Semen was recently shown to contain amyloid fibrils formed from a self-assembling peptide fragment of the protein prostatic acid phosphatase. These amyloid fibrils, termed semen-derived enhancer of virus infection, or SEVI, have been shown to strongly enhance HIV infectivity and may play an important role in sexual transmission of HIV, making them a potential microbicide target. One novel approach to target these fibrils is the use of small molecules known to intercalate into the structure of amyloid fibrils, such as derivatives of thioflavin-T. Here, we show that the amyloid-binding small molecule BTA-EG6 (the hexa(ethylene glycol) derivative of benzothiazole aniline) is able to bind SEVI fibrils and effectively inhibit both SEVI-mediated and semen-mediated enhancement of HIV infection. BTA-EG6 also blocks the interactions of SEVI with HIV-1 virions and HIV-1 target cells but does not cause any inflammation or toxicity to cervical epithelial cells. These results suggest that an amyloid-binding small molecule may have utility as a microbicide, or microbicidal supplement, for HIV-1.

A new family of fluorescent markers containing an Amino Naphthalenyl-2-Cyano-Acrylate (ANCA) motif has been synthesized and evaluated for its capability to associate with aggregated β-amyloid (Aβ) peptides. These fluorescent probes contain a nitrogen donor group that is connected via a naphthalene unit to an electron acceptor motif containing Water Solubilizing Groups (WSG). Chemical modifications were introduced to explore their effect on the capability of the ANCA-based probes to fluorescently label aggregated Aβ peptides. All synthesized probes bind to aggregated Aβ fibrils with low micromolar affinity and fluorescently stain amyloid deposits in human brain tissue from patients with Alzheimer’s disease. We found that structural modifications of the WSG site do not affect considerably the binding affinity. However, changes of the nitrogen donor group alter significantly the binding affinity of these probes. Also, increasing the hydrophilicity of the donor group leads to improved contrast between the Aβ deposits and the surrounding tissue in histological staining experiments.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by a progressive loss of cognitive function and constitutes the most common and fatal neurodegenerative disorder.[1] Genetic and clinical evidence supports the hypothesis that accumulation of amyloid deposits in the brain plays an important role in the pathology of the disease. This event is associated with perturbations of biological functions in the surrounding tissue leading to neuronal cell death, thus contributing to the disease process. The deposits are comprised primarily of amyloid (Aβ) peptides, a 39-43 amino acid sequence that self aggregates into a fibrillar β-pleated sheet motif. While the exact three-dimensional structure of the aggregated Aβ peptides is not known, a model structure that sustains the property of aggregation has been proposed. [2] This creates opportunities for in vivo imaging of amyloid deposits that can not only help evaluate the time course and evolution of the disease, but can also allow the timely monitoring of therapeutic treatments. [3] Keywords amyloid peptides; fluorescent probes; imaging agents; molecular rotors Historically, Congo Red (CR) and Thioflavin T (ThT) have provided the starting point for the visualization of amyloid plaques and are still commonly employed in post mortem histological analyses (Figure 1).[4] However, due to their charge these probes are unsuitable for in vivo applications. [5] To address this issue, several laboratories developed probes with noncharged, lipophilic (log P = 0.1-3.5) and low-molecular weight chemical structures (MW <650) that facilitate crossing of the blood-brain barrier.[6] Further functionalization of these compounds with radionuclides led to a new generation of in vivo diagnostic reagents (Figure 1) that target plaques and related structures for imaging with positron emission tomography (PET) and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT Figure 1 reveals that the majority of these probes contain an electrondonor unit in conjugation with an electron acceptor (D-π-A motif). This motif is a typical feature in molecular rotors, a family of fluorescent probes known to form twisted intramolecular charge-transfer (TICT) complexes in the excited state producing a fluorescence quantum yield that is dependent on the surrounding environment.[11] Following photoexcitation, this motif has the unique ability to relax either via fluorescence emission or via an internal nonradiative molecular rotation. This internal rotation occurs around the σ-bonds that connect the electron-rich π-system with the donor and acceptor groups, and can be modified by altering the chemical structure and microenvironment of the probe.[12] Hindrance of the internal molecular rotation of the probe by increasing the surrounding media rigidity, or by reducing the available free volume needed for relaxation, leads to a decrease in the nonradiative decay rate and consequently an increase in fluorescence. In contrast, relaxation proceeds mainly via nonradiative pathways in environments of low viscosity or of hi...

This paper evaluates the use of oligovalent amyloid-binding molecules as potential agents that can reduce the enhancement of HIV-1 infection in cells by SEVI fibrils. These naturally occurring amyloid fibrils found in semen have been implicated as mediators that can facilitate the attachment and internalization of HIV-1 virions to immune cells. Molecules that are capable of reducing the role of SEVI in HIV-1 infection may, therefore, represent a novel strategy to reduce the rate of sexual transmission of HIV-1 in humans. Here, we evaluated a set of synthetic, oligovalent derivatives of BTA (a known amyloid-binding molecule) for their capability to bind cooperatively to aggregated amyloid peptides and to neutralize the effects of SEVI in HIV-1 infection. We demonstrate that these BTA derivatives exhibit a general trend of increased binding to aggregated amyloids as a function of increasing valence number of the oligomer. Importantly, we find that oligomers of BTA show improved capability to reduce SEVI-mediated infection of HIV-1 in cells compared to a BTA monomer, with the pentamer exhibiting a 65-fold improvement in efficacy compared to a previously reported monomeric BTA derivative. These results, thus, support the use of amyloid-targeting molecules as potential supplements for microbicides to curb the spread of HIV-1 through sexual contact.

The tetra(ethylene glycol) derivative of benzothiazole aniline, BTA-EG 4 , is a novel amyloid-binding small molecule that can penetrate the blood-brain barrier and protect cells from A␤-induced toxicity. However, the effects of A␤-targeting molecules on other cellular processes, including those that modulate synaptic plasticity, remain unknown. We report here that BTA-EG 4 decreases A␤ levels, alters cell surface expression of amyloid precursor protein (APP), and improves memory in wild-type mice. Interestingly, the BTA-EG 4 -mediated behavioral improvement is not correlated with LTP, but with increased spinogenesis. The higher dendritic spine density reflects an increase in the number of functional synapses as determined by increased miniature EPSC (mEPSC) frequency without changes in presynaptic parameters or postsynaptic mEPSC amplitude. Additionally, BTA-EG 4 requires APP to regulate dendritic spine density through a Ras signaling-dependent mechanism. Thus, BTA-EG 4 may provide broad therapeutic benefits for improving neuronal and cognitive function, and may have implications in neurodegenerative disease therapy.

This paper describes a simple ELISA protocol for quantifying the binding of small molecules to aggregated Amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides. Amyloid-targeting small molecules have attracted wide interest as potential agents for the treatment or diagnosis of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. The lack of general methods to evaluate small molecule-amyloid binding interactions, however, has significantly limited the number of amyloid-targeting molecules that have been studied to date. Here, we demonstrate a general method to quantify small molecule-amyloid binding interactions via a modified quantitative ELISA protocol. A key feature of this protocol is the treatment of commercial ELISA plates with an air plasma to help maintain the desired β-sheet content of the aggregated Aβ upon immobilization of these peptides on to the polystyrene surface. We developed an ELISA-based competition assay on these air plasma-treated plates and evaluated the binding of five previously known amyloid-binding small molecules to aggregated Aβ. We show that this general ELISA-based competition assay can be used to quantify small molecule-amyloid binding interactions in the low nanomolar to low micromolar range, which is the typical range of affinities for many amyloid-targeting diagnostic agents under current development. This simple protocol for quantifying the interaction of small molecules with aggregated Aβ peptides overcomes many limitations of previously reported spectroscopic or radioactivity assays, and may, therefore, facilitate the screening and evaluation of a more structurally diverse set of amyloid-targeting agents than had previously been possible.

The pK a 's of the 6-CH groups of N-methyl-2-pyridone and N-methyl-4-pyridone in aqueous solution were determined. No correlation between the stability of the carbanions and the rate of decarboxylation of corresponding carboxylic acids was found.The decarboxylation of 1,3-dimethylorotic acid (1) and its analogues has been proven to be a useful model for the enzymatic decarboxylation catalyzed by orotidine-5'-monophosphate decarboxylase (ODCase). [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] Most of the studies involve the investigation of the nature and stability of the intermediate. As shown in Scheme 1, acid 1 decarboxylates at elevated temperatures to give 1,3-dimethyluracil (2) as the sole product.The decarboxylation of acids 1, 4 and 5 to uracil 2 and pyridones 6 and 7 (Figure 1), respectively, provides a unique opportunity to systematically investigate the mechanism of the reactions due to the large difference in their reaction rates despite their structural similarity. 1,6,7 Acids 1 and 4 decarboxylate at the same rate, while acid 5 decarboxylates almost 3000 times faster. 1,7 Studies on the gas-phase stability of the corresponding carbanions 3, 8, and 9 have established a lack of correlation between the rate of decarboxylation and the gas-phase stability of resulted carbanions. 7 It was found that carbanion 3 is much more stable while carbanions 8 and 9 share the same stability. 6,7 As a result, a two-step mechanism has been proposed to account for the large difference in rate constants measured for acids 1, 4, and 5 (Scheme 2). 1,7 In this mechanism, the large differences in the equilibrium constants explain the differences in rate constants.The pK a of uracil 2 in water has been determined to be 34 ± 2, which is suggested to be the evidence for the high reaction barrier for catalysis by ODCase. 8 However, our gas-phase study has demonstrated that the stability of the carbanionic intermediates does not correlate with the rate of decarboxylation. 7 One concern about gas-phase studies is that the results may not represent those in condensed phase. In condensed phase, solvation plays a major rule in the wuw@sfsu.edu. relative stability of species, especially ions. In this report, we have extended the study on the stability of carbanions 3, 8, and 9 to the aqueous solution. NIH Public AccessAuthor Manuscript Org Lett. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2009 September 14.Richard and coworkers have determined pK a of weak carbon acids in aqueous solution by measuring the rate of proton-deuterium exchange on interested carbons using NMR spectroscopy. 13,14 This method was employed by Sievers and Wolfenden in determining the pK a of 6-CH of uracil 2. 8 However, when pyridones 6 and 7 were heated in acetate buffer in D 2 O as reported for 2, no proton-deuterium exchange was observed after 5 hrs. This observation indicates that pyridones 6 and 7 are less acidic than uracil 2 at carbon-6 and a much stronger base is required. Proton-deuterium exchange on carbon-6 of pyridones 6 and 7 has been reported in NaOD/D ...

Amyloids are self-assembled protein aggregates that represent a major hallmark of many neurologic and systemic diseases. Among the common features of amyloids is the presence of a high density of multiple binding sites for small molecule ligands, making them an attractive target for design of multimeric binding agents. Here, we demonstrate that noncovalent, intermolecular interactions between a 1:1 mixture of oppositely charged benzothiazole molecules enhances their binding to two different amyloid aggregates: Alzheimer's-related amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides or Parkinson's-related α-synuclein (αS) proteins. We show that this mixture leads to positively cooperative binding to amyloid targets, with up to 10-fold enhancement of binding compared to the uncharged parent compound. The observed enhancement of amyloid binding using noncovalent interactions was similar in magnitude to a benzothiazole dimer to aggregated Aβ. These results represent a novel strategy for designing amyloid-targeting molecules with enhanced affinity, which could aid in the development of new diagnostic or treatment strategies for amyloid-associated diseases.