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Introduction: Identifying the most effective ways to support career development of early stage investigators in clinical and translational science should yield benefits for the biomedical research community. Institutions with Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) offer KL2 programs to facilitate career development; however, the sustained impact has not been widely assessed. Methods: A survey comprised of quantitative and qualitative questions was sent to 2144 individuals that had previously received support through CTSA KL2 mechanisms. The 547 responses were analyzed with identifying information redacted. Results: Respondents held MD (47%), PhD (36%), and MD/PhD (13%) degrees. After KL2 support was completed, physicians’ time was divided 50% to research and 30% to patient care, whereas PhD respondents devoted 70% time to research. Funded research effort averaged 60% for the cohort. Respondents were satisfied with their career progression. More than 95% thought their current job was meaningful. Two-thirds felt confident or very confident in their ability to sustain a career in clinical and translational research. Factors cited as contributing to career success included protected time, mentoring, and collaborations. Conclusion: This first large systematic survey of KL2 alumni provides valuable insight into the group’s perceptions of the program and outcome information. Former scholars are largely satisfied with their career choice and direction, national recognition of their expertise, and impact of their work. Importantly, they identified training activities that contributed to success. Our results and future analysis of the survey data should inform the framework for developing platforms to launch sustaining careers of translational scientists.

Nuclear protein import in eukaryotic cells is mediated by karyopherin proteins, which bind to specific nuclear localization signals on substrate proteins and transport them across the nuclear envelope and into the nucleus. Replication protein A (RPA) is a nuclear protein comprised of three subunits (termed Rfa1, Rfa2, and Rfa3 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae) that binds single-stranded DNA and is essential for DNA replication, recombination, and repair. RPA associates with two different karyopherins in yeast, Kap95, and Msn5/Kap142. However, it is unclear which of these karyopherins is responsible for RPA nuclear import. We have generated GFP fusion proteins with each of the RPA subunits and demonstrate that these Rfa-GFP chimeras are functional in yeast cells. The intracellular localization of the RPA proteins in live cells is similar in wild-type and msn5Δ deletion strains but becomes primarily cytoplasmic in cells lacking functional Kap95. Truncating the C-terminus of any of the RPA subunits results in mislocalization of the proteins to the cytoplasm and a loss of protein–protein interactions between the subunits. Our data indicate that Kap95 is likely the primary karyopherin responsible for RPA nuclear import in yeast and that the C-terminal regions of Rfa1, Rfa2, and Rfa3 are essential for efficient nucleocytoplasmic transport of each RPA subunit.

A new highly unsaturated macrolide lactam, termed mirabilin ( 1), was isolated from the aqueous extract of the marine sponge Siliquariaspongia mirabilis. Mirabilin is characterized by the presence of a 35-membered macrolide lactam ring bearing a pentadiene conjugated system and a tetrasubstituted tetrahydropyran ring. A linear polyketide moiety is attached to the macrocyclic ring through an amide linkage. The structure of mirabilin was determined using extensive 2D NMR and ESIMS and tandem MS techniques. Mirabilin inhibits the growth of the tumor cell line HCT-116 with an IC 50 value of 0.27 +/- 0.09 microM and is noncytotoxic to several other cell lines.

4'-Phosphopantetheinyl transferases (PPTases) catalyze a post-translational modification essential to bacterial cell viability and virulence. We present the discovery and medicinal chemistry optimization of 2-pyridinyl-N-(4-aryl)piperazine-1-carbothioamides, which exhibit submicromolar inhibition of bacterial Sfp-PPTase with no activity toward the human orthologue. Moreover, compounds within this class possess antibacterial activity in the absence of a rapid cytotoxic response in human cells. An advanced analogue of this series, ML267 (55), was found to attenuate production of an Sfp-PPTase-dependent metabolite when applied to Bacillus subtilis at sublethal doses. Additional testing revealed antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus , and chemical genetic studies implicated efflux as a mechanism for resistance in Escherichia coli . Additionally, we highlight the in vitro absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion and in vivo pharmacokinetic profiles of compound 55 to further demonstrate the potential utility of this small-molecule inhibitor.

Chleboun GS, Howell JN, Baker HL, Ballard TN, Graham JL, Hallman HL, Perkins LE, Schauss JH, Conatser RR. Intermittent pneumatic compression effect on eccentric exercise-induced swelling, stiffness, and strength loss. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 1995;76:744-9. • Objective: The purpose was to determine if intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) affects muscle swelling, stiffness, and strength loss resulting from eccentric exercise-induced injury of the elbow flexors. We hypothesized that the compression would decrease swelling and stiffness. Design: Repeated measures design with a before- after trial comparison within each day. Setting: Conducted at a university Somatic Dysfunction Laboratory. Subjects: Twenty-two college women students were studied. They had not been lifting weights or otherwise participating in regular arm exercise for the 6 months before the study. They had no history of upper extremity injury or cardiovascular disease. Interventions: Subjects performed one bout of eccentric exercise at a high load to induce elbow flexor muscle injury. Uniform IPC was applied on the day of exercise and daily for 5 days at 60mmHg, 40 seconds inflation, 20 deflation for 20 minutes. Main Outcome Measures: Measurements of arm circumference, stiffness, and isometric strength were recorded before exercise, then before and after IPC for 5 days after exercise. Passive muscle stiffness was measured on a device that extends the elbow stepwise and records the torque required to hold the forearm at each elbow angle. Results: Circumference and stiffness increased and strength decreased during the 5 days post-exercise (p < .05). IPC significantly decreased circumference and stiffness most notably on days 2 and 3 after exercise (p < .05). The strength loss was not affected by IPC. Conclusion: IPC is effective in temporarily decreasing the swelling and stiffness after exercise-induced muscle injury. © 1995 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and

Background The recently approved anti-AIDS drug rilpivirine (TMC278, Edurant) is a nonnucleoside inhibitor (NNRTI) that binds to reverse transcriptase (RT) and allosterically blocks the chemical step of DNA synthesis. In contrast to earlier NNRTIs, rilpivirine retains potency against well-characterized, clinically relevant RT mutants. Many structural analogues of rilpivirine are described in the patent literature, but detailed analyses of their antiviral activities have not been published. This work addresses the ability of several of these analogues to inhibit the replication of wild-type (WT) and drug-resistant HIV-1. Results We used a combination of structure activity relationships and X-ray crystallography to examine NNRTIs that are structurally related to rilpivirine to determine their ability to inhibit WT RT and several clinically relevant RT mutants. Several analogues showed broad activity with only modest losses of potency when challenged with drug-resistant viruses. Structural analyses (crystallography or modeling) of several analogues whose potencies were reduced by RT mutations provide insight into why these compounds were less effective. Conclusions Subtle variations between compounds can lead to profound differences in their activities and resistance profiles. Compounds with larger substitutions replacing the pyrimidine and benzonitrile groups of rilpivirine, which reorient pocket residues, tend to lose more activity against the mutants we tested. These results provide a deeper understanding of how rilpivirine and related compounds interact with the NNRTI binding pocket and should facilitate development of novel inhibitors.

Two new marine-derived sesquiterpene benzoquinones which we designate as neopetrosiquinones A (1) and B (2), have been isolated from a deep-water sponge of the family Petrosiidae. The structures were elucidated on the basis of their spectroscopic data. Compounds 1 and 2 inhibit the in vitro proliferation of the DLD-1 human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line with IC50 values of 3.7 and 9.8 μM, respectively, and the PANC-1 human pancreatic carcinoma cell line with IC50 values of 6.1 and 13.8 μM, respectively. Neopetrosiquinone A (1) also inhibited the in vitro proliferation of the AsPC-1 human pancreatic carcinoma cell line with an IC50 value of 6.1 μM. The compounds are structurally related to alisiaquinone A, cyclozonarone, and xestoquinone.

Four new depsipeptides, mirabamides E-H (1-4), and the known depsipeptide mirabamide C (5) have been isolated from the sponge Stelletta clavosa, collected from the Torres Strait. The planar structures were determined on the basis of extensive 1D and 2D NMR and HRESIMS. The absolute configurations were established by the advanced Marfey's method, NMR, and GC-MS. The four new compounds all showed strong inhibition of HIV-1 in a neutralization assay with IC(50) values of 121, 62, 68, and 41 nM, respectively.

We describe the development of a new type of scaffold to target RNA structures. Multivalent binding oligomers (MBOs) are molecules in which multiple sidechains extend from a polyamine backbone such that favorable RNA binding occurs. We have used this strategy to develop MBO-based inhibitors to prevent the association of a protein-RNA complex, Tat-TAR, that is essential for HIV replication. In vitro binding assays combined with model cell-based assays demonstrate that the optimal MBOs inhibit Tat-TAR binding at low micromolar concentrations. Antiviral studies are also consistent with the in vitro and cell-based assays. MBOs provide a framework for the development of future RNA-targeting molecules.

Mycothiol ligase (MshC) is a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of mycothiol, a small molecular weight thiol that is unique to actinomycetes and whose primary role is to maintain intracellular redox balance and remove toxins. MshC catalyzes the adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-dependent condensation of cysteine and glucosamine-inositol (GI) to produce cysteine-glucosamine-inositol (CGI). MshC is essential to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and therefore represents an attractive target for chemotherapeutic intervention. A screening protocol was developed to identify MshC inhibitors based on quantification of residual ATP using a coupled luminescent assay. The protocol was used to screen a library of 3100 compounds in a 384-well plate format (Z'>or=0.65). Fifteen hits (0.48%) were identified from the screen, and 2 hits were confirmed in a secondary assay that measures production of CGI. The structures of both hits contain N-substituted quinolinium moieties, and the more potent of the 2-namely, dequalinium chloride-inhibits MshC with an IC50 value of 24+/-1 microM. Further studies showed dequalinium to be an ATP-competitive inhibitor of MshC, to bind MshC with a KD of 0.22 microM, and to inhibit the growth of M. tuberculosis under aerobic and anaerobic conditions with minimum inhibitory and anaerobic bactericidal concentrations of 1.2 and 0.3 microg/mL, respectively. The screening protocol described is robust and has enabled the identification of new MshC inhibitors.

Six new depsipeptides belonging to two different structural classes, termed celebesides A-C and theopapuamides B-D, have been isolated from the marine sponge Siliquariaspongia mirabilis. Their structures were determined using extensive 2D NMR and ESI-MS/MS techniques. Celebesides are unusual cyclic depsipeptides that comprise a polyketide moiety and five amino acid residues, including an uncommon 3-carbamoyl threonine, and a phosphoserine residue in celebesides A and B. Theopapuamides B-D are undecapeptides with an N-terminal fatty acid moiety containing two previously unreported amino acids, 3-acetamido-2-aminopropanoic acid and 4-amino-2,3-dihydroxy-5-methylhexanoic acid. The relative configuration of the polyketide moiety in celebesides was resolved by J-based analysis and quantum mechanical calculations, the results of which were self consistent. Celebeside A neutralized HIV-1 in a single round infectivity assay with an IC50 value of 1.9 ± 0.4 μg/mL while the non-phosphorylated analog celebeside C was inactive at concentrations as high as 50 μg/mL. Theopapuamides A-C showed cytotoxicity against human colon carcinoma (HCT-116) cells with IC50 values between 2.1 and 4.0 μg/mL, and exhibited strong antifungal activity against wildtype and amphotericin B-resistant strains of Candida albicans at loads of 1-5 μg/disk.

Six new depsipeptides belonging to two different structural classes, termed celebesides A-C and theopapuamides B-D, have been isolated from the marine sponge Siliquariaspongia mirabilis. Their structures were determined using extensive 2D NMR and ESI-MS/MS techniques. Celebesides are unusual cyclic depsipeptides that comprise a polyketide moiety and five amino acid residues, including an uncommon 3-carbamoyl threonine, and a phosphoserine residue in celebesides A and B. Theopapuamides B-D are undecapeptides with an N-terminal fatty acid moiety containing two previously unreported amino acids, 3-acetamido-2-aminopropanoic acid and 4-amino-2,3-dihydroxy-5-methylhexanoic acid. The relative configuration of the polyketide moiety in celebesides was resolved by J-based analysis and quantum mechanical calculations, the results of which were self-consistent. Celebeside A neutralized HIV-1 in a single-round infectivity assay with an IC(50) value of 1.9 +/- 0.4 microg/mL while the nonphosphorylated analog celebeside C was inactive at concentrations as high as 50 microg/mL. Theopapuamides A-C showed cytotoxicity against human colon carcinoma (HCT-116) cells with IC(50) values between 2.1 and 4.0 microg/mL and exhibited strong antifungal activity against wildtype and amphotericin B-resistant strains of Candida albicans at loads of 1-5 microg/disk.

A new highly unsaturated macrolide lactam, termed mirabilin ( 1), was isolated from the aqueous extract of the marine sponge Siliquariaspongia mirabilis. Mirabilin is characterized by the presence of a 35-membered macrolide lactam ring bearing a pentadiene conjugated system and a tetrasubstituted tetrahydropyran ring. A linear polyketide moiety is attached to the macrocyclic ring through an amide linkage. The structure of mirabilin was determined using extensive 2D NMR and ESIMS and tandem MS techniques. Mirabilin inhibits the growth of the tumor cell line HCT-116 with an IC 50 value of 0.27 +/- 0.09 microM and is noncytotoxic to several other cell lines.

Four new cyclic depsipeptides termed mirabamides A-D (1-4) have been isolated from the marine sponge Siliquariaspongia mirabilis and shown to potently inhibit HIV-1 fusion. Their structures were elucidated by NMR and ESIMS, and absolute stereochemistry of the amino acids was determined using advanced Marfey's methods and NMR. Mirabamides contain two new entities, including 4-chlorohomoproline in 1-3 and an unusual glycosylated amino acid, beta-methoxytyrosine 4'-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside (in 1, 2, and 4), along with a rare N-terminal aliphatic hydroxy acid. These elements proved to be useful for anti-HIV structure-activity relationship studies. Mirabamide A inhibited HIV-1 in neutralization and fusion assays with IC50 values between 40 and 140 nM, as did mirabamides C and D (IC50 values between 140 nM and 1.3 microM for 3 and 190 nM and 3.9 microM for 4), indicating that these peptides can act at the early stages of HIV-1 entry. The potent activity of depsipeptides containing the glycosylated beta-OMe Tyr unit demonstrates that beta-OMe Tyr itself is not critical for activity. Mirabamides A-C inhibited the growth of B. subtilis and C. albicans at 1-5 microg/disk in disk diffusion assays.

The design and synthesis of a series of natural product-like synthetic macrolides built upon a quinic acid-containing scaffold are described. Three of the macrolides (1, 3, and 6) have been shown to inhibit 4T1 breast cancer cell migration with low nanomolar to sub-micromolar IC50 values (77, 525, and 550 nM, respectively) in complementary assays including a quantitative cell migration assay and a semiquantitative wound healing assay.