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Biomedical subjects

W D Sedwick

Publications and source records attributed to W D Sedwick.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Phase I studies of recombinant interferon-gamma.

A phase I study of the effects of intravenous administration of interferon-gamma on 31 patients was performed. The effects of dose, schedule, and chronic administration were studied. In the first phase of the study, a dose range of 0.01-500 MU/m2 (0.0002-25 mg/m2) was tested and we found the maximum tolerated dose to be 400 MU/m2; the dose-limiting toxicity with this preparation was hypotension. In the second phase, three different schedules of administration were tested. There were no significant differences in toxicity between a 20 min, a 4 h, or a 24 h infusion of 60 MU/m2 (3 mg/m2). In the third phase, patients received chronic administration of either 1 or 30 MU/m2. Patients given 30 MU/m2 twice a week for 4 weeks showed more symptoms--fever, nausea, and orthostasis--than those treated with 1 MU/m2. No significant changes were seen in natural killer cell activity, antibody-dependent complement cytotoxicity, or monocyte cytotoxicity at any dose. Maximal stimulation of 2',5'-oligodenylate synthetase occurred at low doses (12 MU/m2). Depressed bone marrow colony formation for CFU-GM, BFU-E, and CFU-GEMM in vivo was noted. No objective antitumor responses were noted. This preparation of recombinant interferon-gamma can be given in doses as high as 400 MU/m2. Chronic administration would appear to be limited to 30 MU/m2. However, lower doses may give maximal biologic responses. These studies provide further information on the biologic effects of a wide dose range and a variety of schedules of recombinant interferon-gamma.

2',5'-Oligoadenylate Synthetase↗

Hydrolysis of N3-methyl-2'-deoxycytidine: model compound for reactivity of protonated cytosine residues in DNA.

Protonation of cytosine residues at physiological pH may occur in DNA as a consequence of both alkylation and aberrant base-pair formation. When cytosine derivatives are protonated, they undergo hydrolysis reactions at elevated rates and can either deaminate to form the corresponding uracil derivatives or depyrimidinate generating abasic sites. The kinetic parameters for reaction of protonated cytosine are derived by studying the hydrolysis of N3-methyl-2'-deoxycytidine (m3dC), a cytosine analogue which is predominantly protonated at physiological pH. Both deamination and depyrimidimation reaction rates are shown to be linearly dependent upon the fraction of protonated molecules. We present here thermodynamic parameters which allow determination of hydrolysis rates of m3dC as functions of pH and temperature. Protonation of cytosine residues in DNA, as induced by aberrant base-pair formation or base modification, may accelerate the rate of both deamination and depyrimidation up to several thousand-fold under physiological conditions.

Chemical Phenomena↗

Base stacking and molecular polarizability: effect of a methyl group in the 5-position of pyrimidines.

Substitution of a methyl group in the 5-position of pyrimidines increases melting temperatures and modifies biological properties of DNA. Increased DNA stability is often attributed to hydrophobic interactions between water and the methyl group. However, we present evidence that the major effect of methyl substitution is to increase the molecular polarizability of the pyrimidine, thereby increasing the base stacking. Experimentally determined base stacking interaction constants for free bases in water are shown to correlate well with calculated molecular polarizability and DNA melting temperatures.

Adenine↗

DNA base modification: ionized base pairs and mutagenesis.

The nature of hydrogen bonding between normal and modified bases has been re-examined. It is proposed that hydrogen-bonding schemes may involve tautomeric, ionized or conformational forms (syn, anti and wobble). Several important cases are presented or reviewed in which physical evidence indicates the existence of ionized base pairs. When thermodynamic values determined in aqueous solution under physiological conditions are considered, it can be argued that base ionization will contribute substantially to the stability of many biologically relevant base pairs containing modified bases. A significant incidence of ionized bases in DNA may have important kinetic ramifications for the further chemical reactivity of both the modified base and its cross-strand pairing partner. Moreover, DNA structure at and surrounding ionized base pairs may be altered. For this reason, the model presented in this study should be useful as DNA-sequence analysis becomes more commonly applied to the study of mutagenesis.

Base Composition↗

Deoxyuridine misincorporation causes site-specific mutational lesions in the lacI gene of Escherichia coli.

Spontaneous forward mutation in lacI was analyzed by DNA sequencing in a Dut- strain of E. coli. Hyperuracil incorporation into DNA due to the defect in deoxyuridinetriphosphatase caused a 5-fold increase in mutation frequency. Deletion, duplication and base-substitution frequencies were all enhanced in the Dut- strain. However, the analysis of the specificity of mutation revealed a remarkable site- and class-specificity. For example, base substitutions at a single site, a G:C = greater than A:T transition (Ochre 34) accounted for 55% of the base substitutions recovered. The spontaneous A:T = greater than G:C hotspot at position +6 at the lac operator was also recovered at an enhanced frequency in the Dut- strain where it accounted for 25% of the base substitutions. Many of the deletion and duplication events were recovered more than once; most had endpoints in A/T rich regions. The spontaneous frameshift hotspot involving the gain or loss of 5'-CTGG-3' in a region where this tetramer is tandemly repeated 3 times, was also greatly enhanced. No frameshifts involving a single base pair nor IS1 insertions were identified among the 86 lacI mutants sequenced. The analysis of these events reveals them to be generally consistent with a mechanism involving AP sites generated by the removal of misincorporated uracil by uracil-N-glycosylase. Considering the number of potential AP sites (approximately 1 per 170 base pairs) E. coli is remarkably refractory to mutational consequences of deoxyuridine misincorporation in place of thymidine.

Bacteriophage lambda↗

Induction of myeloid differentiation of HL-60 cells with naphthalene sulfonamide calmodulin antagonists.

The naphthalene sulfonamide calmodulin antagonists, N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-1-naphthalenesulfonamide and N-(4-aminobutyl)-5-chloro-2-naphthalenesulfonamide, both induce limited myeloid differentiation of the human promyelocytic cell line, HL-60. In addition, these inhibitors augment the differentiation observed when HL-60 cells are induced with retinoic acid, dimethyl sulfoxide, or dibutyryl cyclic adenosine monophosphate. The dose-response curve for HL-60 differentiation was consistent with the published 50% inhibitory dose for inhibition of calmodulin-activated phosphodiesterase and with the calmodulin drug-binding potential of N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-1-naphthalenesulfonamide and N-(4-aminobutyl)-5-chloro-2-naphthalenesulfonamide and their less active congeners, N-(6-aminohexyl)-1-naphthalenesulfonamide and N-(4-aminobutyl)-2-naphthalenesulfonamide. These effects, of the naphthalene sulfonamide calmodulin antagonists, are consistent with a regulatory role for calmodulin in cell differentiation, but parallel effects on protein kinase C cannot be excluded.

Bucladesine↗

Induction of 2',5'-oligoadenylate synthetase activity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells by gamma interferon.

Activity of the interferon-induced enzyme 2',5'-oligoadenylate (2-5A) synthetase was measured in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of 32 cancer patients treated with recombinant human gamma-interferon (rHGIF). Pretreatment activities varied widely but remained constant for each individual. The minimum dose of rHGIF that consistently stimulated activity was 12 MU/m2, although in some patients as little as 0.004 MU/m2 was stimulatory. Enzyme activity in responding patients increased threefold at 24 h after the initial infusion and remained elevated nearly twofold at 72 h independent of dose. This increase is less than that observed after infusions of alpha-interferon and parallels results observed in vitro. Pretreatment enzyme activity did not correlate with response. Twenty-minute infusions of a fixed dose were as effective as four- and 24-h infusions in raising enzyme levels. The level of activity achieved after the initial infusion could not be sustained with twice-weekly infusions. We conclude that rHGIF does induce 2-5A synthetase activity in PBMC but not to the levels induced by alpha-interferon. The observation that brief infusions of low doses can be maximally stimulatory in vivo suggests that the response of PBMC in vivo is being confounded by factors yet to be determined. Furthermore, it appears that the capacity of PBMC to maximally respond to rHGIF in vivo, with increases in enzyme activity, is transient.

2',5'-Oligoadenylate Synthetase↗

Drug concentration-dependent DNA lesions are induced by the lipid-soluble antifolate, piritrexim (BW301U).

The lipid-soluble folate antagonist, 2,4-diamino-6-(2,5-dimethoxybenzyl)-5-methylpyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidin e (piritrexim; BW301U), induced misincorporation of dUMP in human B (SB)- and T (MOLT-4)-lymphoblastoid cells, and in human promyelocytic leukemia cells (HL-60). Analysis by alkaline sucrose gradients and alkaline elution indicated that 3H-DNA that had been labeled for 15 min distributed into progressively smaller DNA fragment sizes in a drug concentration-dependent manner from 0 microM to 50 microM piritrexim. This phenomenon was observed regardless of the labeled nucleotide precursor employed for detection of newly synthesized DNA [( 3H]deoxyuridine, [3H]deoxyadenosine, or [3H]deoxycytidine). In contrast, formaldehyde denaturation and sedimentation of DNA in neutral denaturing sucrose gradients released only 3-4% of the newly synthesized DNA as 3S-6S fragments (80-200 nucleotides), whereas the remaining population of newly synthesized DNA pelleted to the bottom of the tube. Failure to detect DNA fragmentation under neutral conditions to the extent observed under alkaline conditions indicated the presence of apurinic and apyrimidinic sites in DNA--lesions which would be expected in DNA undergoing excision-repair of misincorporated dUMP. Cytotoxicity resulting from dUMP misincorporation was consistent with the enhanced toxicity of piritrexim which was observed when HL-60 cells or MOLT-4 cells were exposed concurrently to exogenous deoxyuridine. Deoxyuridine-enhanced toxicity was demonstrated to be concentration dependent for both cell lines when piritrexim concentrations were marginally toxic. The cytotoxic effect of dUMP misincorporation was further substantiated by the observation that MOLT-4 cells treated with 0.5 microM piritrexim alone eventually developed resistance to the drug, whereas treatment with both piritrexim and 10 microM deoxyuridine prevented the selection of piritrexim-resistant cells.

B-Lymphocytes↗

Misincorporation of deoxyuridine in human cells: consequences of antifolate exposure.

Treatment of B and T lymphoblastoid cell lines (SB and MOLT-4, respectively) and a promyelocytic leukemia cell line (HL-60) with the lipid soluble antifolate, 2,4-diamino-5-methyl-6-(2',5'-dimeth-oxybenzyl) -pyrido (2,4-d) pyrimidine (BW301U), led to drug dose-dependent inhibition of [3H]deoxyuridine (dU) incorporation into DNA as thymidine, and to misincorporation of [3H]dU as dUMP. After a 15 min preincubation with up to 50 microM BW301U and a further 15 min incubation after addition of [3H]dU, the number of alkaline labile apyrimidinic sites increased with increasing drug dose, as demonstrated by alkaline sucrose gradient analysis. Significantly, new replication of DNA was inhibited only approximately 50% by 50 microM BW301U when [3H]dU incorporation was greater than or equal to 97% inhibited. Additional preliminary findings suggest that newly replicated DNA containing misincorporated dUMP is rapidly degraded in vivo by extensive excision-repair processes.

B-Lymphocytes↗

Overcoming methotrexate resistance by a lipophilic antifolate (BW 301U): from theory to models to practice.

We have provided a rationale for the clinical use of a new lipid-soluble folate antagonist, BW 301U, in terms of its potential for killing several classes of methotrexate-resistant cells. As part of a Phase I evaluation of this agent we studied normal bone marrow from cancer patients and their metabolic susceptibility to either BW 301U or to MTX and then repeated the observations at the end of five days of BW 301U infusions. Both inhibitors were roughly comparable at equimolar concentrations prior to therapy, but a relative resistance developed to MTX after BW 301U treatment. Such findings were replicated in an in vitro HL-60 cell culture system that was exposed to BW 301U. Some possible mechanisms for this unusual collateral resistance are discussed.

Animals↗

Paradoxical effect of BW 301U, a lipophilic antifolate, on methotrexate-inhibitable deoxyuridine incorporation by human hematopoietic cells.

The ability of methotrexate and BW 301U, a lipophilic folate antagonist, to inhibit tritiated deoxyuridine incorporation into acid-precipitable material by human bone marrow cells was evaluated before and after five sequential daily infusions of BW 301U. After in vivo BW 301U therapy, bone marrow cells from five of the six patients exhibited significantly reduced inhibition by 1 microM methotrexate in vitro, whereas the response to 1 microM BW 301U remained unchanged. Megaloblastic marrow morphology and decreased myeloid progenitor cloning efficiency were also observed following five daily BW 301U infusions of 21 and 71 mg/sq m, respectively. A similar reduction in the ability of methotrexate to inhibit tritiated deoxyuridine incorporation was also seen in HL-60 cells, a human acute promyelocytic leukemia cell line, after incubation in vitro with cytostatic concentrations of BW 301U for 3 days. Concomitant changes in the response to BW 301U did not occur. While it is premature to infer clinical significance from this preliminary observation of BW 301U-induced asymmetry in the response to subsequent antifolates, our results augment a growing body of evidence which suggests that lipophilic folate antagonists might be effective in the treatment of methotrexate-resistant neoplasms.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

The occurrence and consequences of deoxyuridine in DNA.

Deoxyuridine can become resident in the DNA of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells via two general mechanisms - deamination of cytosine to uracil, and nucleotide pool changes that lead to misincorporation of deoxyuridine in place of thymidine. In this paper we have examined the chemical basis of deamination reactions in DNA and discussed a possible mechanism for an increased rate of deamination by means of cross-strand protonation of cytosine by alkylated guanine. In addition, we have examined the genetic and drug-induced conditions that lead to dUMP misincorporation into DNA in place of thymidine and have presented experimental evidence indicating that the antifolate-induced lesion is a general drug-dose dependent lesion of human blood cells. Finally, the toxic and genetic impact of this lesion has been evaluated within the context of a review of the repair mechanisms elicited by dUMP in DNA.

Base Composition↗

Differences in calmodulin levels of normal and transformed cells as determined by culture conditions.

Several studies have suggested that calmodulin (CAM) levels increase in cells as a consequence of transformation by RNA tumor viruses. This study examines factors affecting CAM levels in normal and transformed chick embryo fibroblasts. Significant differences in CAM levels of normal and transformed cells were observed as cells grew from subconfluent to confluent densities. These changes were not cell cycle dependent, nor did they correlate with the growth rate of the cultures. The most significant difference between normal and transformed cultures was a lack of down-regulation of CAM levels in transformed cells as compared to normal chick embryo fibroblasts. This decrease in CAM levels in normal cells occurred in high density cultures that were allowed to grow undisturbed for several days without trypsinization and reseeding. These experiments do not support the contention that differences in the growth potential of cycling cultures of normal and transformed cells are regulated through modulation of CAM levels.

Animals↗

Calmodulin and Ca2+ in normal and transformed cells.

Numerous lines of evidence implicate calcium and calmodulin (CaM) as regulators of cell growth and functional differentiation. In light of this evidence, several studies of the possible involvement of the CaM system in cellular transformation by RNA and DNA tumor viruses have been carried out. This paper summarizes the evidence linking calcium and CaM to the regulation of cell growth and critically examines the evidence that increases in CaM levels occur in transformed versus normal cells. A nontraumatic method for synchronizing both normal and transformed chick fibroblasts is presented. This method is utilized in a comparison of CaM level throughout the cell cycle of Rous sarcoma virus transformed and normal chick embryo fibroblasts. These studies best support the hypothesis that the observed differences in CaM levels between transformed and normal cultures under optimal growth conditions may largely reflect differences in the proportion of cells in a dividing versus a nondividing state.

Animals↗

Metabolic inhibition by a new antifolate, 2,4-diamino-6-(2,5-dimethoxybenzyl)-5-methyl-pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine (BW3O1U), an effective inhibitor of human lymphoid and dihydrofolate reductase-overproducing mouse cell lines.

The human lymphoblastoid cell line, WIL-2, and a mouse cell line, 3T6R400, that overproduces a mutant dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) having greater than 100-fold increased resistance to methotrexate (MTX) inhibition, were used to compare the inhibitory properties of a novel lipid-soluble antifolate, 2,4-diamino-6-(2,5-dimethoxybenzyl)-5-methyl-pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine (BW301U), with the 2,4-arylpyrimidine, 2,4-diamino-5-(3,4'-dichlorophenyl)-6-methylpyrimidine (DDMP) and with MTX. These studies demonstrated that, like DDMP, BW301U rapidly entered cells and inhibited the incorporation of dUrd into DNA. Drug association with cells was temperature-independent and apparently did not require active transport. BW301U inhibited cell growth by 50% at 0.025 microM, whereas MTX caused equivalent inhibition at 0.045 microM. Inhibition of DNA synthesis produced by 90 min of exposure to BW301U was completely reversed within 2 hr after washing cells and suspending them in drug-free medium. In contrast, inhibition of DNA synthesis in MTX-treated cells was not reversed by simply removing the antifolate, but required the addition of calcium leukovorin or thymidine to the drug-free medium in order to facilitate complete reversal of DNA synthesis. Finally, like DDMP, BW301U was approximately 1000 times more effective than MTX in inhibiting dUrd incorporation into the DNA of a DHFR gene-amplified cell line of mouse 3T6 cells.

Animals↗

Antifolate-induced misincorporation of deoxyuridine monophosphate into DNA: inhibition of high molecular weight DNA synthesis in human lymphoblastoid cells.

In vitro exposure of a human lymphoblastoid cell line (WIL-2) to the antifolate metoprine (DDMP), when followed by the addition of exogenous deoxyuridine, led to intracellular accumulation of deoxyuridine triphosphate (dUTP) and incorporation of deoxyuridine monophosphate (dUMP) into DNA. When newly synthesized DNA was extracted from DDMP-treated cells that had been labeled with deoxyuridine for up to 3 min, most of the DNA synthesized was no larger than 4 S on alkaline sucrose gradients. In contrast, the predominant form of newly synthesized alkali-stable DNA in cells not treated with drug was larger than 4 S. Abnormal progression of DNA synthesis, degradation of newly synthesized DNA, or both occurred as a delayed consequence of DDMP treatment in the absence of exogenous deoxyuridine when thymidine was used to label DNA of DDMP-treated stability of antifolate-induced misincorporation of dUMP into DNA was not elucidated, it was clear that antifolates can directly perturb the quality as well as the quantity of DNA synthesized by drug-treated cells.

Antineoplastic Agents↗