In order to better de¢ne the structural elements involved in allosteric signalling, wild-type DnaK and three deletion mutants of the peptide binding domain have been characterized by biophysical (steady-state and time-resolved £uorescence) and biochemical methods. In the presence of ATP the chemical environment of the single tryptophan residue of DnaK, located in the ATPase domain, becomes less polar, as seen by a blue shift of the emission maximum and a shortening of the £uorescence lifetime, and its accessibility to polar quenchers is drastically reduced. These nucleotide-dependent modi¢cations are also observed for the deletion mutant DnaK1-537, but not for DnaK1-507 or DnaK1-385, and thus rely on the presence of residues 507^537 (helices A and the N-terminal half of B) of the peptide binding domain. These data indicate that K KA and half K KB contribute to the allosteric communication of DnaK. In the presence of ATP, they promote a conformational change that displaces a residue(s) of the peptide binding domain towards a region of the ATPase domain where the tryptophan residue (W102) is located. A putative role for these helical segments as regulators of the position of the lid is discussed. ß

In spite of development of molecular therapeutics, multiple myeloma (MM) is fatal in most cases. CD38 is a promising target for selective treatment of MM. We tested radioimmunoconjugates consisting of the α-emitter 213Bi coupled to an anti-CD38 MAb in preclinical treatment of MM. Efficacy of 213Bi-anti-CD38-MAb was assayed towards different MM cell lines with regard to induction of DNA double-strand breaks, induction of apoptosis and initiation of cell cycle arrest. Moreover, mice bearing luciferase-expressing MM xenografts were treated with 213Bi-anti-CD38-MAb. Therapeutic efficacy was monitored by bioluminescence imaging, overall survival and histology. 213Bi-anti-CD38-MAb treatment induced DNA damage which did not result in activation of the G2 DNA-damage-response checkpoint, but instead in mitotic arrest and subsequent mitotic catastrophe. The anti-tumor effect of 213Bi-anti-CD38-MAb correlated with the expression level of CD38 in each MM cell line. In myeloma xenografts, treatment with 213Bi-anti-CD38-MAb suppressed tumor growth via induction of apoptosis in tumor tissue and significantly prolonged survival compared to controls. The major organ systems did not show any signs of 213Bi-induced toxicity. Preclinical treatment of MM with 213Bi-anti-CD38-MAb turned out as an effective therapeutic option.

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