The acetylcholine-binding sites on the native, membrane-bound acetylcholine receptor from Torpedo marmorata were covalently labeled with the photoaffinity reagent [3H]-p-(dimethylamino)-benzenediazonium fluoroborate (DDF) in the presence of phencyclidine by employing an energy-transfer photolysis procedure. The alpha-chains isolated from receptor-rich membranes photolabeled in the absence or presence of carbamoylcholine were cleaved with CNBr and the radiolabeled fragments purified by high-performance liquid chromatography. Amino acid and/or sequence analysis demonstrated that the alpha-chain residues Trp-149, Tyr-190, Cys-192, and Cys-193 and an unidentified residue(s) in the segment alpha 31-105 were all labeled by the photoaffinity reagent in an agonist-protectable manner. The labeled amino acids are located within three distinct regions of the large amino-terminal hydrophilic domain of the alpha-subunit primary structure and plausibly lie in proximity to one another at the level of the acetylcholine-binding sites in the native receptor. These findings are in accord with models proposed for the transmembrane topology of the alpha-chain that assign the amino-terminal segment alpha 1-210 to the synaptic cleft. Furthermore, the results suggest that the four identified [3H]DDF-labeled residues, which are conserved in muscle and neuronal alpha-chains but not in the other subunits, may be directly involved in agonist binding.

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Clofarabine is active and generally well tolerated in this patient group. It is worthy of further evaluation in comparative trials and might be of particular use in patients with adverse cytogenetics.

The final step in hydrocarbon biosynthesis involves loss of CO from a fatty aldehyde. This decarbonylation is catalyzed by microsomes from Botyrococcus braunu. Among the several detergents tested for solubiliing the decarbonylase, octyl fi-glucoside (0.1%) was found to be the most effective and released 65% ofthe enzyme activity in soluble form. FPLC ofthe solubilized enzyme preparation with Superose 6 followed by ion-exchange FPLC with Mono Q resulted in 200-fold increase in specific activity with 7% recovery. The purified enzyme released nearly 1 mol of CO for each mol of hydrocarbon.SDS/PAGE of the enzyme preparation showed two protein bands of equal intensity at 66 and 55 kDa. The absorption spectrum of the enzyme with bands at 410 un, 425 um, 580 mn, and 620 un suggests the presence of a porphyrin. Electron microprobe analysis revealed that the enzyme contained Co. Purification of the decarbonylase from B. braunii grown in "CoC12 showed that 57Co coeluted with the decarbonylase.These results suggest that the enzyme contains Co that might be part of a Co-porphyrin, although a corrin structure cannot be ruled out. Co-protoporphyrin IX itself caused decarbonylation ofoctadecanal at 60'C, whereas the metal ion or protoporphyrin alone, or several other metal porphyrins, did not cause decarbonylation. These results strongly suggest that biosynthesis of hydrocarbons is effected by a microsomal Co-porphyrincontaining enzyme that catalyzes decarbonylation of aldehydes and, thus, reveal a biological function for Co in plants.Aliphatic nonisoprenoid hydrocarbons are ubiquitous in living organisms in both the plant and animal kingdoms (1, 2). Widespread occurrence of hydrocarbons in animals, accumulation of hydrocarbons under pathological conditions (3,4), demonstrated biosynthesis of hydrocarbons in mammalian nerve tissue (2), and decreased hydrocarbon synthesis associated with neurological disorders (5, 6) suggest important biological functions for this class of simple compounds.On the basis of the results obtained with specifically labeled precursors in higher plant tissues, it was proposed that n-hydrocarbons are produced by elongation of a fatty acid followed by the loss of the carboxyl carbon (7-9). Subsequent studies with insects (10) and mammals (2) supported this mechanism for alkane biosynthesis. Microsomal preparations from plant and animal tissues that generate alkanes have been shown to catalyze elongation offatty acids (11,12). The nature of the reaction that results in the loss of the carboxyl carbon remained obscure as the chemical nature of the immediate precursors of hydrocarbon was unknown until recently. Aldehydes with one carbon more than the alkanes were found to accumulate when hydrocarbon synthesis was inhibited by thiol compounds such as dithioerythritol (DTE) (13). In cell-free preparations that generate hydrocarbons, the observation that an aldehyde with one carbon more than the hydrocarbon was formed suggests that the aldehyde might be the immediate precursor of hydrocarbons (14). Ho...

The membrane-bound acetylcholine receptor from Torpedo marmorata was photolabeled by the noncompetitive channel blocker [3H]chlorpromazine under equilibrium conditions in the presence of the agonist carbamoylcholine. The amount of radioactivity incorporated into all subunits was reduced by addition of phencyclidine, a specific ligand for the high-affinity site for noncompetitive blockers. The labeled p chain was purified and digested with trypsin or CNBr, and the resulting fragments were fractionated by high-performance liquid chromatography. Sequence analysis resulted in the identification of Ser-254 and Leu-257 as residues labeled by [3H]chlorpr~mazine in a phencyclidine-sensitive manner. These residues are located in the hydrophobic and potentially transmembrane segment M I1 of the chain, a region homologous to that containing the chlorpromazine-labeled Ser-262 in the 6 chain [Giraudat, J., Dennis, M.These results show that homologous regions of different receptor subunits contribute to the unique high-affinity site for noncompetitive blockers, a finding consistent with the location of this site on the axis of symmetry of the receptor molecule.x e nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AcChR)' from fish electric organ and vertebrate neuromuscular junction is a ABSTRACT: We have previously described a specific protease in turkey erythrocytes that converts the larger 50-kDa (P50) form of the P,-adrenoceptor to a smaller 40-kDa (P40) form [Jurss, R., Hekman, M., &

Clinical recommendations for Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) classification and risk-stratification remain heavily reliant on cytogenetic findings at diagnosis, which are present in <50% of patients. Using comprehensive molecular profiling data from 3,653 patients we characterize and validate 16 molecular classes describing 100% of AML patients. Each class represents diverse biological AML subgroups, and is associated with distinct clinical presentation, likelihood of response to induction chemotherapy, risk of relapse and death over time. Secondary AML-2, emerges as the second largest class (24%), associates with high-risk disease, poor prognosis irrespective of flow Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) negativity, and derives significant benefit from transplantation. Guided by class membership we derive a 3-tier risk-stratification score that re-stratifies 26% of patients as compared to standard of care. This results in a unified framework for disease classification and risk-stratification in AML that relies on information from cytogenetics and 32 genes. Last, we develop an open-access patient-tailored clinical decision support tool.

The acute myeloid leukaemia (AML)14 trial addressed four therapeutic questions in patients predominantly aged over 60 years with AML and High Risk Myelodysplastic Syndrome: (i) Daunorubicin 50 mg/m(2) vs. 35 mg/m(2); (ii) Cytarabine 200 mg/m(2) vs. 400 mg/m(2) in two courses of DA induction; (iii) for part of the trial, patients allocated Daunorubicin 35 mg/m(2) were also randomized to receive, or not, the multidrug resistance modulator PSC-833 in a 1:1:1 randomization; and (iv) a total of three versus four courses of treatment. A total of 1273 patients were recruited. The response rate was 62% (complete remission 54%, complete remission without platelet/neutrophil recovery 8%); 5-year survival was 12%. No benefits were observed in either dose escalation randomization, or from a fourth course of treatment. There was a trend for inferior response in the PSC-833 arm due to deaths in induction. Multivariable analysis identified cytogenetics, presenting white blood count, age and secondary disease as the main predictors of outcome. Although patients with high Pgp expression and function had worse response and survival, this was not an independent prognostic factor, and was not modified by PSC-833. In conclusion, these four interventions have not improved outcomes in older patients. New agents need to be explored and novel trial designs are required to maximise prospects of achieving timely progress.

The inability to generate mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) of consistent potency likely is responsible for inconsistent clinical outcomes of patients with aGvHD receiving MSC products. We developed a novel MSC manufacturing protocol characterized by high in vitro potency and near-identity of individual doses, referred to as “MSC-Frankfurt am Main (MSC-FFM)”. Herein, we report outcomes of the 69 patients who have received MSC-FFM. These were 51 children and 18 adults with refractory aGvHD grade II (4%), III (36%) or IV (59%). Patients were refractory either to frontline therapy (steroids) (29%) or to steroids and 1–5 additional lines of immunosuppressants (71%) were given infusions in four weekly intervals. The day 28 overall response rate was 83%; at the last follow-up, 61% and 25% of patients were in complete or partial remission. The median follow-up was 8.1 months. Six-month estimate for cumulative incidence of non-relapse mortality was 27% (range, 16–38); leukemia relapse mortality was 2% (range, 0–5). This was associated with a superior six-month overall survival (OS) probability rate of 71% (range, 61–83), compared to the outcome of patients not treated with MSC-FFM. This novel product was effective in children and adults, suggesting that MSC-FFM represents a promising therapy for steroid refractory aGvHD.