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We herein report the discovery of a novel class of antagonists of the human adenosine A2B receptor. This low molecular weight scaffold has been optimized to offer derivatives with potential utility for the alleviation of conditions associated with this receptor subtype, such as nociception, diabetes, asthma and COPD. Furthermore, preliminary pharmacokinetic analysis has revealed compounds with profiles suitable for either inhaled or systemic routes of administration.

Antagonism of the human A(2A) receptor has been implicated as a point of therapeutic intervention in the alleviation of the symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease. This is thought to occur, at least in part, by increasing the sensitivity of the dopaminergic neurons to the residual, depleted levels of striatal dopamine. We herein describe a novel series of functionalized triazolo[4,5-d]pyrimidine derivatives that display functional antagonism of the A(2A) receptor. Optimization of these compounds has resulted in improvements in potency, selectivity, and the pharmacokinetic properties of key derivatives. These efforts have led to the discovery of 60 (V2006/BIIB014), which demonstrates strong oral activity in commonly used models of Parkinson's disease. Furthermore, this derivative has shown excellent preclinical pharmacokinetics and has successfully completed phase I clinical studies. This compound is presently undergoing further clinical evaluation in collaboration with Biogen Idec.

Human chromosomal band 11p15.5 has been shown to contain genes involved in the development of several pediatric and adult tumors and in Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS). Overlapping P1 artificial chromosome clones from this region have been used as templates for genomic sequencing in an effort to identify candidate genes for these disorders. PowerBLAST identified several matches with expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from fetal brain and liver cDNA libraries. Northern blot analysis indicated that two of the genes identified by these ESTs encode transcripts of 1-1.5 kb with predominant expression in fetal and adult liver and kidney. With RT-PCR and RACE, full-length transcripts were isolated for these two genes, with the largest open reading frames encoding putative proteins of 253 and 424 amino acids. Database comparison of the predicted amino acid sequence of the larger transcript indicated homology to integral membrane organic cation transporters; hence, we designate this gene ORCTL2 (organic cation transporter-like 2). An expressed sequence polymorphism provided evidence that the ORCTL2 gene exhibits "leaky" imprinting in both human fetal kidney and human fetal liver. The mouse orthologue (Orctl2) was identified, and a similar polymorphism was used to demonstrate maternal-specific expression of this gene in fetal liver from interspecific F1 mice. The predicted protein of the smaller gene showed no significant similarity in the database. Northern and RACE analyses suggest that this gene may have multiple transcription start sites. Determination of the genomic structure in humans indicated that the 5'-end of this transcript overlaps in divergent orientation with the first two exons of ORCTL2, suggesting a possible role for antisense regulation of one gene by the other. We, therefore, provisionally name this second transcript ORCTL2S (ORCTL2-antisense). The expression patterns of these genes and the imprinted expression of ORCTL2 are suggestive of a possible role in the development of Wilms tumor (WT) and hepatoblastoma. Although SSCP analysis of 62 WT samples and 10 BWS patients did not result in the identification of any mutations in ORCTL2 or ORCTL2S, it will be important to examine their expression pattern in tumors and BWS patients, since epigenetic alteration at these loci may play a role in the etiology of these diseases.

In this project, we performed a preliminary set of sintering experiments to examine nanocrystal-enabled diffusion bonding (NEDB) in Ag-on-Ag and Cu-on-Cu using Ag nanoparticles. The experimental test matrix included the effects of material system, temperature, pressure, and particle size. The nanoparticle compacts were bonded between plates using a customized hot press, tested in shear, and examined post mortem using microscopy techniques. NEDB was found to be a feasible mechanism for low-temperature, low-pressure, solid-state bonding of like materials, creating bonded interfaces that were able to support substantial loads. The maximum supported shear strength varied substantially within sample cohorts due to variation in bonded area; however, systematic variation with fabrication conditions was also observed. Mesoscale sintering simulations were performed in order to understand whether sintering models can aid in understanding the NEDB process. A pressure-assisted sintering model was incorporated into the SPPARKS kinetic Monte Carlo sintering code. Results reproduce most of the qualitative behavior observed in experiments, indicating that simulation can augment experiments during the development of the NEDB process. Because NEDB offers a promising route to low-temperature, low-pressure, solid-state bonding, we recommend further research and development with a goal of devising new NEDB bonding processes to support Sandia's customers.

Protein tyrosine phosphatase-1B (PTP-1B) is a negative regulator of insulin signaling. It is thought to carry out this role by interacting with and dephosphorylating the activated insulin receptor (IR). However, little is known regarding the nature of the cellular interaction between these proteins, especially because the IR is localized to the plasma membrane and PTP-1B to the endoplasmic reticulum. Using confocal microscopy and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), the interaction between PTP-1B and the IR was examined in co-transfected human embryonic kidney 293 cells. Biological activities were not significantly affected for either PTP-1B or the IR with the fusion of W1B-green fluorescent protein (GFP) to the N terminus of PTP-1B (W1B-PTP-1B) or the fusion of Topaz-GFP to the C terminus of the IR (Topaz-IR). FRET between W1B and Topaz was monitored in cells transfected with either wild type PTP-1B (W1B-PTP-1B) or the substrate-trapping form PTP-1B(D181A) (W1B-PTP-1B(D181A)) and Topaz-IR. Co-expression of W1B-PTP-1B with Topaz-IR resulted in distribution of Topaz-IR to the plasma membrane, but no FRET was obtained upon insulin treatment. In contrast, co-expression of W1B-PTP-1B(D181A) with Topaz-IR caused an increase in cytosolic Topaz-IR fluorescence and, in some cells, a significant basal FRET signal, suggesting that PTP-1B is interacting with the IR during its synthesis. Stimulation of these cells with insulin resulted in a rapid induction of FRET that increased over time and was localized to a perinuclear spot. Co-expression of Topaz-IR with a GFP-labeled RhoB endosomal marker and treatment of the cells with insulin identified a perinuclear endosome compartment as the site of localization. Furthermore, the insulin-induced FRET could be prevented by the treatment of the cells with a specific PTP-1B inhibitor. These results suggest that PTP-1B appears not only to interact with and dephosphorylate the insulin-stimulated IR in a perinuclear endosome compartment but is also involved in maintaining the IR in a dephosphorylated state during its biosynthesis.

Chromosome 11p15.5 harbors a gene or genes involved in Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome that confer(s) susceptibility to Wilms' tumor, rhabdomyosarcoma, and hepatoblastoma. We have previously identified a transcript at 11p15.5 which encodes a putative membrane transport protein, designated organic cation transporter-like 2 (ORCTL2), that shares homology with tetracycline resistance proteins and bacterial multidrug resistance proteins. In this report, we have investigated the transport properties of ORCTL2 and show that this protein can confer resistance to chloroquine and quinidine when overexpressed in bacteria. Immunohistochemistry analyses performed with anti-ORCTL2 polyc.onal antibodies on human renal sections indicate that ORCTL2 is localized on the apical membrane surface of the proximal tubules. These results suggest that ORCTL2 may play a role in the transport of chloroquine and quinidine related compounds in the kidney.

The Drosophila single-minded (Dsim) gene encodes a master regulatory protein involved in cell fate determination during midline development. This protein is a member of a rapidly expanding family of gene products possessing basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) and hydrophobic PAS (designated a conserved region among PER, ARNT [aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator] and SIM) protein association domains. Members of this family function as central transcriptional regulators in cellular differentiation and in the response to environmental stimuli such as xenobiotics and hypoxia. We have previously identified a murine member of this family, called mSim-2, showing sequence homology to the bHLH and PAS domains of Dsim. Immunoprecipitation experiments with recombinant proteins indicate that mSIM-2 associates with the arnt gene product. In the present work, by using fine-structure mapping we found that the HLH and PAS motifs of both proteins are required for optimal association. Forced expression of GAL4/mSIM-2 fusion constructs in mammalian cells demonstrated the presence of two separable repression domains within the carboxy terminus of mSIM-2. We found that mSIM-2 is capable of repressing ARNT-mediated transcriptional activation in a mammalian two-hybrid system. This effect (i) is dependent on the ability of mSIM-2 and ARNT to heterodimerize, (ii) is dependent on the presence of the mSIM-2 carboxy-terminal repression domain, and (iii) is not specific to the ARNT activation domain. These results suggest that mSIM-2 repression activity can dominantly override the activation potential of adjacent transcription factors. We also demonstrated that mSIM-2 can functionally interfere with hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha (HIF-1alpha)/ARNT transcription complexes, providing a second mechanism by which mSIM-2 may inhibit transcription.