The present study was designed to estimate the ability of chlorophyllin (CHL) to interact with two acridine mutagens, quinacrine mustard (QM) and acridine orange (AO), and with the antitumor anthracycline doxorubicin (Dox). To this end, aqueous solutions of QM, AO or Dox during titration with CHL were subjected to spectrophotometry and spectrofluorimetry to detect possible interactions between these reagents. The data indicate that CHL forms complexes with AO, QM or Dox in these solutions. The presence of the complexes was manifested by a bathochromic shift of the absorption spectra, as well as by strong quenching of the fluorescence of each of these mutagens in the presence of CHL. CHL, thus, may serve as an interceptor of these mutagenic acridines in different in vivo or in vitro applications. Its ability to interact with Dox may potentially be utilized to detoxify patients overdosed with this or similar drugs.

Translation initiation factor eIF4E binds the m(7)G cap of eukaryotic mRNAs and mediates recruitment of mRNA to the ribosome during cap-dependent translation initiation. This event is the rate-limiting step of translation and a major target for translational control. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, about 70% of genes express mRNAs with an unusual cap structure containing m(3)(2,2,7)G, which is poorly recognized by mammalian eIF4E. C. elegans expresses five isoforms of eIF4E (IFE-1, IFE-2, etc.). Three of these (IFE-3, IFE-4 and IFE-5) were investigated by means of spectroscopy and structural modelling based on mouse eIF4E bound to m(7)GDP. Intrinsic fluorescence quenching of Trp residues in the IFEs by iodide ions indicated structural differences between the apo and m(7)G cap bound proteins. Fluorescence quenching by selected cap analogues showed that only IFE-5 forms specific complexes with both m(7)G- and m(3)(2,2,7)G-containing caps (K(as) 2 x 10(6) M(-1) to 7 x 10(6) M(-1)) whereas IFE-3 and IFE-4 discriminated strongly in favor of m(7)G-containing caps. These spectroscopic results quantitatively confirm earlier qualitative data derived from affinity chromatography. The dependence of K(as) on pH indicated optimal cap binding of IFE-3, IFE-4 and IFE-5 at pH 7.2, lower by 0.4 pH units than that of eIF4E from human erythrocytes. These results provide insight into the molecular mechanism of recognition of structurally different caps by the highly homologous IFEs.

Second-order rate constants for the hydroxide-ion-catalyzed imidazolium ring-opening of several mono- and dinucleosidic analogs of mRNA 5'-cap have been determined. Intramolecular stacking of the two nucleobases in the dinucleosidic analogs, m7GpppN (m7G = 7-methylguanosine, N = 5'-linked nucleoside), and electrostatic interaction between the N-alkylated imidazolium ring and phosphate moiety have been shown to shield the m7G moiety against the nucleophilic attack of hydroxide ion. In addition, the effect of methylation of the nucleobase amino groups and replacement of the 7-methyl group with other alkyl groups have been studied. The influence of all the structural modifications studied turned out to be modest, the cleavage rates of the most and least reactive analogs (with the exception of non-phosphorylated nucleosides) differing only by a factor of 5.

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