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1. Structural analogues of a sulphated polysaccharide, dextrin sulphate, were synthesized and tested for their ability to block infection by HIV-1. Using the T-cell lines, C8166 and HPB-ALL, and the laboratory adapted strains of HIV-1.MN, HIV-1.IIIb and HIV-1.RF, dextrin 2-sulphate (D2S) combined the best combination of high anti-HIV-1 activity (95% inhibitory concentration (IC95) = 230 nM) and low anticoagulant activity. It also blocked infection of activated peripheral blood mononuclear (PBMN) cells by five primary viral isolates at an IC95 of 230-3700 nM depending upon the primary viral isolate tested. 2. In saturation binding studies, [3H]-D2S bound to a cell surface protein on HPB-ALL cells in a specific and saturable manner with a Kd of 82 +/- 14 nM and a Bmax of 4.8 +/- 0.3 pmol/10(6) cells. It bound to other human T-cell lines in a similar manner. 3. There was very little binding of [3H]-D2S to freshly isolated PBMN cells (Bmax 0.18 +/- 0.03 pmol/10(6) cells) and these cells could not be infected by HIV-1. Culture of PBMN cells in lymphocyte growth medium (LGM) containing IL-2 did not significantly change the Bmax of [3H]-D2S. In contrast, PBMN cells which had been cultured with phytohaemagglutinin (PHA; 5 micrograms ml-1) for 72 h had a Bmax of [3H]-D2S binding of 7.2 +/- 0.1 pmol/10(6) cells and these cells could be infected by HIV-1. Removal of the PHA and further culture of the PBMN cells in LGM containing IL-2 resulted in a fall in the Bmax to 2.0 +/- 0.1 pmol/10(6) cells. The Kd of binding did not change significantly during the course of these experiments.4. [3H]-D2S did not bind to freshly isolated erythrocytes or to erythrocytes which had been cultured in PHA for 72 h.5. These results suggest that there is a relationship between the expression of the [3H]-D2S binding protein on the plasma membrane of PBMN cells and the susceptibility of these cells to infection by HIV- 1.

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The solid (gel)-phase peptide synthesis of peptides, each containing an azaglutamine residue, has been examined. Procedures using various mono-, di- and tripeptide and carbazate fragments containing or relating to an azaglutamine (1) residue have been evaluated. N-Activation of the amino-terminus of a resin-bound peptide with bis-(2,4-dinitrophenyl)carbonate (2) yielded the terminal isocyanate species, which reacted with protected carbazates to give resin-bound protected peptides containing the aza-residue. By contrast, coupling of activated amino-acid derivates to the free amino-group of a resin-bound peptide with an aza-residue at the N-terminus was a slow and unsatisfactory process. It is concluded that the route yielding the best results involves the reaction of a protected amino-acyl carbazate to a resin-bound isocyanate-activated peptide.

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6-Hydroxybenzothiazole, 2-cyano-6-hydroxybenzothiazole, and 2-(6-hydroxy-2-benzothiazolyl)thiazole-4-carboxylic acid (dehydroluciferin) dramatically enhance light emission from the horseradish peroxidase conjugate catalyzed oxidation of luminol, isoluminol, N-(6-aminobutyl)-N-ethyl isoluminol, and 7-dimethylaminonaphthalene-1,2-dicarboxylic acid hydrazide by either peroxide or perborate. Light emission is enhanced by up to 1000-fold, which is an improvement over the enhancement previously observed using firefly luciferin (4,5-dihydro-2-(6-hydroxy-2-benzothiazolyl)thiazole-4-carboxylic acid). Enhancement is influenced by enhancer concentration and pH. Spectral scans of light emitted in enhanced and unenhanced reactions are similar, suggesting that aminophthalate products, and not the enhancers, are the emitters.

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A crystalline tetrabutylammonium salt of 7-hydroxy-4-methylcoumarin was prepared and shown to contain two coumarin residues for each ammonium group. Condensation of this salt with the glycosyl chloride of methyl 5-acetamido-4,7,8,9-tetra-O-acetyl-3,5-dideoxy-beta-D-glycero-D-galacto-2-nonulopyranosonate in dry acetonitrile at room temperature gave the corresponding alpha-glycoside in higher yield and purity than previously reported methods. Removal of the acetyl and methyl ester blocking-groups gave the free glycoside, which was shown to have the alpha configuration by n.m.r. spectroscopy. In contrast, the reaction of the free coumarin derivative with the chloro sugar in refluxing, dry toluene in the presence of cadmium carbonate as acid acceptor gave none of the above glycoside, but gave the corresponding glycal in good yield.

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Incubation of 4-methylumbelliferyl alpha-L-iduronide with whole cell homogenates prepared from cultured skin fibroblasts and amniotic cells, and peripheral blood leukocytes gave 4-methylumbelliferone which was easily measured fluorometrically. This reaction, presumably due to the action of alpha-L-iduronidase, has a maximum hydrolytic activity at pH 3.25. The apparent KM value of alpha-L-iduronidase in leukocyte whole cell homogenates for this substrate was 179 mumol/l compared to 353, 41 and 166 mumol/l for other alpha-L-iduronidase substrates phenyl alpha-L-iduronide, iduronosyl anhydrol[1-3H]mannitol 6-sulfate and iduronosyl anhydro[1-3H]mannitol respectively; the corresponding Vmax values were 617, 394, 158 and 10 pmol/min/mg protein respectively. Incubation of the 4-methylumbelliferyl alpha-L-iduronide with whole cell homogenates prepared from cultured skin fibroblasts and leukocytes from a Hurler patient gave 4-methylumbelliferone at a rate more than 20 times less than found for control normal preparations. 4-Methylumbelliferyl alpha-L-iduronide is a sensitive, convenient and superior substrate to phenyl alpha-L-iduronide for the assay of alpha-L-iduronidase activity, but is not a suitable replacement for the radiolabelled substrate iduronosyl anhydro[1-3H]mannitol 6-sulfate.

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