-ASA-DLPE was shown to be preferentially incorporated into a protein with an apparent molecular weight of 31 kDa. Protein sequencing and immunoprecipitation were used to identify this protein as the erythrocyte membrane protein, band 7.2b or stomatin. A sulphydryl-reactive ligand, 4-hydroxy-3-(iodo-[125I])-N-[2-(2-pyridinyldithio)ethyl]- benzenepropanamide ([125I]-PDA), was also shown to preferentially label band 7.2b. We propose that band 7.2b may act as a site of transbilayer reorientation of membrane phospholipids.

Affinity Labels↗

Synthesis and activity of some antimalarial bisquinolines.

A new type of bisquinoline antimalarial, in which the basic side chain of chloroquine is retained, has been evaluated. Nine bisamides were prepared from aliphatic diacids with 6-amino- and 8-amino-((4-(diethylamino)-1-methylbutyl)amino)quinoline, and screened against chloroquine-sensitive and -resistant strains of Plasmodium falciparum in vitro. The resistance indices for all compounds were lower than for chloroquine. The position of attachment and length of the linker chain markedly affected activity. The most active (IC50 = 120 nM against the chloroquine-resistant FAC8 strain) was the -(O)C(CH2)4C(O)- linked 8-amino compound.

Animals↗

Home improvements: malaria and the red blood cell.

In real-estate agent's terms, the red blood cell is a renovator's dream. The mature human erythrocyte has no internal organelles, no protein synthesis machinery and no infrastructure for protein trafficking. The malaria parasite invades this empty shell and effectively converts the erythrocyte back into a fully functional eukaryotic cell. In this article, Michael Foley and Leann Tilley examine the Plasmodium falciparum proteins that interact with the membrane skeleton at different stages of the infection and speculate on the roles of these proteins in the remodelling process.

Journal Article↗

Alterations in erythrocyte band 3 organization induced by the photosensitizer, hematoporphyrin derivative.

Photosensitization of erythrocytes in the presence of hematoporphyrin derivative causes cross-linking of membrane proteins. This cross-linking is associated with partial lysis of the cells and an increased susceptibility to heat-induced membrane fragmentation. The effect of photosensitization on the organization of erythrocyte band 3 was monitored using the technique of time-resolved phosphorescence anisotropy. Band 3 rotational diffusion was somewhat restricted upon photooxidation, indicating aggregation of this major integral membrane protein.

Anion Exchange Protein 1, Erythrocyte↗