title: DNA damage effects of a polyamide-CBI conjugate in SV40 virions.
abstract: Polyamides are a class of synthetic molecules that exhibit high-affinity, sequence-specific reversible binding in the DNA minor groove but are incapable of inducing DNA damage. In cell-free systems, polyamides have been shown to regulate gene expression by activation, repression, and antirepression. However, effectiveness in cell culture has met with limited success and seems to be cell-dependent. By combining a polyamide with a moiety of a DNA-alkylating agent of the cyclopropylpyrroloindole (CPI) family, a conjugate molecule [polyamide 1-CBI (1-(chloromethyl)-5-hydroxyl-1,2-dihydro-3H-benz[e]indole) conjugate] capable of sequence-specific DNA alkylation was shown to exhibit cellular activity (i.e., cell-growth inhibition and cell-cycle arrest) in mammalian cells. These effects, however, occur at concentrations several orders of magnitude higher than those of its parent CPI agent adozelesin. In addition, 1-CBI is able to interact sequence-specifically with viral DNA and inhibit SV40 DNA replication in infected BSC-1 (African green monkey kidney epithelial) cells, albeit at a greatly reduced ability compared with its CPI parent. On the basis of results from previous studies, we tested whether pretreatment of virus with 1-CBI, compared with direct treatment of infected cells, would enhance its cellular activity. Therefore, using SV40 virions as a model system, we examined the ability of this conjugate molecule to penetrate SV40 virions and damage viral DNA. Our results demonstrate that 1-CBI is able to damage encapsidated SV40 DNA. Both DNA replication and virus production are effectively inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner after infection of BSC-1 cells with 1-CBI-pretreated virions. It is surprising that, unlike in mammalian cells, the relative activity of 1-CBI in SV40 virions is comparable with that of the highly cytotoxic CPI agent adozelesin. Because 1-CBI is able to efficiently penetrate virions and damage DNA, these findings may provide the framework for the development of polyamide-based antiviral agents with enhanced sequence-preference capabilities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Elm and Carlton Streets, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA.
authors.forename: Brian J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Philips
authors.forename: Aileen Y
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Peter B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Dervan
authors.forename: Terry A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Beerman
mesh_terms: D004249:DNA Damage / Q000187:drug effects*; D004261:DNA Replication / Q000187:drug effects*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D007211:Indoles / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007700:Kinetics; D011758:Pyrroles / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013539:Simian virus 40 / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D014771:Virion / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D007211:Indoles; D011758:Pyrroles; C470729:polyamide 1-(chloromethyl)-5-hydroxyl-1,2-dihydro--3H-benz(e)indole conjugate