Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.2.1.23 (beta-galactosidase)
 14,648 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A panel of microtiter plate-based colorimetric assays for monitoring HSV-1 growth has been made. The panel consists of 4 different HSV-1 (strain KOS) lacZ recombinant viruses which express beta-galactosidase under the control of different HSV-1 promoters derived from each class of herpes simplex gene expression: immediate-early (ICP4), early (TK), delayed early (gD) and late (gC). Inhibitors of HSV-1 growth were evaluated using differential effects on each of the reporter viruses as a measure of which points in the viral replication cycle an inhibitor was acting. Aphidicolin (DNA synthesis inhibitor) was studied as a model compound. At an m.o.i. of 0.05, at 24 h postinfection (h p.i.), aphidicolin inhibited 80% of viral growth at 1 micrograms/ml, as determined by a reduction in ICP4-driven activity within the second cycle of infection. At m.o.i. 5, within the first infectious cycle, aphidicolin had no effect on the signals from either the ICP4 or TK viruses at 3 micrograms/ml, while largely suppressing gD and fully inhibiting gC-driven signals at 2 micrograms/ml. This profile is consistent with the behavior expected of a DNA synthesis inhibitor. Five inhibitors of unknown mechanism were evaluated. Two compounds inhibited ICP4-driven activity within the first infectious cycle and were classified as potential inhibitors of viral entry, uncoating or IE gene expression (XF884, BT318). One compound inhibited gD and gC-driven activity without inhibiting signal from the ICP4 and TK viruses, and was classified as a potential DNA synthesis inhibitor (DS810). Two compounds (S5193, ER622) had effects on gD- and gC-driven activity which were somewhat different from aphidicolin and DS810, but which could be interpreted as inhibition of viral assembly and/or egress. The potency of XF884 varied with the time postinfection at which it was added to cells (IC50 3.7 to > 10 micrograms/ml) while the effects of BT318 were independent of time of addition (IC50 11.4 micrograms/ml). These results suggest XF884 inhibits viral entry while BT318 is acting after viral entry, possibly as a direct inhibitor of ICP4 gene expression. Together, these results suggest the panel of recombinant herpes viruses has utility in aiding in the identification of the points in the herpes life cycle at which antiherpes drug candidates, of unknown mechanisms, are acting.
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PMID:Herpes simplex type1:lacZ recombinant viruses. II. Microtiter plate-based colorimetric assays for the discovery of new antiherpes agents and the points at which such agents disrupt the viral replication cycle. 862 14

Smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells play an important role in cardiovascular diseases and may therefore be a potential target for gene therapy. Most in vitro experiments are performed using proliferating cell cultures. Nevertheless, non-dividing cells would represent more realistic in vivo conditions for gene therapy. Therefore, a simple method to achieve physiologically quiescence in cell cultures is needed for experiments. Growth to confluence is sufficient for endothelial cells to reach quiescence, in contrast to smooth muscle cells. Alternative techniques were investigated to achieve quiescence for smooth muscle cells. N-acetyl-cysteine, heparin, aphidicolin and serum-free medium are known inhibitors of smooth muscle cell proliferation and were tested for cell viability, necrosis and apoptosis. The inhibition status was evaluated counting cells in a cell counter. Toxicity, necrosis and apoptosis were determined using FACS analysis. Then, smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells were transfected with plasmid containing the beta-galactosidase gene using liposomes. Analysis of gene expression in transfected cells included a quantitative beta-galactosidase assay and X-gal staining. Growth inhibition was achieved with all agents tested. Using N-acetyl-cysteine, only slightly reduced growth rates were observed. Aphidicolin stopped cell growth almost immediately, but demonstrated enhanced toxicity. The amount of apoptotic and necrotic cells was lowest using heparin in the presence of foetal calf serum. Transfection experiments using stationary cultures of smooth muscle cells using heparin or aphidicolin demonstrated 5-10-fold lower transfection rates compared to transfected proliferating cell cultures serving as controls. Transfection experiments using stationary cultures of endothelial cells using growth inhibition through confluence demonstrated 40-fold lower transfection rates than transfected proliferating cell cultures. Transfer efficiency was much lower in endothelial cells compared to smooth muscle cells. In conclusion, quiescent cells simulate more realistically the in vivo situation and may therefore represent a better model for future in vivo experiments based on in vitro findings.
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PMID:Quiescence, cell viability, apoptosis and necrosis of smooth muscle cells using different growth inhibitors. 1159 Nov 78

Topoisomerase I inhibitors have been shown to have clinical activity against human colorectal cancer. Previous studies showed that the cytotoxicity of camptothecin, a topoisomerase I inhibitor, occurs mainly in the S -phase of the cell cycle and is protectable by aphidicolin, an inhibitor of replicative DNA polymerase in some camptothecin-sensitive colorectal cells. Transcription factor E2F-1 regulates the G1/S transition, and recent studies have shown that E2F-1 potentiated the cytotoxicity of some cell-cycle-related drugs. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate the effect of adenovirus-mediated E2F-1 gene transfer on chemosensitivity of colorectal cancer to camptothecin, in vitro and in vivo. Two human colorectal cancer cells, SW620 (mutant p53) and RKO (wild-type p53), were treated with camptothecin, alone or in combination with adenoviral vectors expressing beta-galactosidase (Ad-LacZ), or E2F-1 (Ad-E2F-1). E2F-1 overexpression was confirmed by Western blot analysis. Ad-E2F-1 gene transfer at low doses (less than the LD(20) dose) markedly increased the sensitivity of human colorectal cancer cells to camptothecin in vitro, which is because of induction of apoptosis. Aphidicolin did not have any protective effect on the Ad-E2F-1/camptothecin-mediated cytotoxicity. The level of topoisomerase I expression was not affected by combination treatment as well, suggesting that DNA replication and topoisomerase I activity may not account for the molecular mechanism of cell killing in response to Ad-E2F-1/camptothecin treatment. Fas and Fas ligand expression were not altered by treatment with camptothecin and/or Ad-E2F-1. Moreover, combination of camptothecin and Ad-E2F-1 has an additive antitumor effect in an in vivo nude mouse xenograft model. When combined with camptothecin, E2F-1 adenovirus therapy resulted in a 95.7% decrease in tumor size compared to control groups (P<.05). These results suggest a chemosensitization strategy that may have clinical utility in human colorectal cancer.
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PMID:E2F-1 overexpression sensitizes colorectal cancer cells to camptothecin. 1263 37