Safety, Tolerability, Pharmacokinetics and Quantitative Electroencephalography Assessment of ACD856, a Novel Positive Allosteric Modulator of Trk-Receptors Following Multiple Doses in Healthy Subjects

BACKGROUND

ACD856 is a positive allosteric modulator of tropomyosin receptor kinase (Trk) receptors which has shown to have pro-cognitive and anti-depressant-like effects in various animal models. It is currently in clinical development for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and other disorders where cognition is impaired and is also considered for indications such as depression or other neuropsychiatric diseases. ACD856 has a novel mechanism of action modulating the activity of the Trk-receptors, resulting in increased stimulation of the neurotrophin signaling pathways. Previous studies applying single intravenous and oral doses of ACD856 indicate that ACD856 is safe and well-tolerated by healthy volunteer subjects, and that it has suitable safety and pharmacokinetic properties for further clinical development.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the safety and tolerability of 7 days of treatment with multiple ascending oral doses of ACD856 in healthy subjects, and to characterize its pharmacokinetic (PK) properties. In addition, pharmacodynamic effects of ACD856 using quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) as an indicator for central target engagement were assessed.

DESIGN

This was a prospective, phase I, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled, randomized study of the safety, tolerability, PK and pharmacodynamics of multiple ascending oral doses of ACD856 in healthy subjects. ACD856 or placebo were administered in 3 ascending dose cohorts of 8 subjects. Within each cohort, subjects were randomized to receive either ACD856 (n=6) or placebo (n=2).

SETTING

The study was conducted at a First-in-Human unit in Sweden.

PARTICIPANTS

Twenty-four healthy male and female subjects.

INTERVENTION

The study medication was administered as an oral solution, with ACD856 or the same contents without the active ingredient (placebo). The dose levels ranged from 10 mg to 90 mg. ACD856 was administered once daily for 7 days, targeting steady state.

MEASUREMENTS

Safety and tolerability assessments included adverse events, laboratory, vital signs, 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG), physical examination, assessment of stool frequency and questionnaires to assess symptoms of anxiety, depression, as well as suicidal ideation and behavior. In addition, cardiodynamic ECGs were extracted to evaluate cardiac safety. PK parameters were calculated based on measured concentrations of ACD856 in plasma, urine, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples. Metabolite profiling, characterization and analysis was performed based on and urine samples. qEEG was recorded for patients in the two highest dose cohorts (30 and 90 mg/day) as a pharmacodynamic assessment to explore central target engagement.

RESULTS

Treatment with ACD856 was well tolerated with no serious adverse events. No treatment emergent or dose related trends were observed for any of the safety assessments. ACD856 was rapidly absorbed and reached maximum plasma exposure at 30 to 45 minutes after administration. Steady state was reached before Day 6, with an elimination half-life at steady state of approximately 20 hours. At steady state, ACD856 exhibited accumulation ratios for Cmax and AUC of approximately 1.6 and 1.9 respectively. The exposure, Cmax and AUC0-24, increased proportionally with the dose. There was no unchanged ACD856 detected in urine. The metabolic pattern in urine and plasma was similar, and in alignment with the metabolites observed in preclinical toxicology studies. The level of ACD856 measured in CSF at steady state increased with dose, indicating Central Nervous System (CNS) exposure at relevant levels for pharmacodynamic effects. ACD856 demonstrated significant dose-dependent treatment-associated changes on qEEG parameters. Specifically, increase of the relative theta power and decrease of the fast alpha and beta power was observed, leading to an acceleration of the delta+theta centroid and an increase in the theta/beta ratio.

CONCLUSIONS

ACD856 was well tolerated at the tested dose levels (10-90 mg/daily for 7 days) in healthy subjects. The compound has a robust pharmacokinetic profile, with rapid absorption and dose-dependent exposure. ACD856 was shown to pass the blood-brain-barrier, reach relevant exposure in the CNS and to induce dose-dependent treatment-related changes on qEEG parameters, indicating central target engagement.

Amyloid-PET predicts inhibition of de novo plaque formation upon chronic γ-secretase modulator treatment

In a positron-emission tomography (PET) study with the β-amyloid (Aβ) tracer [(18)F]-florbetaben, we previously showed that Aβ deposition in transgenic mice expressing Swedish mutant APP (APP-Swe) mice can be tracked in vivo. γ-Secretase modulators (GSMs) are promising therapeutic agents by reducing generation of the aggregation prone Aβ42 species without blocking general γ-secretase activity. We now aimed to investigate the effects of a novel GSM [8-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-[1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyridin-2-yl]-[1-(3-methyl-[1,2,4]thiadiazol-5-yl)-piperidin-4-yl]-amine (RO5506284) displaying high potency in vitro and in vivo on amyloid plaque burden and used longitudinal Aβ-microPET to trace individual animals. Female transgenic (TG) APP-Swe mice aged 12 months (m) were assigned to vehicle (TG-VEH, n=12) and treatment groups (TG-GSM, n=12), which received daily RO5506284 (30 mg kg(-1)) treatment for 6 months. A total of 131 Aβ-PET recordings were acquired at baseline (12 months), follow-up 1 (16 months) and follow-up 2 (18 months, termination scan), whereupon histological and biochemical analyses of Aβ were performed. We analyzed the PET data as VOI-based cortical standard-uptake-value ratios (SUVR), using cerebellum as reference region. Individual plaque load assessed by PET remained nearly constant in the TG-GSM group during 6 months of RO5506284 treatment, whereas it increased progressively in the TG-VEH group. Baseline SUVR in TG-GSM mice correlated with Δ%-SUVR, indicating individual response prediction. Insoluble Aβ42 was reduced by 56% in the TG-GSM versus the TG-VEH group relative to the individual baseline plaque load estimates. Furthermore, plaque size histograms showed differing distribution between groups of TG mice, with fewer small plaques in TG-GSM animals. Taken together, in the first Aβ-PET study monitoring prolonged treatment with a potent GSM in an AD mouse model, we found clear attenuation of de novo amyloidogenesis. Moreover, longitudinal PET allows non-invasive assessment of individual plaque-load kinetics, thereby accommodating inter-animal variations.

The non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug piroxicam blocks ligand binding to the formyl peptide receptor but not the formyl peptide receptor like 1

The anti-inflammatory drug piroxicam has been reported to affect the production of reactive oxygen species in phagocytes. This anti-inflammatory effect is thought to be mediated through inhibition of cyclooxygenase (COX), an enzyme important for prostaglandin synthesis. We have compared the effects of piroxicam on superoxide production mediated by two closely related G-protein coupled receptors expressed on neutrophils, the formyl peptide receptor (FPR) and the formyl peptide receptor like 1 (FPRL1). Neutrophils were stimulated with agonists that bind specifically to FPR (the peptide ligand N-formyl-Met-Leu-Phe, fMLF) or FPRL1 (the peptide ligand Trp-Lys-Tyr-Met-Val-L-Met-NH(2), WKYMVM) or both of these receptors (the peptide ligand Trp-Lys-Tyr-Met-Val-D-Met-NH(2), WKYMVm). Piroxicam reduced the neutrophil superoxide production induced by the FPR agonist but had no significant effect on the FPRL1 induced response. Neutrophil intracellular calcium changes induced by the agonist WKYMVm (that triggers both FPR and FPRL1) were only inhibited by piroxicam when the drug was combined with the FPRL1 specific antagonist, Trp-Arg-Trp-Trp-Trp-Trp (WRW(4)), and this was true also for the inhibition of superoxide anion release. Receptor-binding analysis showed that the fluorescently labelled FPR specific ligand N-formyl-Nle-Leu-Phe-Nle-Tyr-Lys (fNLFNYK), was competed for in a dose-dependent manner, by the FPR ligand fMLF and as well as by piroxicam. We show that piroxicam inhibits the neutrophil responses triggered through FPR, but not through FPRL1 and this inhibition is due to a reduced binding of the activating ligand to its cell surface receptor.

A proinflammatory peptide from Helicobacter pylori activates monocytes to induce lymphocyte dysfunction and apoptosis

Infection with Helicobacter pylori causes chronic gastritis, which is characterized by a dense mucosal infiltration by inflammatory cells such as monocytes/macrophages. H. pylori-induced inflammation is a risk factor for the development of gastric adenocarcinoma, but the mechanisms involved in H. pylori-associated carcinogenesis are poorly understood. A cecropin-like H. pylori peptide, Hp(2-20), was found to be a monocyte chemoattractant and activated the monocyte NADPH-oxidase to produce oxygen radicals. The receptors mediating monocyte activation were identified as FPRL1 and the monocyte-specific orphan receptor FPRL2. Hp(2-20)-activated monocytes inhibited lymphocytes with antitumor properties, such as CD56+ natural killer (NK) cells and CD3epsilon+ T cells. The changes observed in NK cells and T cells--a reduced antitumor cytotoxicity, downregulation of CD3zeta expression, and apoptosis--were mediated by Hp(2-20)-induced oxygen radicals. Histamine, a gastric mucosal constituent, rescued NK cells and T cells from inhibition and apoptosis by suppressing Hp(2-20)-induced oxygen radical formation. We conclude that H. pylori expression of this monocyte-activating peptide contributes to its ability to attract and activate monocytes and reduces the function and viability of antineoplastic lymphocytes. These novel mechanisms may be subject to local, histaminergic regulation in the gastric mucosa.

Proinflammatory activity of a cecropin-like antibacterial peptide from Helicobacter pylori

Helicobacter pylori, the bacterial pathogen associated with gastritis and peptic ulcers, is highly successful in establishing infection in the human gastric mucosa, a process typically associated with massive infiltration of inflammatory cells. Colonization of the mucosa is suggested to be facilitated by H. pylori-produced cecropin-like peptides with antibacterial properties, giving the microbe a competitive advantage over other bacteria. We show that a cecropin-like antibacterial peptide from H. pylori, Hp(2-20), not only has a potent bactericidal effect but also induces proinflammatory activities in human neutrophils, e.g., upregulation of integrins (Mac-1), induction of chemotaxis, and activation of the oxygen radical producing NADPH-oxidase. Furthermore, we show that these effects are mediated through binding of Hp(2-20) to the promiscuous, G-protein-linked lipoxin A(4) receptor-formyl peptide-like receptor 1.

Oxidation of prostaglandin H(2) and prostaglandin H(2) analogues by human cytochromes P450: analysis of omega-side chain hydroxy metabolites and four steroisomers of 5-hydroxyprostaglandin I(1) by mass spectrometry

The objective was to examine the NADPH-dependent oxygenation of prostaglandin H(2) (PGH(2)) and three PGH(2) analogues, 9,11-diazo-15-deoxy-PGH(2) (U51605), 9,11-epoxymethano-PGH(2) (U44069), and 11,9-epoxymethano-PGH(2) (U46619), by cytochromes P450, and to characterize the metabolites by mass spectrometry. CYP2C19, CYP4A11, CYP4F8, and liver and renal cortical microsomes oxidized the omega-side chain of U44069, U46619, and U51605, whereas only CYP4F8 oxidized the omega-side chain of PGH(2). PGH(2) was transformed to four stereoisomers of 5-hydroxy-PGI(1) by recombinant cytochromes P450. CYP4F8 formed the 5-hydroxy-PGI(1) isomers in small amounts compared to the 19-hydroxy metabolites of PGH(2). Isomers of 5-hydroxy-PGI(1) and 6-keto-PGF(1 alpha) were detectable when PGH(2) decomposed in the presence of hemin, hemoglobin, or heat-inactivated microsomes. 5-Hydroxy-PGI(1) is likely formed from PGH(2) in a pseudo-enzymatic reaction involving homolytic scission of the endoperoxide and formation of an ether between C-9 and C-6 and a carbon-centered radical at C-5, which reacts with molecular oxygen. CYP4F8 catalyzes 19-hydroxylation of PGH(2), but the absolute configuration of the 19-hydroxy group is unknown, whereas human seminal fluid contains (19R)-hydroxy-PGE(2). CYP4F8 was found to metabolize U51605 to 90% of the (19R)-hydroxy metabolite, providing further evidence in favor of a role of CYP4F8 in biosynthesis of (19R)-hydroxy PGE in human seminal vesicles. We conclude that omega-side chain hydroxylation of PGH(2) analogues may be catalyzed by many different cytochromes P450, but only CYP4F8 oxidizes the omega-side chain of PGH(2) efficiently.

Cloning and characterization of CYP4F21: a prostaglandin E2 20-hydroxylase of ram seminal vesicles

Ram semen contains high concentrations of PGE1, PGE2, 20-hydroxy-PGE1, and 20-hydroxy-PGE2, which mainly originate from the ram seminal vesicles. The 20-hydroxy-PGE compounds are formed by a tentatively identified cytochrome P450, designated PGE2 20-hydroxylase. Our aim was to clone the enzyme and express it in yeast. Total RNA was isolated from ram seminal vesicle. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with degenerate primers for the CYP4 family yielded a novel cDNA sequence of a cytochrome P450. The full coding region (1584 bp) was cloned by RT-PCR and designated CYP4F21. The deduced protein sequence of CYP4F21 contained 528 amino acids and showed 74% amino acid identity with CYP4F8 of human seminal vesicles. CYP4F21 was expressed in yeast, and its catalytic properties were studied by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Recombinant CYP4F21 oxidizes three stable PGH2 analogs (U44069, U46619, and U51605) and PGE2 to their 20-hydroxy metabolites, whereas PGH1, PGH2, PGE1, and PGF2alpha appeared to be poor substrates. The apparent Km for hydroxylation of PGE2 was 0.05 mM. Microsomes of ram seminal vesicles and NADPH metabolized PGE2 and the three PGH2 analogs essentially in the same way as CYP4F21. Our results suggest that CYP4F21 might be a sheep homolog to CYP4F8 of human seminal vesicles. The reproductive function of CYP4F21 is likely to biosynthesize 20-hydroxy-PGE1 and 20-hydroxy-PGE2, which is excreted by the seminal vesicles.

cDna cloning and expression of CYP4F12, a novel human cytochrome P450

cDNA of a novel human cytochrome P450 was cloned from human liver by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and designated CYP4F12. The open reading frame coded for 524 amino acids, and the sequence could be aligned with 78-83% amino acid identity to the four human CYP4F enzymes (CYP4F2, CYP4F3, CYP4F8 and CYP4F11). Northern blot analysis suggested three major transcripts of CYP4F12, which were detected in liver, kidney, colon, small intestine and heart. The CYP4F12 gene contained 13 exons and was located at chromosome 19p13.1. CYP4F12, expressed in yeast, oxidized arachidonic acid to 18-hydroxyarachidonic acid, and the omega-side chain of two stable prostaglandin (PG) H(2) analogs (11,9-epoxymethano-PGH(2) and 9,11-diazo-15-deoxy-PGH(2)). CYP4F12 oxidized the omega-side chain of leukotriene B(4), PGE(2), PGF(2 alpha), PGH(2), and 9,11-epoxymethano-PGH(2) poorly. Several CYP4F enzymes are important omega 1- and omega 2-hydroxylases of eicosanoids. The physiological function of CYP4F12 merits further investigation.

Identification of CYP4F8 in human seminal vesicles as a prominent 19-hydroxylase of prostaglandin endoperoxides

A novel cytochrome P450, CYP4F8, was recently cloned from human seminal vesicles. CYP4F8 was expressed in yeast. Recombinant CYP4F8 oxygenated arachidonic acid to (18R)-hydroxyarachidonate, whereas prostaglandin (PG) D(2), PGE(1), PGE(2), PGF(2alpha), and leukotriene B(4) appeared to be poor substrates. Three stable PGH(2) analogues, 9,11-epoxymethano-PGH(2) (U-44069), 11, 9-epoxymethano-PGH(2) (U-46619), and 9,11-diazo-15-deoxy-PGH(2) (U-51605) were rapidly metabolized by omega2- and omega3-hydroxylation. U-44069 was oxygenated with a V(max) of approximately 260 pmol min(-)(1) pmol P450(-1) and a K(m) of approximately 7 micrometer. PGH(2) decomposes mainly to PGE(2) in buffer and to PGF(2alpha) by reduction with SnCl(2). CYP4F8 metabolized PGH(2) to 19-hydroxy-PGH(2), which decomposed to 19-hydroxy-PGE(2) in buffer and could be reduced to 19-hydroxy-PGF(2alpha) with SnCl(2). 18-Hydroxy metabolites were also formed (approximately 17%). PGH(1) was metabolized to 19- and 18-hydroxy-PGH(1) in the same way. Microsomes of human seminal vesicles oxygenated arachidonate, U-44069, U-46619, U-51605, and PGH(2), similar to CYP4F8. (19R)-Hydroxy-PGE(1) and (19R)-hydroxy-PGE(2) are the main prostaglandins of human seminal fluid. We propose that they are formed by CYP4F8-catalyzed omega2-hydroxylation of PGH(1) and PGH(2) in the seminal vesicles and isomerization to (19R)-hydroxy-PGE by PGE synthase. CYP4F8 is the first described hydroxylase with specificity and catalytic competence for prostaglandin endoperoxides.

Gene expression of a novel cytochrome P450 of the CYP4F subfamily in human seminal vesicles

19R-Hydroxyprostaglandins are major components of human seminal fluid. They are apparently formed in the seminal vesicles by NADPH-dependent omega2-hydroxylation. The hydroxylase is likely a cytochrome P450 (CYP), which has not been identified. To address this issue we studied gene expression of CYPs in human seminal vesicles (n = 4) with reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). CYP1B1, CYP2E1, CYP2J2, CYP3A5, CYP4B1, and CYP4B1 with insertion of three nucleotides (Ser207) were detected in all subjects. RT-PCR with degenerate primers for the CYP4 family yielded a novel cDNA sequence, which was derived from a previously reported genomic sequence on chromosome 19p13.1 and present in all subjects. cDNA cloning showed that the deduced amino acid sequence consisted of 520 amino acids. Northern blot analysis demonstrated mRNA transcripts of approximately 2.1 and approximately 2.3 kb. The deduced protein showed 81.2 and 76.7% amino acid identity with the human enzymes CYP4F2 and CYP4F3. The novel CYP was designated CYP4F8.

Analysis of cytochrome P450 metabolites of arachidonic and linoleic acids by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry with ion trap MS

We have used reversed phase-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (RP-HPLC-MS) with an ion trap mass spectrometer to study the metabolism of arachidonic and linoleic acids by human recombinant cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes. We first recorded the MS2 spectra of the carboxylate anions of epoxides, diols, omega-side chain, and bisallylic hydroxy fatty acids of arachidonic, octadeuterated arachidonic, and linoleic acids. The metabolites formed by CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 were then studied. CYP2C9 converted arachidonic and linoleic acids to epoxides/diols and monohydroxy fatty acids. Some hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids (HETEs) were studied in detail to investigate the oxygenation mechanism. Incubation of CYP2C9 under oxygen-18 gas showed that all HETEs had incorporated oxygen-18 to the same degree. Chiral HPLC showed that CYP2C9 formed 15R-HETE (72% of the R enantiomer), 13S-HETE (90%), and 11R-HETE (57%). RP-HPLC-MS analysis revealed that CYP2C19 oxygenated arachidonic acid to 19-HETE, 14,15-epoxyeicosatrienoic acid (EET), and 8,9-EET as main metabolites. The method was sufficiently sensitive to identify arachidonic acid metabolites formed by some other isozymes. RP-HPLC-MS with MS2 seems to be useful for rapid identification of fatty acid metabolites in complex mixtures formed by cytochrome P450.

Cytochromes P450 with bisallylic hydroxylation activity on arachidonic and linoleic acids studied with human recombinant enzymes and with human and rat liver microsomes

Bisallylic carbons of polyunsaturated fatty acids can be hydroxylated in NADPH-dependent reactions in liver microsomes. Human recombinant cytochromes P450 and human and rat liver microsomes were assayed for bisallylic hydroxylation activity. CYP1A2, CYP2C8, CYP2C9, CYP2C19 and CYP3A4 converted [14C]linoleic acid to 14C-labeled 11-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid (11-HODE), whereas [14C]arachidonic acid was oxygenated by CYP1A2 and CYP3A4 to 14C-labeled 13-hydroxyeicosatrienoic acid (13-HETE), 10-HETE and 7-HETE as determined by HPLC. Both substrates were also converted to many other metabolites. CYP2C9 appeared to form 12R-HETE and 13-HETE, whereas CYP2C8 formed 13-HETE, 11-HETE and 15-HETE as main monohydroxy metabolites. Fetal human liver microsomes metabolized linoleic acid to 11-HODE as a major hydroxy metabolite, whereas arachidonic acid appeared to be hydroxylated at C13, C20 and, to some extent, at C10, C19 and C7. Fetal liver microsomes mainly formed 13R-HETE, whereas adult human liver microsomes and CYP1A2 mainly formed 13S-HETE. 7,8-Benzoflavone (5 microM) and furafylline (20 microM), two inhibitors of CYP1A2, reduced the bisallylic hydroxylation activity of adult human liver microsomes. Treatment of rats with erythromycin or dexamethasone induced bisallylic hydroxylation of linoleic acid to 11-HODE in liver microsomes by 2- and 10-fold, respectively. The biosynthesis of 11-HODE by microsomes of dexamethasone-treated rats was inhibited by troleandomycin (ED50 = 1 microM) and by polyclonal antibodies against CYP3A1, suggesting that CYP3A1 could catalyze bisallylic hydroxylations in the dexamethasone-treated rat. We conclude from steric analysis of 13-HETE and the effects of CYP inhibitors on adult human liver microsomes that CYP1A2 might contribute to its bisallylic hydroxylation activity.

Bisallylic hydroxylation and epoxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids by cytochrome P450

Polyunsaturated fatty acids can be oxygenated by cytochrome P450 to hydroxy and epoxy fatty acids. Two major classes of hydroxy fatty acids are formed by hydroxylation of the omega-side chain and by hydroxylation of bisallylic methylene carbons. Bisallylic cytochrome P450-hydroxylases transform linoleic acid to 11-hydroxylinoleic acid, arachidonic acid to 13-hydroxyeicosa-5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z-tetraenoic acid, 10-hydroxyeicosa-5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z-tetraenoic acid and 7-hydroxyeicosa-5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z-tetraenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid to 16-hydroxyeicosa-5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z,17Z-pent aenoic acid, 13-hydroxyeicosa-5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z,17Z-pent aenoic acid and 10-hydroxyeicosa-5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z,17Z-pent aenoic acid as major metabolites. The bisallylic hydroxy fatty acids are chemically unstable and decompose rapidly to cis-trans conjugated hydroxy fatty acids during acidic extractive isolation. Bisallylic hydroxylase activity appears to be augmented in microsomes induced by the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone and by some other agents, but the P450 gene families of these hydroxylases have yet to be determined. The fatty acid epoxides, which are formed by cytochrome P450, are chemically stable, but are hydrolyzed to diols by soluble epoxide hydrolases. Epoxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids is a prominent pathway of metabolism in the liver and the renal cortex and epoxy-genase activity appears to be under homeostatic control in the kidney. Many arachidonate epoxygenases have been identified belonging to the CYP2C gene subfamily. Epoxygenases have also been found in the central nervous system, endocrine organs, the heart and endothelial cells. Epoxides of arachidonic acid have been found to exert pharmacological effects on many cells.

Dexamethasone induces bisallylic hydroxylation of polyunsaturated fatty acids by rat liver microsomes

Human, monkey, and rat liver microsomes catalyze bisallylic hydroxylations of arachidonic and linoleic acids. The cytochrome P450 gene family of these hydroxylases has not been determined. We examined whether inducers of cytochrome P450 could augment the bisallylic hydroxylation activity of male rat liver microsomes. The microsomes were incubated with [14C]linoleic acid and NADPH and the monohydroxy metabolites were characterized. Microsomes prepared from control rats yielded mainly 18-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid (18-HODE) and 17-HODE and microsomes from clofibrate-treated rats 18-HODE. Microsomes from beta-naphthoflavone-treated rats hydroxylated linoleic acid without position specificity, i.e., at carbons 8, 11, 14, 16, 17, and 18. 11-HODE, 17-HODE, and 18-HODE were major metabolites. Microsomes from rats treated with phenobarbital, isopropanol, imidazole, or acetone also formed these three products along with many other hydroxy metabolites. The synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone increased the biosynthesis of 11-HODE selectively. Microsomes from male Sprague-Dawley and Fischer rats treated with dexamethasone mainly formed 11-HODE and 18-HODE. The biosynthesis of 11-HODE was increased 10-fold and troleandomycin (50 microM) inhibited the biosynthesis of 11-HODE by 90%. The bisallylic hydroxylases were also investigated with 14C-labeled arachidonic and eicosapentaenoic acids as substrates. Microsomes from rats treated with dexamethasone converted 20:4n-6 to 13-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (13-HETE), 10-HETE, 7-HETE, 19-HETE, and 20-HETE. Induction by acetone yielded the same products. Microsomes from dexamethasone-treated rats metabolized 20:5n-3 to 16-hydroxyeicosapentaenoic acid (16-HEPE), 13-HEPE, 10-HEPE, 19-HEPE, and 20-HEPE as major products, while microsomes from control and acetone-treated rats mainly formed 19-HEPE and 20-HEPE. We conclude that microsomes from dexamethasone-treated rats catalyze bisallylic hydroxylations of 18:2n-6, 20:4n-6, and 20:5n-3, possibly by induction of bisallylic hydroxylases of the CYP3A subfamily.

Inactivation of mecA prevents recovery from the competent state and interferes with cell division and the partitioning of nucleoids in Bacillus subtilis

The development of genetic competence in Bacillus subtilis requires the synthesis of ComK, a transcription factor, which is normally produced as a culture enters the stationary phase. This synthesis is known to be regulated in part by the protein MecA. Loss-of-function mutations in mecA result in overexpression of ComK and its appearance early during exponential growth. We show here that mecA inactivation also causes a loss of colony-forming ability, especially during stationary phase. This loss is accompanied by the appearance of cells in which normal nucleoid separation has failed to occur. Renografin gradient fractionation of mecA cultures grown to competence reveals that nearly 100% of the cells band at the low buoyant density characteristic of competent cells, and that this low density is competence-related. The loss of viability, the low buoyant density and the nucleoid separation defect, are all comK-dependent. The loss of viability can be reversed by even the transient introduction of mecA+. It is proposed that these effects of ComK overexpression are related to the DNA replication arrest normally exhibited by the competent cell fraction and that MecA is needed to reverse this arrest and to permit escape from the competent state. The shift of nearly 100% of the cells to light buoyant density in a mecA mutant culture strongly suggests that the MecA protein is a regulator of the cell-type-specific expression of competence.

Variation in buoyant density of whole cells and isolated cell walls of Streptococcus faecium (ATCC 9790)

The buoyant density of whole cells of Streptococcus faecium varies with growth rate and during the cell cycle. Two possible explanations for this were explored: (i) the density of cell walls may vary, and (ii) the proportions of wall and cytoplasm may vary. We tested the first possibility by isolating walls from chilled, unfixed populations of S. faecium cells and fractionating them on Percoll density gradients. Mean cell wall density averaged 4% less than whole-cell density and did not vary significantly with growth rate. In addition, walls isolated from heavy and light fractions of a population of cells did not differ significantly in density. Thus, variation in the density of isolated cell walls could not account for the observed variation in whole-cell density within or between populations. Using previously published measurements of the physical dimensions of S. faecium cells, we also found that the relative proportions of wall and cytoplasm (see the second possibility above) could not account for the observed changes in whole-cell buoyant density.