Salvatore Forenza

Discovery of antitumor indolocarbazoles: rebeccamycin, NSC 655649, and fluoroindolocarbazoles.

A fermentation directed product search for potential anticancer drugs conducted by Bristol-Myers in the 1970s and early 1980s resulted in the identification of a novel indolocarbazole (IC) rebeccamycin (RBM) as a potential drug development candidate. Subsequently, an analog program designed to impart distal site in vivo antitumor activity resulted in the discovery of diethylaminoethyl analog of RBM (DEAE-RBM), which is presently undergoing clinical evaluation as NSC 655649 and BMY-27557. Strong DNA intercalation is the primary mechanism of action of DEAE-RBM resulting in the potent catalytic inhibition of both topoisomerases I and II. Precursor feeding fermentation experiments with fluorine-substituted tryptophans yielded novel fluoroindolocarbazoles (FICs). These FICs were identified as targeting topoisomerase (topo) I in a mechanism-based screen and their action on topo I was confirmed by production of topo I-mediated single-strand breaks in DNA at sites essentially identical to those induced by camptothecin. Topo I dependent cytotoxicity was demonstrated for specific FICs using a P388 and camptothecin-resistant P388/CPT45 pair of cell lines, the latter expresses little or no functional topo I. For example, topo I selectivity was greatest with 3,9-difluoro substituted FIC and was least significant and least cytotoxic with 4,8-difluoro substituted FIC. The review focuses on the discovery of the rebeccamycin class of compounds and their structure-activity relationships leading to the development of the clinical candidate BMY-27557 (NSC 655649), as well as the lead identification of the fluoroindolocarbazole class of compounds.

The effect of space flight on the production of actinomycin D by Streptomyces plicatus

The effect of space flight on production of the antibiotic actinomycin D by Streptomyces plicatus WC56452 was examined onboard the US Space Shuttle mission STS-80. Paired space flight and ground control samples were similarly prepared using identical hardware, media, and inoculum. The cultures were grown in defined and complex media under dark, anaerobic, thermally controlled (20°C) conditions with samples fixed after 7 and 12 days in orbit, and viable residuals maintained through landing at 17 days, 15 h. Postflight analyses indicated that space flight had reduced the colony-forming unit (CFU) per milliliter count of S. plicatus and increased the specific productivity (pg CFU−1) of actinomycin D. The antibiotic compound itself was not affected, but its production time course was altered in space. Viable flight samples also maintained their sporulation ability when plated on agar medium postflight, while the residual ground controls did not sporulate.

Effect of neutral resins on the production of dynemicins by Micromonospora chersina

Addition of Diaion HP-20 or Amberlite XAD-8 resin to the fermentation ofMicromonospora chersina ATCC 53710 enhanced the production of dynemicin A by 4.7- and 6.9-fold, respectively. Addition of resin suppressed the production of other dynemicin analogs, which comprised 65% of the dynemicin complex in the fermentation.

Identification of indolepyruvic acid as an intermediate of rebeccamycin biosynthesis

SummaryExperimental evidence is presented to demonstrate that indolepyruvic acid is an intermediate in the rebeccamycin biosynthetic pathway. [3-14C]Indolepyruvic acid was prepared and efficiently incorporated (8%) into rebeccamycin bySaccharothrix aerocolonigenes.

The effect of cerulenin on the production of esperamicin A1 byActinomadura verrucosospora

SummaryAddition of cerulenin (0.25–1.0 mM) to cultures ofActinomadura verrucosospora before the onset of esperamicin synthesis inhibited the production of esperamicin A1 by the microorganism. This result indicates that esperamicin A1 is biosynthesized in part by the polyketide pathway. Addition of cerulenin to the cultures during the active production phase led to a net decrease in esperamicin A1 production. The14C-acetate labeling pattern of esperamicin A1 in the cultures with or without addition of cerulenin at the active production phase also demonstrated the instability of esperamicin A1 in the fermentation. This suggests that esperamicin A1 is unstable and degradation occurs during the active production phase. Addition of the neutral resin Diaion HP-20 (1%) to the fermentation enhanced the production of esperamicin A1 by 53%.

Carbon catabolite regulation of rebeccamycin production inSaccharothrix aerocolonigenes

SummaryA new antitumor antibiotic named rebeccamycin was isolated from fermentations of an actinomycete,Saccharothrix aerocolonigenes. A defined medium was developed to study the regulation of synthesis of rebeccamycin byS. aerocolonigenes. In glucose medium formation of rebeccamycin was detected only after glucose was depleted. Examination of eleven different carbon sources revealed that carbon catabolite regulation is a major control mechanism for rebeccamycin production.

Korkormicins, novel depsipeptide antitumor antibiotics fromMicromonospora sp C39500: Fermentation, precursor directed biosynthesis and biological activities

Micromonospora sp C39500, isolated in our laboratory from a soil sample, produced a complex of seven novel depsipeptide antitumor antibiotics, designated korkormicins. The major component of the complex, korkormicin A, has a MW of 1452 and a molecular formula of C66H84N16O22. Korkormicin A exhibits potentin vivo antitumor activity against P388 leukemia and M109 lung carcinoma implanted intraperitoneally (ip) in mice, with effective doses of 0.05–0.20 mg kg−1 injection−1, for five or three ip injections, respectively. It is also active against Gram-positive bacteria but inactive against Gram-negative bacteria. The production of korkormicin A was enhanced by 3-fold when 0.1%l-valine was added to the production culture at 48h. A titer of 401.0 μg ml−1 was achieved in the fermenter culture supplemented with 0.1%l-valine.

Inhibition of antibacterial activity of himastatin, a new antitumor antibiotic from Streptomyces hygroscopicus, by fatty acid sodium salts.

Himastatin, a cyclohexadepsipeptide antibiotic, had in vivo antitumor activity against localized P388 leukemia and B16 melanoma but had no distal site antitumor activity. An in vitro Bacillus subtilis well-agar diffusion assay was employed to test the hypothesis that himastatin was enzymatically inactivated. The activity of himastatin against B. subtilis was inhibited when himastatin was mixed with mouse liver S9 fraction and microsomes. However, subsequent investigations demonstrated that the markedly decreased antibacterial activity was not enzymatic in nature but was related to the presence of certain fatty acid salts. Saturated fatty acid sodium salts with a carbon chain number of 8 or more reduced the antimicrobial activity of himastatin 50 to 100 times. If antibiotics such as ampicillin, bacitracin, chloramphenicol, and tunicamycin were used in place of himastatin, no meaningful reduction in antibacterial activity occurred. However, the antibacterial activity of the membrane-active peptide antibiotic polymyxin B, but not that of polymyxin E (colistin), was reduced in a manner similar to that of himastatin. Importantly, the activity of himastatin against HCT-116 colon adenocarcinoma cells in soft agar was markedly reduced in the presence of sodium palmitate as the reference fatty acid salt. The data indicate that himastatin may be trapped in micelles in vitro. It may be speculated that the lack of distal site antitumor activity resulted from similar complex formation between himastatin and lipids in vivo. The results also suggest that the cancer cytotoxic and antimicrobial effects of himastatin may result from interactions with the cell membrane.

Improved processes for the production and isolation of dynemicin A and large-scale fermentation in a 10000-liter fermentor

SummarySupplementing the culture ofMicromonospora chersina sp. nov. No. M956-1 with NaI (0.5 mg/l) enhanced the production of dynemicin A by 35-fold in shake flask culture. Homogeneous dynemicin A was obtained from the whole broth extract by Dicalite chromatography, Sephadex LH-20 chromatography and vacuum liquid chromatography. Gram quantities of dynemicin A were obtained from the fermentation ofM. chersina sp. nov. No. M956-1 in a 10000-liter fermentor.

Large scale production and semi-purification of kedarcidin in a 1000-L fermentor

SummaryActinomycete strain ATCC 53650 was grown in a 1000-L fermentor containing 680 L of medium and the production of kedarcidin was monitored by HPLC. The titers of kedarcidin in the fermentor cultures were 0.49–0.53 mg ml−1. A quick and efficient purification method involving the use of anion exchange resin DE23 (batch adsorption-desorption) and an ultrafiltration system yielded high recovery (65% yield) of kedarcidin from the fermentor culture. Over 200 grams of lyophilized kedarcidin of 70% purity was recovered from each of two 1000-L fermentor cultures using this process.