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A genetic approach to the biosynthesis of the rifamycin-chromophore in Nocardia mediterranei. I. Isolation and characterization of a pentose-excreting auxotrophic mutant of Nocardia mediterranei with drastically reduced rifamycin production.

The mutant under study, designated A8, is derived from a Nocardia mediterranei strain, N813, which is a high rifamycin B producer. A8 is auxotrophic for aromatic amino acids and produces much less rifamycin B than the parent. A mixture of pentoses with D (--) ribulose as the main product is accumulated in the fermentation broth of this mutant. It was shown to be affected in its transketolase activity as no formation of D-sedoheptulose -7P from pentose-phosphates could be detected in vitro using crude extracts. The only pathway so far known which is derived from D-sedoheptulose-7P is the shikimate pathway leading to aromatic amino acids and vitamins. Biochemical and genetic investigations with mutant A8, which is defective in both the biosynthesis of rifamycins and the biosynthesis of shikimate pathway products, show that the seven-carbon amino unit of the rifamycin-chromophore must be derived from an intermediate of the shikimate pathway.

Culture Media

A genetic approach to the biosynthesis of the rifamycin-chromophore in Nocardia mediterranei. II. Isolation and characterization of a shikimate excreting auxotrophic mutant of Nocardia mediterranei with normal rifamycin-production.

The mutant under study, designated A10, is derived from a Nocardia mediterranei strain, N813, which is a high rifamycin B producer. A10 is auxotrophic for aromatic amino acids but unlike A8 (see preceding paper) produces the same amount of rifamycin B as the parent. Shikimic acid and 3-dehydroshikimic acid are accumulated in the fermentation broth of this mutant. It was shown to be blocked in one of the enzymes leading from shikimate to chorismate. No formation of shikimate-3-phosphate from shikimate and ATP could be detected in vitro using crude extracts of this mutant and of the parent. As mutant A10 is only defective in the biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids and not in the biosynthesis of rifamycins it would appear that the seven-carbon amino unit of the rifamycin-chromophore must be derived from an intermediate of the shikimate pathway not behind shikimate. By referring to the results of the preceding paper it can be seen that the origin of this moiety can definitely be localized between 3-deoxy-D-arabinoheptulosonic acid-7-phosphate and shikimate.

Culture Media

Interaction of rifamycins with mammalian nucleic acid polymerizing enzymes.

Procedures were established for the isolation and partial purification of DNA polymerase, RNA polymerase and poly(A) polymerase activities from the cytoplasm and nuclei of NIH-Swiss mouse embryos. Based on the elution pattern of these enzyme activities from DEAE-cellulose and phosphocellulose columns in Tris-HCl buffer, pH 8.0, the apparent basicities of the enzymes can be arranged as follows: cytoplasmic(C) poly(A) polymerase greater than (C)DNA polymerase beta greater than (C)DNA polymerase alpha and nuclear(N) poly(A) polymerase greater than (N)DNA polymerase greater than (N)RNA polymerase I greater than (N)RNA polymerase II. Twenty rifamycins, including rifamycin B, rifamycin S, rifamycin SV, and rifamycin SV derivatives, were examined for their ability to inhibit the above mentioned nucleic acid polymerizing enzymes and Simian sarcoma virus type I (SSV-1) reverse transcriptase. Rifamycin SV 3'-formyldiphenylhydrazone, rifamycin SV 3'-formyl-n-octyloxime (AF/013) and rifamycin SV 3'-formyldiphenylmethyloxime (AF/05) inhibited all the tested enzyme activities. Rifamycin SV 3'-formylpropylphenyloxime (AF/015) inhibited cellular nucleic acid polymerase activities but not SSV-1 DNA polymerase activity. Rifamycin SV 3'-formyldinitrophenylhydrazone (AF/DNFL) strongly inhibited reverse transcriptase activity but did not inhibit cellular DNA polymerase activities. AF/DNFI slightly inhibited RNA and poly(A) polymerase activities. Rifamycin SV 3'-formyldipropylhydrazone (AF/DPI) and 2,6-dimethyl-4-N-benzyldemethyl-rifampicin (AF/ABDMP) slightly inhibited reverse transcriptase activity but did not inhibit cellular nucleic acid polymerase activities. Active rifamycin derivatives inhibited enzyme reactions by interacting with the enzyme proteins. Nascent polynucleotide chain elongation continued although at a reduced rate in the presence of inhibitor. The addition of increasing concentrations of nonionic detergent (Triton X-100) to rifamycin-inhibited enzyme reactions fully restored enzyme activities. The presence of highly lipophilic 3'-side chains on active rifamycins and the reversibility of enzyme inhibition by Triton X-100 suggest that the tested nucleic acid polymerizing enzymes may have hydrophobic regions with which inhibitory rifamycins interact.

Animals

Stimulation of microsomal production of reactive oxygen intermediates by rifamycin SV: effect of ferric complexes and comparisons between NADPH and NADH.

Rifamycins are antibacterial antibiotics which are especially useful for the treatment of tuberculosis. Reactive oxygen intermediates are produced in the presence of rifamycin SV and metals such as copper or manganese. Experiments were carried out to evaluate the interaction of rifamycin SV with rat liver microsomes to catalyze the production of reactive oxygen species. At a concentration of 1 mM, rifamycin SV increased microsomal production of superoxide with NADPH as cofactor 3-fold, and with NADH as reductant by more than 5-fold. Rifamycin SV increased rates of H2O2 production by the microsomes twofold with NADPH, and 4- to 8-fold with NADH. In the presence of various iron complexes, microsomes generated hydroxyl radical-like (.OH) species. Rifamycin SV had no effect on NADPH-dependent microsomal .OH production, irrespective of the iron chelate. A striking stimulation of .OH production was found with NADH as the reductant, ranging from 2- to 4-fold with catalyst such as ferric-EDTA and ferric-DTPA to more than 10-fold with ferric-ATP, -citrate, or -histidine. Catalase and competitive .OH scavengers lowered rates of .OH production (chemical scavenger oxidation) and prevented the stimulation by rifamycin. Superoxide dismutase had no effect on the NADH-dependent rifamycin stimulation of .OH production with ferric-EDTA or -DTPA, but was inhibitory with the other ferric complexes. In contrast to the stimulatory effects on production of O2-., H2O2, and .OH, rifamycin SV was a potent inhibitor of microsomal lipid peroxidation. These results show that rifamycin SV stimulates microsomal production of reactive oxygen intermediates, and in contrast to results with other redox cycling agents, is especially effective with NADH as the microsomal reductant. These interactions may contribute to the hepatotoxicity associated with use of rifamycin, and, since alcohol metabolism increases NADH availability, play a role in the elevated toxic actions of rifamycin plus alcohol.

Animals

R17 RNA replicase. V. Rifamycin sensitivity of R17 RNA synthesis in vivo.

The effect of rifamycin on R14 phage growth in vivo was examined using rifamycin sensitive and resistant strains of E. coli as host cells. The following conclusions were obtained: (1) There is a time lag between the addition of rifamycin to the culture and the initiation of inhibitory action by the drug. At 25 mug rifamycin per ml, this time lag is approximately 30 min. At 50 mug per ml, it takes 10 min to exert 90% inhibition of RNA synthesis in both infected and non-infected cultures. (2) The rifamycin sensitive stage for R17 growth is the first 20 min of its infectious cycle during which time the synthesis of phage components, but not the assembly, takes place. (3) Of the phage component synthesis, RNA synthesis is definitely sensitive to rifamycin in contrast to the other RNA phage systems. Of the four phage specific RNA's, progeny plus strand synthesis is trongly inhibited. The synthesis of replicating forms is also sensitive to rifamycin, but their suppression appears to be incomplete.

Centrifugation, Density Gradient

The interaction of rifamycin SV with hepatic transport of taurocholic acid in the isolated perfused rat liver.

The effect of rifamycin SV on hepatic transport of taurocholic acid was investigated using isolated perfused rat liver technique. In all experiments, the perfused liver was maintained at taurocholic acid steady state by infusing constant amount of taurocholic acid. Infusion of rifamycin SV at various rates decreased biliary secretion of bile acids in a dose-dependent manner. Replacement of rifamycin SV by perfusion medium reversed this effect. To determine the site of action of rifamycin SV, kinetic experiments with 14C-taurocholic acid were undertaken. Rifamycin SV elevated the half-life of the medium disappearance of 14C-taurocholic acid. Furthermore, the antibiotic delayed the biliary appearance of 14C-taurocholic acid. The analysis of the results gave indications that the antibiotic interferred with hepatic uptake as well as biliary secretion of taurocholic acid.

Animals

DNA-polymerase inhibitors. Rifamycin derivatives.

Ten new derivatives of the antibiotic rifamycin with variable side chains at position 3 were synthesized. The inhibitory activity of these derivatives against DNA-polymerases isolated from avian myeloblastosis virus, E. coli and calf thymus were studied at various conditions. 3-(2,4,6-trinitrophenylhydrazone-(methyl) rifamycin SV is a strong inhibitor for all the polymerases tested and belongs to the C class inhibitors of reverse transcriptase. 3-(monoallylhydrazone-(methyl) rifamycin SV possesses a selective action on polymerases: at 0.1 mg/ml concentration it almost completely inhibits the reverse transcriptase and less than half of the bacterial and eukaryotic enzymes. A drug is found which strongly inhibits the DNA-polymerases from E. coli and calf thymus and weakly the viral enzyme. The inhibitory effect on reverse transcriptase is independent of the choice of template-primer; it could be overcome by the addition of excess enzyme but not of excess template-primer; the inhibition could be completely reversed by dilution of the drug-enzyme mixture. From Lineweaver-Burk analysis, the inhibition is noncompetitive with respect to the template-primer and, thus the drugs bind to the site different from the active site for the template-primer. From protective action of the template-primer and other data it might be suggested that the rifamycin derivatives act at an early step(s) in DNA synthesis catalyzed by reverse transcriptase. The obtained data are in agreement with the results for other derivatives of rifamycin SV described in literature.

Animals

[Distribution of Rifamycin SV in de Bovine Tissues Following Intramammary Administration of Rifamastene (author's transl)].

Depending on the physiological activity of the udder, from 4 to 95 per cent of the rifamycin SV administered by intrammary injection are absorbed from the udder and approximately 95 per cent of the absorbed rifamycin SV are excreted through the liver. The rifamycin SV eliminated in the faeces will lose its microbiological activity more or less rapidly, depending on the temperature and oxygen tension. Accumulation of rifamycin SV in the meat and organs will not occur on intramammary administration of this antibiotic. A balance between absorption and excretion is attained within sixty minutes after intramammary administration of Rifamastene in cattle. The maximum rifamycin SV concentrations determined in the serum, bile and urine were 0.12, 18.2 and 0.32 mug/ml respectively. Van Schothorst's S. lutea kidney test which is required by law in the Netherlands, was negative in every case.

Animals

[Comparative study of the effect of different rifamycins on bacterial cell metabolism and on the RNA-polymerase reaction in a cell-free system].

The results of the study on the inhibitory effect of a number of rifamycin derivatives, such as rifamycin B, rifamycin O, rifamycin, rifamycin A, 25-desacetylrifampicin and rifampicin are presented. It was shown that rifampicin had the highest inhibitory effect on the synthesis of RNA in the cells of E. coli and Staph. aureus. It inhibited the above process by 93.0 and 98.8 per cent respectively. The data on the cells of Staph. aureus, as well as the data on comparison of the inhibitory effect of rifampicin derivatives with respect to the RNA-polymerase reaction in acellular systems are presented.

Cell-Free System

Replication of RNA bacteriophages in the presence of rifamycin.

Replication of RNA bacteriophages in the presence of rifamycin was studied in different Escherichia coli strains that vary in RNase content but are not isogenic: AB259 RNase+, Q13 RNase I- PNPase-, AB105 RNase I- RNase III-. It was found that rifamycin did not affect characteristics of phage replication such as the general pattern of viral RNA synthesis and intracellular development of the phage. These characteristics are strain specific and independent of the cell growth rate, which defines only phage release. The inhibition of cell division by rifamycin interfered with the release of the phage and thus produced an apparent effect of rifamycin on phage replication.

Coliphages

Effect of the rifamycin dimers on the activities of nucleic acid polymerases from various sources. Relation between lipophily and toxicity.

The chemical dimers of rifamycin SV resembled the corresponding monomeric analogs with respect to the inhibitory properties versus the nucleic acid polymerases. At low doses, such compounds blocked the initiation step of the DNA transcription catalyzed by the bacterial RNA polymerase, as observed for the parental antibiotic and its derivative rifampicin which are largely used in therapy. At concentrations one to two orders of magnitude higher, the chemically modified rifamycins inhibited also other nucleotidyltransferases. The widespread toxicity of the dimeric and monomeric semisynthetic rifamycins versus these enzymes was not causally related with an enhancement of their lipophily. The observed effects might be due to a loss of selectivity in the inhibition mechanism which was originally specific for the RNA polymerase from E. coli at the beginning of its catalysis. The rifamycin derivatives might then react with the catalytic portion of other nucleotidyltransferases interfering adversely with the enzyme activity in a number of ways and/or at different levels.

Animals

[Determination of rifamycin B activity in culture liquids and in preparations with varying degrees of purity].

A possibility of using the biological method of rifamycin B activity determination in the fermentation broth and dry preparations of various purity levels was studied. It was found that the biological method was useful only for determination of rifamycin B activity in preparations containing not less than 850 gamma/mg of the main product. When the activity of rifamycin B was determined in the fermentation broth and crude preparations containing less than 800 gamma/mg of the main product, the results of the biological assay were always higher as compared to those of spectrophotometrical estimation. It was accounted for the effect of other rifamycin types possessing high biological activity.

Agar

[Pharmacokinetics of rifamycin].

Rifamycin pharmacokinetics was studied on experimental animals after the antibiotic administration by various routes. Parenteral use of the antibiotic resulted in its high levels in rats and rabbits. Irrespective of the administration route, i. e. intravenous, intramuscular or oral rifamycin satisfactorily penetrated into the rat tissues. The highest antibiotic levels were found in the animal liver. In small amounts the antibiotic was excreted with the urine (about 6 per cent for 4 hours). The extrarenal clearance of rifamycin was lower than the plasmic clearance only by 3 per cent and higher than the kidney clearance almost by 40 times. Rifamycin was bound in close amounts by the blood serum of humans, oxen and rabbits, i. e. by 68, 64 and 56 per cent respectively. The rat organ homogenates bound the antibiotic by 34--72 per cent.

Animals

[Virus and plant-host interrelationships in the presence of rifamycin].

The effect of rifamycine on the infectivity and accumulation in tissues of potato X-virus (PXV) and tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) in local and systemic infections of plants was studied. High concentrations of rifamycine (50--100 microgram/ml) were found to inhibit and low (2 microgram/ml) to stimulate the infectivity of the viruses. Rifamycine reduced accumulation of PXV in isolated leaves of thornapple and growth of necrotic lesions caused by TMV on tobacco leaves. The effectiveness of the antibiotic depends on its concentration, method and time of its use and the kind of the experimental system. The activity of rifamycine towards the induced tobacco resistance to reinfection with TMV was found to be insignificant.

Dose-Response Relationship, Drug

Nuclear transcription in vitro. Sensitivity to inhibition by ribosyldichlorobenzimidazole and rifamycin AF/013.

L cell nuclear preparations were shown to transcribe RNA for periods up to 1 h at 37 degrees C. Nearly 70% of the transcription products were sensitive to inhibition by 1 microgram/mL of alpha-amanitin, indicating that they were transcribed by RNA polymerase II. Analysis of polyphosphorylated termini of in vitro synthesized RNA showed the presence of a phosphatase activity which prevents quantitative recovery of these termini. The finding of in vitro labeled polyphosphorylated termini in RNA greater than 12 S after short periods of incubation shows initiation in vitro for this size class. The labeling of these polyphosphorylated termini is decreased in the presence of rifamycin AF/013. The use of two apparent inhibitors of initiation, rifamycin AF/013 and 5,6-dichloro-1-beta-D-ribofuranosylbenzimidazole (DRB), has allowed detection of in vitro initiated transcripts of heterogeneous nuclear RNA. Both of these inhibitors act primarily at later times of incubation, in contrast to alpha-amanitin which acts on elongation and inhibits in vitro RNA synthesis immediately. The selective pattern of DRB inhibition on hnRNA is retained in vitro and some accumulation of large-size molecules is observed. It can be estimated that about 30% of the greater than 12S hnRNA sequences transcribed in vitro are sensitive to DRB and 48% of greater than 12S RNA are sensitive to rifamycin AF/013 inhibition.

Cell Nucleus

The modification of DNA-dependent RNA polymerase from Escherichia coli by an alkylating derivative of rifamycin SV.

3-(2-Bromo[1-14C]acetamidoethyl)-thio-rifamycin SV, abbreviated BrAcNEtS-Rif, and alkylating derivative of rifamycin SV was synthesized. A four-fold excess of BrAcNEtS-Rif inhibited the enzymic activity of RNA polymerase from Escherichia coli to 97%. Incubation of RNA polymerase with Br[14C]AcNEtS-Rif led to covalent substitution. The reaction of Br[14C]AcNEtS-Rif with enzyme at a ratio of 1.4:1 and a concentration of 63 nM was found to proceed with a half life of 1 h at 37 degrees C. The enzyme could be protected from reaction with BrAcNEtS-Rif by either rifampicin or the hybrid [poly(dT)]-[r(Ap)5a]. The modification of holoenzyme by Br[14C]AcNEtS-Rif in the presence of p-hydroxymercuribenzene sulfonic acid (pOH-HgBzSO3H) or 4 M LiCl occurred with faster kinetics and led to a higher degree of substitution. Reaction of Br[14C]AcNEtS-Rif with RNA polymerase core enzyme caused predominant substitution of subunit beta. In the case of RNA polymerase holenzyme the radioactive substituents were evenly distributed between subunits beta and sigma. Apparently the topology of the rifamycin binding site of holoenzyme, similarly to core enzyme, precludes attacks of nucleophilic functions from beta' and alpha, but it allows nucleophilic functions from subunits beta and sigma to react with equal probability on BrAcNEtS-Rif. In the presence of a 20-fold excess of pOH-HgBzSO3H, the modification of holoenzyme was drastically altered. Virtually all substitution took place on subunit beta', very little on beta and none on subunits sigma and alpha.

Alkylating Agents

Mechanism of action of rifamazine, a member of a new class of (dimeric) rifamycins.

1. Rifamazine (AF/RP) a dimeric rifamycin, is active against bacterial DNA-dependent RNA polymerase and against viral RNA-dependent DNA polymerase. 2. Rifamazine is active also against DNA-dependent RNA polymerase extracted from rifampicin-resistant mutants of Escherichia coli. It does not interfere with enzyme-template interaction or with RNA elongation. It blocks initiation. 3. A comparison is made between the mechanism of action of rifamazine and that of rifampicin, and of AF/013 (octyloxime of 3-formylrifamycin SV), a C-class rifamycin. Our results show that the mechanism of action of rifamazine is more similar to that of rifampicin than to that of the octyloxime derivative. 4. Activity of rifamazine against RNA polymerase from rifampicin-resistant mutants is thought to be due to binding of the dimer to both the rifamycin-specific binding site and to a second weak site.

Coliphages