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Growing evidence suggests pivotal roles for epigenetic mechanisms in both animal models of and individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Neuron-restrictive silencer factor (NRSF) binds to neuron-restrictive silencing elements in neuronal genes and recruits co-repressors, such as mSin3, to epigenetically inhibit neuronal gene expression. Because dysregulation of NRSF is related to ASD, here we examined the effects of mS-11, a chemically optimized mimetic of the mSin3-binding helix in NRSF, on the behavioral and morphological abnormalities found in a mouse model of valproic acid (VPA)-induced ASD. Chronic treatment with mS-11 improved prenatal VPA-induced deficits in social interaction. Additionally, we found that NRSF mRNA expression was greater in the somatosensory cortex of VPA-exposed mice than of controls. Agreeing with these behavioral findings, mice that were prenatally exposed to VPA showed lower dendritic spine density in the somatosensory cortex, which was reversed by chronic treatment with mS-11. These findings suggest that mS-11 has the potential for improving ASD-related symptoms through inhibition of mSin3-NRSF binding.

The neuron-restrictive silencing factor NRSF/REST binds to neuron-restrictive silencing elements in neuronal genes and recruits corepressors such as mSin3 to inhibit epigenetically neuronal gene expression. Because dysregulation of NRSF/REST is related to neuropathic pain, here, we have designed compounds to target neuropathic pain based on the mSin3-binding helix structure of NRSF/REST and examined their ability to bind to mSin3 by NMR. One compound, mS-11, binds strongly to mSin3 with a binding mode similar to that of NRSF/REST. In a mouse model of neuropathic pain, mS-11 was found to ameliorate abnormal pain behavior and to reverse lost peripheral morphine analgesia. Furthermore, even in the less well epigenetically defined case of fibromyalgia, mS-11 ameliorated symptoms in a mouse model, suggesting that fibromyalgia is related to the dysfunction of NRSF/REST. Taken together, these findings show that the chemically optimized mimetic mS-11 can inhibit mSin3-NRSF/REST binding and successfully reverse lost peripheral and central morphine analgesia in mouse models of pain.

Repression of target genes by the transcriptional repressor neuronal restrictive silencing factor (NRSF)/repressor element 1 silencing transcription factor (REST) contributes to enduring plasticity in the developing brain. However, the cofactor(s) interacting with NRSF to enable target gene repressor are not well understood, and may vary among neuronal populations and brain regions as well as with different contexts. Here we employed the novel designer drug mS-11 to block the interactions of the cofactor Sin3 with NRSF. We tested if NRSF-Sin3 interaction is required for repression of NRSF target genes in developing hypothalamus after activity-dependent modulation of NRSF function. In the hypothalamus in vitro, blocking glutamatergic neurotransmission robustly increased NRSF binding to the target gene Crh, resulting in its repression. Blocking the binding of NRSF to the chromatin with decoy NRSE-oligodeoxynucleotides abrogated this repression. In contrast, mS-11 at several concentrations did not impede Crh repression. NRSF-mediated repression may underlie disease processes such as the onset of epilepsy. Therefore, identifying small-molecule antagonists of NRSF is crucial for the development of disease-preventing or modifying interventions.

A 2-substituted 2-aminopropane-1,3-diol or 2-aminoethanol is the minimum structure required for the immunosuppressive activity of ISP-I, an antibiotic isolated from the culture broth of Isaria sinclairil. A series of alpha-mannosyl ceramide (alpha-ManCer) analogues was derived from 2-substituted 2-aminopropane-1,3-diols or 2-aminoethanols in place of sphingosine. The newly synthesized glycosides were evaluated for their effects on immune responses. In contrast to the immunosuppressive activity of the precursors, the alpha-ManCer analogues induced immunopromotive responses from invariant Valpha19-Jalpha26 transgenic mouse lymphocytes more effectively than the original alpha-ManCer. Collectively, it is strongly suggested that the 2-substituted 2-aminopropane-1,3-diols and 2-aminoethanols mimic sphingosine in the alpha-ManCer analogues so that they potentially acquire specific antigenicity toward Valpha19 NKT cell, a novel NKT cell subset.

A new class of Aurora A kinase inhibitor was created by transforming 4-(5-methyl-3-pyrazoloamino)pyrimidine moiety of VX-680 to 3-cyano-6-(5-methyl-3pyrazoloamino)pyridine. Compound 6 exhibited a potent Aurora A kinase inhibitory activity, excellent selectivity to Aurora B kinase and other 60 kinases, good cell permeability and good PK profile. Therefore compound 6 was effective in antitumor mice model at a dose of 30 mg/kg po qd without decrease of body weight.

A series of 2-substituted 2-aminopropane-1,3-diols was synthesized and evaluated for their lymphocyte-decreasing effect and immunosuppressive effect on rat skin allograft. A phenyl ring was introduced into the alkyl chain of the lead compound 3, which is an immunosuppressive agent structurally simplified from myriocin (1, ISP-I) via compound 2. The potency of the various compounds was dependent upon the position of the phenyl ring within the alkyl side chain. The most suitable length between the quaternary carbon atom and the phenyl ring was two carbon atoms. 2-Substituted 2-aminoethanols were successively synthesized and evaluated for their T-cell-decreasing effect and immunosuppressive effect using a popliteal lymph node gain assay in rats. The absolute configuration at the quaternary carbon affected the activity, and the (pro-S)-hydroxymethyl group of compound 6 was essential for potent immunosuppressive activity. Favorable substituents for the (pro-R)-hydroxymethyl group of 6 were hydroxyalkyl (hydroxyethyl and hydroxypropyl) or lower alkyl (methyl and ethyl) groups. 2-Amino-2-[2-(4-octylphenyl)ethyl]propane-1,3-diol hydrochloride (6, FTY720) was found to possess considerable activity and is expected to be useful as an immunosuppressive drug for organ transplantation.

FTY720 (2-amino-2-[2-(4-octylphenyl)ethyl]-1,3-propanediol hydrochloride), a novel synthetic immunosuppressant led by modification of ISP-I (myriocin, thermozymocidin) displayed potent immunosuppressive activity both in vitro and in vivo.

FTY720 (2-amino-2-[2-(4-octylphenyl)ethyl]-1,3-propanediol hydrochloride), a novel synthetic immunosuppressant led by modification of ISP-I (myriocin, thermozymocidin) displayed potent immunosuppressive activity both in vitro and in vivo.

Desymmerization of symmetric FTY720 by substitution of different alkyl groups for one of the prochiral hydroxymethyl groups was performed. The size of the alkyl groups and the absolute configuration at quaternary carbon were important on immunosuppressive activity.

We have demonstrated that analogues of alpha-mannosyl ceramide (alpha-ManCer) consisting of a series of immunosuppressive 2-aminoalcohol derivatives in place of sphingosine promote a greater immune response from mouse invariant Valpha19-Jalpha26 (AV19-AJ33) TCR-bearing NKT (Valpha19 NKT) cells than alpha-ManCer itself. To further characterize the immune responses of Valpha19 NKT cells to the alpha-ManCer analogues, cytokine production by the cells was examined in detail. We found that certain alpha-ManCer derivatives individually induced either Th1- or Th2-dominant cytokine production in culture. The Th1- or Th2-biased immune responses of Valpha19 NKT cells were dependent on MHC class I-like MR1, since they were induced by coculture with the MR1 transfectants previously loaded with the glycolipids and were inhibited in the presence of anti-MR1 antiserum. Presumably, the recognition of the alpha-mannosyl residue of the alpha-ManCer analogues by the invariant TCR is individually modulated, depending on the altered interaction with the groove of the antigen-presenting MR1. Priming of the Valpha19 invariant TCR-transgenic mice in vivo with these glycolipid derivatives resulted in the induction of the Th1- or Th2-biased immune responses. Thus, these alpha-ManCer derivatives are likely to be useful in immunotherapy for either Th1 or Th2 excess autoimmune diseases, modulating the function of Valpha19 NKT cells.

The anaphylatoxin C5a is a potent chemotactic factor for neutrophils and other leukocytes, and functions as an important inflammatory mediator. Through a high capacity screening followed by chemical optimization, we identified a novel non-peptide C5a receptor antagonist, N-[(4-dimethylaminophenyl)methyl]-N-(4-isopropylphenyl)-7-methoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalen-1- carboxamide hydrochloride (W-54011). W-54011 inhibited the binding of (125)I-labeled C5a to human neutrophils with a K(i) value of 2.2 nm. W-54011 also inhibited C5a-induced intracellular Ca(2+) mobilization, chemotaxis, and generation of reactive super oxide species in human neutrophils with IC(50) values of 3.1, 2.7, and 1.6 nm, respectively. In C5a-induced intracellular Ca(2+) mobilization assay with human neutrophils, W-54011 did not show agonistic activity at up to 10 microm and shifted rightward the concentration-response curves to C5a without depressing the maximal responses. Examination on the species specificity of W-54011 revealed that it was able to inhibit C5a-induced intracellular Ca(2+) mobilization in neutrophils of cynomolgus monkeys and gerbils but not mice, rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, and dogs. In gerbils, oral administration of W-54011 (3-30 mg/kg) inhibited C5a-induced neutropenia in a dose-dependent manner. The present report is the first description of an orally active non-peptide C5a receptor antagonist that could contribute to the treatment of inflammatory diseases mediated by C5a.

Desymmerization of symmetric FTY720 by substitution of different alkyl groups for one of the prochiral hydroxymethyl groups was performed. The size of the alkyl groups and the absolute configuration at quaternary carbon were important on immunosuppressive activity.

When treated with concentrated nitric acid in dichloromethane at room temperature, the title compounds undergo an exclusive attack on the methyl group at the most crowded site, giving 6-acyl-2,3,4,5-tetramethylbenzyl nitrates, and 2,6-diacyl-3,4,5-trimethylbenzyl nitrates and/or (2,6-diacyl-3,4,5-trimethylphenyl)nitromethanes respectively, as the major products. While the predominant mode of the side-chain substitution reactions is nitrooxylation for acylpentamethylbenzenes and 1,3-dipivaloyl-2,4,5,6-tetramethylbenzene, it shifts to nitration for 1,3-bis(trihalogenoacetyl)-2,4,5,6-tetramethylbenzenes. Nitrodeacylation is seen to some extent for pivaloylbenzenes, but not for trihalogenoacetylbenzenes. The exclusive attack on the methyl group at the most hindered position can be explained by a sequence involving the attachment of a nitronium ion at the site meta to the acyl group, followed by a proton release from the resulting arenium ion to form a nitromethylenecyclohexadiene intermediate, which is then t...

Yang’s biradical (I), its mono‐ and di‐deuterated derivatives, (II) and (III) were generated by PbO2 oxidation in toluene of corresponding bisphenol precursors and investigated by means of ESR spectroscopy. The frozen toluene ESR spectrum of Yang’s biradical (I) at 77 °K has been analyzed, and the g‐ and D‐tensor values have been determined. The results suggest that the threefold symmetry of Yang’s biradical has disappeared in the frozen rigid matrix. Essentially the same g‐ and D‐tensor values are observed for its mono‐ and di‐deuterated derivatives (II) and (III). On the other hand, the toluene solution ESR spectra of these three biradicals at 20 °C appear to correspond to hyperfine interaction with equivalent six, five, and four meta ring protons, respectively. The expected inequivalence of the proton splittings of these biradicals is less than the linewidths.

Synthesis and antibacterial activities of 7-[2-(2-amino-1,3,4-thiadiazol-5-yl)acetamido]-cephalosporins and their derivatives having the methoxyimino group at the 2-position of the 7-acyl moiety are described. These compounds are of interest as structural analogues of potent antibiotics, 7-[2-(2-aminothiazol-4-yl)acetamido]cephalosporins. 7-[2-(2-Amino-1,3,4-thiadiazol-5-yl)acetamido]cephalosporins showed comparable activity with cefazolin. Introduction of methoxyimino group to the 7-side chain resulted in a lowering of activity.

The reaction of 2,5-dimethylthiophene with copper(II) nitrate in acetic anhydride gave 3-nitro-2,5-dimethyl-thiophene and 2,5-dimethyl-3-(5-methyl-2-thenyl)thiophene as major isolable products. The treatment of 3,4-dibromo-2,5-dimethylthiophene with nitric acid (d=1.5) in dichloromethane in the presence of a catalytic amount of sulfuric acid afforded 3,4-dibromo-5-methyl-2-(nitrooxymethyl)thiophene, which, on thin-layer chromatog-raphy over silica gel using hexane as the eluant, underwent a partial novel coupling reaction through the loss of one methylene carbon atom, thus giving 3,3′,4,4′-tetrabromo-5,5′-dimethyldi-2-thienylmethane along with the expected 3,4-dibromo-2-hydroxymethyl-5-methylthiophene and bis(3,4-dibromo-5-methyl-2-thenyl) ether.

Two kinds of deuterium substituents of the galvinoxyl radical have been synthesized, and the effect of the deuterium substitution on the anomalous phase transition of the crystalline galvinoxyl radical at 82 K has been studied. The results, investigated by means of ESR and magnetic susceptibility measurements, indicate that the effect was not strong enough to induce any observable change in the transition.

The reaction in acetic acid of hexamethylbenzene and hexamethylbenzene-d18 with nitric acid in the dark has been investigated under various conditions using a high-pressure liquid chromatographic method. Pentamethylbenzyl nitrate, pentamethylphenylnitromethane, pentamethylbenzyl acetate, and pentamethylbenzyl alcohol were formed immediately after the mixing of reactants; their relative amounts remained almost unchanged up to nearly 50% conversion. The addition of sodium nitrite gave little influence on the composition of the product mixture, while urea was found to depress somewhat the formation of nitromethane. In the presence of lithium nitrate, the reaction was modestly accelerated and the nitrate formation seems to be slightly favored over the nitromethane formation. Hexamethylbenzene-d18 reacted with nitric acid at the same rate as the non-labeled hydrocarbon did, but the benzyl nitrate/phenylnitromethane ratio in the product mixture was considerably higher in the former. Based on the quantitative da...

Die Reaktion des Dimethylthiophens (I) mit Cu(II)-nitrat in Acetanhydrid ergibt als isolierbare Hauptprodukte das 3-Nitro-Den′vat (II) und das Dithienylmethan (III).

On treatment with concentrated nitric acid, the title compounds undergo attack on the side-chain which occurs exclusively on the methyl group at the most hindered site, giving 6-acyl-2,3,4,5-tetramethylbenzyl nitrate, and 2,6-diacyl-3,4,5-trimethylphenylnitromethane and/or 2,6-diacyl-3,4,5-trimethylbenzyl nitrate as the respective major side-chain substitution products.

Treatment of 2,6-dibromo-3,4,5-trimethylaniline with t-butyl nitrite in N,N-dimethylformamide at 60–65 °C was found to give a significant amount of a side-chain nitration product, 3,5-dibromo-2,6-dimethylphenylnitromethane, in addition to the expected 4,6-dibromo-1,2,3-trimethylbenzene.

Nitration of 2,5-dimethylthiophene with copper(II) nitrate in acetic anhydride gives 2,5-dimethyl-3-nitrothiophene and 3,2′-methylene (2,5-dimethylthiophene) (5′-methylthiophene) as major products. Treatment of 3,4-dibromo-2,5-dimethylthiophene with nitric acid (d = 1.5) in dichloromethane in the presence of a catalytic amount of sulfuric acid yields 3,4-dibromo-5-methyl-2-nitrooxymethylthiophene as the sole major product.

2,4-Dipivaloyl-1,3,5-trimethylbenzene, 4,6-dipivaloyl-1,2,3,5-tetramethylbenzene, and 3,6-dipivaloyl-1,2,4,5-tetramethylbenzene were prepared by the Friedel-Grafts dipropionylation of the corresponding polymethylbenzenes, followed by the exhaustive methylation of the resulting diketones with potassium t-butoxide and methyl iodide in boiling benzene-t-butyl alcohol. The PMR and IR spectra are reported for these new compounds.

An asymmetrical t-pentyl derivative of Yang’s biradical was prepared, and the g- and D-tensor values of the biradical were determined from an analysis of an asymmetric ESR spectrum of a frozen solution containing the biradical. The result may be understood by assuming that the benzene ring onto which two pentyl groups are substituted is twisted more than the other two benzene rings. On the other hand, the fluid solution ESR spectrum shows seven hyperfine splittings due to six equivalent meta ring protons in the three benzene rings of the pentyl derivative.

On treatment with concentrated nitric acid, the title compounds undergo attack on the side-chain which occurs exclusively on the methyl group at the most hindered site, giving 6-acyl-2,3,4,5-tetramethylbenzyl nitrate, and 2,6-diacyl-3,4,5-trimethylphenylnitromethane and/or 2,6-diacyl-3,4,5-trimethylbenzyl nitrate as the respective major side-chain substitution products.