The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the latest applications of organophosphorus compounds (OPs) that exhibit biological activity.

5-trifluoromethanesulfonyl-uracil (OTfU), a recently proposed radiosensitizer, is decomposed in the gas-phase by attachment of low-energy electrons. OTfU is a derivative of uracil with a triflate (OTf) group at the C 5-position, which substantially increases its ability to undergo effective electron-induced dissociation. We report a rich assortment of fragments formed upon dissociative electron attachment (DEA), mostly by simple bond cleavages (e.g., dehydrogenation or formation of OTf −). The most favorable DEA channel corresponds to the formation of the triflate anion alongside with the reactive uracil-5-yl radical through the cleavage of the O-C 5 bond, particularly at about 0 eV. Unlike for halouracils, the parent anion was not detected in our experiments. The experimental findings are accounted by a comprehensive theoretical study carried out at the M06-2X/aug-cc-pVTZ level. The latter comprises the thermodynamic thresholds for the formation of the observed anions calculated under the experimental conditions (383.15 K and 3 × 10 −11 atm). The energy-resolved ion yield of the dehydrogenated parent anion, (OTfU-H) − , is discussed in terms of vibrational Feshbach resonances arising from the coupling between the dipole bound state and vibrational levels of the transient negative ion. We also report the mass spectrum of the cations obtained through ionization of OTfU by electrons with a kinetic energy of 70 eV. The current study endorses OTfU as a potential radiosensitizer agent with possible applications in radio-chemotherapy.

SummaryAll 47 non-nisin producing strains ofStreptococcus lactisand 12/13 strains ofStr. lactissubsp.diacetylactisexamined produced bacteriocins, for which the term lactostrepcins is suggested. Seven strains ofStr. cremorisexamined produced no bacteriocins active against 3 lactic streptococci strains used as indicators. The strains examined were divided into 3 groups: I, those producing lactostrepcins active against only one streptomycin resistant mutant ofStr. lactis60 indicator strain; II, those producing lactostrepcins active against all 3 indicator strains; III, those not producing lactostrepcins active against the indicator strains employed. The lactostrepcins were sensitive to various proteolytic enzymes and to phospholipase D, but retained full or partial activity after dialysis. Most of the bacteriocins studied were fully active only within the pH range 4·2–5·0 and were reversibly inactivated at pH 7·0 or 8·0. Results suggested occurrence of 4 different lactostrepcins. The lactostrepcins produced by all group I strains were the same, but there were differences among the lactostrepcins produced by group II strains. Lactostrepcins killed some β-haemolytic streptococci and some strains ofLactobacillus helveticus. One of the lactostrepcins was also active against certainLeuconostocstrains, but not against otherLeuconostocstrains, nor againstL. helveticusor other Gram-positive bacteria.

5-Selenocyanato-20 -deoxyuridine (SeCNdU) and 5-trifluoromethanesulfonyl-2 0 -deoxyuridine (OTfdU) have been synthesized and their structures have been confirmed with NMR and MS methods. Both compounds undergo dissociative electron attachment (DEA) when irradiated with X-rays in an aqueous solution containing a hydroxyl radical scavenger. The DEA yield of SeCNdU significantly exceeds that of 5-bromo-2 0 -deoxyuridine (BrdU), remaining in good agreement with the computationally revealed profile of electron-induced degradation. The radiolysis products indicate, in line with theoretical predictions, Se-CN bond dissociation as the main reaction channel. On the other hand, the DEA yield for OTfdU is slightly lower than the degradation yield measured for BrdU, despite the fact that the calculated driving force for the electron-induced OTfdU dissociation substantially overpasses the thermodynamic stimulus for BrdU degradation. Moreover, the calculated DEA profile suggests that the electron attachment induced formation of 5-hydroxy-2 0 -deoxyuridine (OHdU) from OTfdU, while 2 0 -deoxyuridine (dU) is mainly observed experimentally. We explained this discrepancy in terms of the increased acidity of OTfdU resulting in efficient deprotonation of the N3 atom, which brings about the domination of the OTfdU(N3-H) À anion in the equilibrium mixture. As a consequence, electron addition chiefly leads to the radical dianion, OTfdU(N3-H)c 2À, which easily protonates at the C5 site. As a result, the C5-O rather than O-S bond undergoes dissociation, leading to dU, observed experimentally. A negligible cytotoxicity of the studied compounds toward the MCF-7 cell line at the concentrations used for cell labelling calls for further studies aiming at the clinical use of the proposed derivatives.

Nucleosides, especially pyrimidines modified in the C5-position, can act as radiosensitizers via a mechanism that involves their enzymatic triphosphorylation, incorporation into DNA, and a subsequent dissociative electron attachment (DEA) process. In this paper, we report 5-iodo-4-thio-2′-deoxyuridine (ISdU) as a compound that can effectively lead to ionizing radiation (IR)-induced cellular death, which is proven by a clonogenic assay. The test revealed that the survival of cells, pre-treated with 10 or 100 µM solution of ISdU and exposed to 0.5 Gy of IR, was reduced from 78.4% (for non-treated culture) to 67.7% and to 59.8%, respectively. For a somewhat higher dose of 1 Gy, the surviving fraction was reduced from 68.2% to 54.9% and to 40.8% for incubation with 10 or 100 µM ISdU, respectively. The cytometric analysis of histone H2A.X phosphorylation showed that the radiosensitizing effect of ISdU was associated, at least in part, with the formation of double-strand breaks. Moreover, the cytotoxic test against the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line and human dermal fibroblasts (HDFa line) confirmed low cytotoxic activity of ISdU. Based on the results of steady state radiolysis of ISdU with a dose of 140 Gy and quantum chemical calculations explaining the origin of the MS detected radioproducts, the molecular mechanism of sensitization by ISdU was proposed. In conclusion, we found ISdU to be a potential radiosensitizer that could improve anticancer radiotherapy.

Efficient radiotherapy requires the concomitant use of ionizing radiation (IR) and a radiosensitizer. In the present work uracil-5-yl O -sulfamate (SU) is tested against its radiosensitizing potential. The compound possesses appropriate dissociative electron attachment (DEA) characteristics calculated at the M06-2X/6-31++G(d,p) level. Crossed electron–molecular beam experiments in the gas phase demonstrate that SU undergoes efficient DEA processes, and the single C–O or S–O bond dissociations account for the majority of fragments induced by electron attachment. Most DEAs proceed already for electrons with kinetic energies of ∼0 eV, which is supported by the exothermic thresholds calculated at the M06-2X/aug-cc-pVTZ level. However, in water solution under reductive conditions and physiological pH, SU does not undergo radiolysis, which demonstrates the crucial influence of aqueous environment on the radiosensitizing properties of modified nucleosides.

Rcwiiwl I 7 Decmibsr 1973 ; revised 2 I February I 974) S U M M A R Y 111 some nisin-producing strains of Streptococcus lactis, clones which were permanently incapable of producing nisin (Nis-) appeared spontaneously with a frequency of 0.03 to 0.82 : / ;. Treatment with proflavin (Pro), ethidium bromide (EB) or at a temperature of 40 "C increased the number of such clones. In one strain 78 :{ of cells became Nis-after treatment with Pro. Treatment with nitrosoguanidine did not reverse the effect of Pro or EB. There was no evidence that Pro or EB selected spontaneously-occurring Nis-clones. These observations suggest that the gene(s) responsible for nisin production in some S. lactis strains may be located on a plasmid, but further investigation is required to confirm this.

Eighty-seven strains of lactic streptococci (46 of Streptococcus lactis, 24 of S. diacetilactis, and 17 of S. cremoris) were tested for lysogeny; 12 S. lactis strains produced nisin. Lysogeny was found in five S. lactis strains (two of them were nisin producers) and in two S. diacetilactis strains. Four S. lactis and two S. diacetilactis lysogens liberated phages both spontaneously and after ultraviolet treatment, and one S. lactis strain liberated phages spontaneously only. No lysogens were found among the S. cremoris strains tested. An initial characterization of the lysogens and their phages was made. The lytic spectrum of some of the examined phages was very narrow (homospecific), whereas that of others was wide, including strains of the three investigated species.