A replication-defective recombinant retrovirus containing the human papilloma virus E6/E7 genes (LXSN-16 E6E7) was used to immortalize stromal cells from human marrow. The E6/E7 gene products interfere with the function of tumor-suppressor proteins p53 and Rb, respectively, thereby preventing cell cycle arrest without causing significant transformation. Twenty-seven immortalized clones designated HS-1 to HS- 27 were isolated, four of which are characterized in this report. Two cell lines, HS-5 and HS-21, appear to be fibroblastoid and secrete significant levels of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), granulocyte-macrophage-CSF (GM-CSF), macrophage-CSF (M-CSF), Kit ligand (KL), macrophage-inhibitory protein-1 alpha, interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL- 8, and IL-11. However, only HS-5 supports proliferation of hematopoietic progenitor cells when cocultured in serum-deprived media with no exogenous factors. Conditioned media (CM) from HS-5 promotes growth of myeloid colonies to significantly greater extent than a cocktail of recombinant factors containing 10 ng/mL of IL-1, IL-3, IL- 6, G-CSF, GM-CSF, and KL and 3 U of erythropoietin (Epo). Two additional clones, HS-23 and HS-27, resemble “blanket” cells, with an epithelioid morphology, and are much larger, broader, and flatter when compared with HS-5 and HS-21. These lines secrete low levels of growth factors and do not support proliferation of isolated progenitor cells in cocultures. CM from HS-23 and HS-27 also fail to support growth of myeloid colonies. Both HS-23 and HS-27 express relatively high levels of VCAM-1, yet HS-27 is the only line that supports the formation of “cobblestone” areas by isolated CD34+38lo cells. We hypothesize that HS- 5, HS-21, HS-23, and HS-27 represent functionally distinct components of the marrow microenvironment.

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We have investigated a thiamine-dependent enzyme, transketolase, in cultured fibroblasts from 41 human subjects, including patients with alcoholism-associated Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome (n = 3), familial chronic alcoholic males (a = 7), their sons (n = 7), nonalcoholic men (n = 7), their male offspring (a = 7), and three generations of an Amish family (n = 10)

Summary:The incidence of refractory seizures has remained at 30 -40%, even with the approval of nine new anticonvulsants over the past 12 years. In attempts to reduce seizure frequency and severity, physicians routinely resort to combining two or more anticonvulsants, ideally with different mechanisms of action. These combinatorial therapies are difficult to administer for both patient and caregiver and often result in tolerability issues. Hence, a broad spectrum anticonvulsant, with multiple mechanisms of action, that is well tolerated, would provide physicians with an important option in their armamentarium to control seizures. Felbamate initially fit this profile and was demonstrated to effectively control both partial and generalized seizures in clinical studies supporting registration. 1-5 Unfortunately, unanticipated idiosyncratic toxicity was observed after approval and the drug is now relegated to second or third line therapy, depending on patient history and seizure type. Epileptologists still prescribe this drug for refractory seizures, and a recent communication indicates that 35,000 to 46,000 new patients have tried Felbatol (MedPointe Pharmaceuticals, Somerset, NJ) since 1995. 6 The continued utilization of Felbatol, in light of its risk:benefit issues, highlights the need for new efficacious therapeutic options. Fluorofelbamate (MedPointe Pharmaceuticals), a phase I drug candidate, was designed to retain the broad spectrum multimechanistic activity of felbamate, with a modified metabolism that has demonstrated, in vitro, to avoid the production of the reactive metabolite believed to cause the idiosyncratic toxicity. This drug candidate is one of several carbamates either in development or currently on the market for treatment of seizures and other CNS disorders.

Evidence has been presented suggesting that a reactive metabolite, 2-phenylpropenal (ATPAL), may be responsible for the toxicities observed during therapy with the antiepileptic drug felbamate (FBM). Formation of ATPAL from its unstable immediate precursor, 3-carbamoyl-2-phenylpropionaldedhyde (CBMA) requires the loss of the hydrogen atom at position 2 in the propane chain, and it has been postulated that substitution of this atom with fluorine would prevent the formation of ATPAL. On the basis of this hypothesis, 2-fluoro-2-phenyl-1,3-propanediol dicarbamate (F-FBM) was synthesized and is presently undergoing drug development. To test this hypothesis, we compared the metabolism by human liver postmitochondrial suspensions (S9) in vitro of selected FBM and postulated F-FBM metabolites leading to formation of CBMA or 3-carbamoyl-2-fluoro-2-phenyl-propionaldehyde (F-CBMA). All S9 incubations included GSH as a trapping agent for any reactive metabolites formed. Our results indicated that, in phosphate buffer, pH 7.4, at 37 degrees C, the half-life for 4-hydroxy-5-phenyltetrahydro-1,3-oxazin-2-one (CCMF) was 2.8 and 3.6 h in the presence or absence of GSH, respectively; compared to 4-hydroxy-5-fluoro-5-phenyl-tetrahydro-1,3-oxazin-2-one (F-CCMF) which lost only 2.5% or 4.9% over 24 h under the same conditions. When incubated with S9 in the presence of the cofactor, NAD+, 2-phenyl-1,3-propanediol monocarbamate (MCF) was oxidized to CCMF which was further oxidized to 3-carbamoyl-2-phenylpropionic acid (CPPA). 2-Fluoro-2-phenyl-1,3-propanediol monocarbamate (F-MCF) under similar conditions was stable, and no metabolites were observed. When CCMF was incubated with S9 in the presence of NAD+ cofactor, oxidation to CPPA and reduction to MCF were observed. In addition, a new atropic acid GSH adduct (ATPA-GSH) was identified by mass spectrometry. When F-CCMF was incubated under the same conditions as CCMF, both reduced and oxidized metabolites, F-MCF and 3-carbamoyl-2-fluoro-2-phenylpropionic acid (F-CPPA), respectively, were formed but at significantly lower rates, and no GSH conjugates were identified. Our results support the hypothesis that F-FBM and F-CCMF are not metabolized by S9 in vitro to the known reactive FBM metabolite, ATPAL.

The tus gene encodes a DNA-binding protein (Tus) that inhibits replication forks at specific block-sites within the terminus region of the Escherichia coli chromosome. One of these block-sites, TerB, is adjacent to the tus gene. Using primer extension and a promoter fusion to characterize in vivo expression, we have demonstrated that the tus transcription start site is within TerB, and that Tus protein autoregulates expression at this weak promoter. We have also demonstrated that a minority of tus transcripts are initiated from an upstream region that contains two additional open reading frames. This readthrough transcription into tus is reduced in the presence of Tus protein.

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was used to discriminate between benign and malignant cells in sorted populations of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) marrow. FISH has the advantage of allowing for a cell by cell analysis of the breakpoint cluster region (BCR) gene rearrangement immediately after flow sorting in nondividing G0/G1 cells that are potentially transcriptionally inactive. We initially selected CD34+ cells with very low expression of the activation antigen CD38 as a candidate phenotype for an immature and hypothetically more benign cell population, but found no enrichment for Ph negativity in that subtype. In five CML samples, 55% +/- 3.3% (mean +/- SE) of CD34+/CD38hi cells had the BCR gene rearrangement, similar to 57% +/- 3.7% seen in the CD34+/CD38lo population. In contrast, subsequent experiments (n = 4) determined that the CD34+/HLA-DRlo population in CML marrow does contain an increased proportion of benign cells: 15% +/- 1% of the CD34+/DRlo cells were BCR rearranged, compared with 52% +/- 5.8% of the CD34+/DRhi cells (P = .001). Our results indicate that benign progenitors in CML are enriched within the CD34+ cells with low DR antigen expression, but not low CD38 expression. One possible interpretation of these observations is that low CD38 antigen expression is not as useful as low HLA-DR expression for isolating immature cells.