Broadly neutralizing antibodies to HIV-1 usually develops in chronic infections. Here, we examined the basis of enhanced sensitivity of an env clone amplified from cross neutralizing plasma of an antiretroviral naïve chronically infected Indian patient (ID50 >600-fold higher compared to other autologous env clones). The enhanced autologous neutralization of pseudotyped viruses expressing the se...

The toxic A chain of ricin was linked to human transferrin via a disulfide bond and the resulting conjugate was shown to bind to cell membrane transferrin receptors. Surface-localized transferrin A chain (TF-A chain) gained access to the cytoplasm and inactivated ribosomes as witnessed by a rapid curtailment of cellular protein synthesis (t1/2 = 6 h) and subsequent cytolysis. The intact conjuga...

Ciproxifan, i.e., cyclopropyl-(4-(3-1H-imidazol-4-yl)propyloxy) phenyl) ketone, belongs to a novel chemical series of histamine H3-receptor antagonists. In vitro, it behaved as a competitive antagonist at the H3 autoreceptor controlling [3H]histamine release from synaptosomes and displayed similar Ki values (0.5-1.9 nM) at the H3 receptor controlling the electrically-induced contraction of guin...

The pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine nucleoside antibiotics tubercidin, toyocamycin, and sangivamycin and the synthetic analogues 5-chloro-, 5,6-dichloro-, 5-bromo-, 6-bromo-, 5,6-dibromo-, 5-iodo-, 5-(1-hydroxyethyl)-, 5-(1-methoxyethyl)-, (E)-5-(2-bromoethenyl)-, (E)-5-(2-cyanoethenyl)-, 5-(2-buten-1-yl)-, 5-(3-hydroxypropyl)-, and 5-butyltubercidin were evaluated for their antiviral properties again...

A novel series of esters 8-10 and hydrazones 4-6 was synthesized from 4-aryl-2-phenacylidene-1,3,4,5-tetrahydropyrido[2,3-b][1,4]diazepine (1-3). Subsequent treatment of hydrazone 4 with p-chlorbenzaldehyde furnished azine 7. Long-standing heating of ester 8 with hydrazine hydrate afforded 3-[1-(p-chlorophenylene)-2-(5-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-3-yl)-ethyl]-1,3-dihydroimidazo[4,5-b]pyridin-2-one (11). ...

The present study explored the effects of alanine (Ala), citrulline (Cit), proline (Pro) and their combination (Ala10Pro4Cit1) on the activities of caspases and levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cytochrome c in hydroxyl radicals (•OH)-induced carp erythrocytes. The data displayed that •OH induced the increases in the activities of caspase-3, caspase-8 and caspase-9 and the levels of R...

Purpuromycin, an antibiotic isolated from the culture broth of Actinoplanes ianthinogenes, which is very active against Gram-positive bacteria and fungi, inhibits protein synthesis in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell-free systems. The ID50 was 9 microM with the endogenous mRNA-directed rabbit reticulocyte lysate, 17 microM with a poly(U)-directed system from Escherichia coli and 69 microM w...

Compoundswith two phenolic OH groups like curcumin possess efficient antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. We synthesized p-cresol dimer (2,2'-dihydroxy-5,5'-dimethylbiphenol, 2a) and p-methoxyphenol dimer (2,2'-dihydroxy-5,5'-dimethoxybiphenol, 2b) by ortho-ortho coupling reactions of the parent monomers, p-cresol (1a) and p-methoxyphenol (1b), respectively. Their antioxidant activity wa...

Tat protein, a trans-activating factor of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1, acts also as an extracellular molecule modulating gene expression, cell survival, growth, transformation, and angiogenesis. Here we demonstrate that human thrombospondin-1 (TSP), a plasma glycoprotein and constituent of the extracellular matrix, binds to glutathione-S-transferase (GST)-Tat protein but not to GST....

The two apoptosis receptors of mammalian cells, i.e. the 55 kDa TNF receptor (TNF-R1) and CD95 (Fas/APO1) are activated independently of each other, however, their signaling involves a variety of ICE-related proteases [I]. We used a cell-permeable inhibitor of ICE-like protease activity to examine in vivo whether post-receptor signaling of TNF and CD95 are fully independent processes. Mice pret...