Failure of the adaptive immune response to control infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) can result from mutational escape in targeted T-cell epitopes. Recent studies suggest that T-cell immune pressure is an important factor in the evolution of the nonstructural proteins in HCV. The aim of this study was to characterize the forces that contribute to viral evolution in an HLA-A*01-restricted epitope in HCV NS3. This epitope represents a potentially attractive target for vaccination strategies since it is conserved across all genotypes. In our cohort of subjects with chronic HCV infection (genotype 1b or 3a), it is a frequently recognized CD8 epitope in HLA-A*01-positive subjects. Viral sequence data reveal that an escape variant is the dominant residue in both genotypes. The predominant Y1444F substitution seemingly impairs binding to the HLA-A*01 molecule, which may have an important impact on the ability to prime a functional CD8 response upon infection. Interestingly, a case of evolution toward the prototype sequence was observed during chronic infection, possibly because the helicase activity of the protein containing the Y1444F substitution is reduced compared to the prototype sequence. Comparison of HCV sequences from Asia and Europe suggests that the frequency of the HLA-A*01 allele in a population may influence the frequency of the escape variant in circulating strains. These data suggest a complex interaction of multiple forces shaping the evolution of HCV in which immune pressure both within the individual and also at the population level in addition to functional constraints are important contributing factors.

On the basis of recently reported abyssinone II and olympicin A, a series of chemically modified flavonoid phytochemicals were synthesized and evaluated against Mycobacterium tuberculosis and a panel of Gram-positive and -negative bacterial pathogens. Some of the synthesized compounds exhibited good antibacterial activities against Gram-positive pathogens including methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus with minimum inhibitory concentration as low as 0.39 μg/mL. SAR analysis revealed that the 2-hydrophobic substituent and the 4-hydrogen bond donor/acceptor of the 4-chromanone scaffold together with the hydroxy groups at 5- and 7-positions enhanced antibacterial activities; the 2′,4′-dihydroxylated A ring and the lipophilic substituted B ring of chalcone derivatives were pharmacophoric elements for antibacterial activities. Mode of action studies performed on selected compounds revealed that they dissipated the bacterial membrane potential, resulting in the inhibition of macromolecular biosynthesis; further studies showed that selected compounds inhibited DNA topoisomerase IV, suggesting complex mechanisms of actions for compounds in this series.

The strictly conserved arginine residue proximal to the active site tyrosine of type IA topoisomerases is required for the relaxation of supercoiled DNA and was hypothesized to be required for positioning of the scissile phosphate for DNA cleavage to take place. Mutants of recombinant Yersinia pestis topoisomerase I with hydrophobic substitutions at this position were found in genetic screening to exhibit a dominant lethal phenotype, resulting in drastic loss in Escherichia coli viability when overexpressed. In depth biochemical analysis of E. coli topoisomerase I with the corresponding Arg-321 mutation showed that DNA cleavage can still take place in the absence of this arginine function if Mg 2؉ is present to enhance the interaction of the enzyme with the scissile phosphate. However, DNA rejoining is inhibited in the absence of this conserved arginine, resulting in accumulation of the cleaved covalent intermediate and loss of relaxation activity. These new experimental results demonstrate that catalysis of DNA rejoining by type IA topoisomerases has a more stringent requirement than DNA cleavage. In addition to the divalent metal ions, the side chain of this arginine residue is required for the precise positioning of the phosphotyrosine linkage for nucleophilic attack by the 3-OH end to result in DNA rejoining. Small molecules that can interfere or distort the enzyme-DNA interactions required for DNA rejoining by bacterial type IA topoisomerases could be developed into novel antibacterial drugs.Cellular processes such as replication and transcription require strand separation of duplex DNA, which can potentially lead to excess DNA supercoiling or strand entanglement. DNA topoisomerases are enzymes that overcome the topological barriers in DNA for cellular processes to proceed at optimal rates (1). These enzymes function by transiently cleaving and rejoining DNA through the formation of an intermediate covalent enzyme-DNA complex (1, 2). Topoisomerases are classified into two types based on the number of strands they cleave. Type I topoisomerases cleave a single strand of DNA, whereas type II topoisomerases cleave both strands of DNA. Each type is further subdivided into subgroups that are functionally and structurally dissimilar (1).Type IB and type IIA topoisomerases are well utilized targets for various anticancer and antibacterial drugs used in therapy. These drugs are effective in killing cancer and bacterial cells because they lead to the accumulation of the covalent intermediate formed between topoisomerase and cleaved DNA (3-7). The emergence of bacterial pathogens resistant to all available antibiotics poses a serious global public health problem. Hence, there is an urgent need for the discovery of a new class of antibacterial compounds. The type IA topoisomerase family includes bacterial and archael topoisomerase I, topoisomerase III, and eukaryotic topoisomerase III (8, 9). At least one type IA topoisomerase is present in each bacterial genome sequenced and annotated thus far (10, 11). Hence, type IA...

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The new ansa macrolide antibiotics 1 to 4 have been isolated from cultures of a Micromonospora sp. obtained from a marine sediment. Rifamycins 1 and 2 are the first natural ansa macrolides to have a 3-amino substituent. Sporalactams A (3) and B (4) are comprised of a heterocylic core 5 and a 14-membered ansa bridge that are both unprecedented. Sporalactam B (4) shows selective and potent inhibition of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.