0000000000134011

AUTHOR

Colleen Shea

Dynamic Precision Phenotyping Reveals Mechanism of Crop Tolerance to Root Herbivory.

The western corn rootworm (WCR; Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte) is a major pest of maize (Zea mays) that is well adapted to most crop management strategies. Breeding for tolerance is a promising alternative to combat WCR but is currently constrained by a lack of physiological understanding and phenotyping tools. We developed dynamic precision phenotyping approaches using 11C with positron emission tomography, root autoradiography, and radiometabolite flux analysis to understand maize tolerance to WCR. Our results reveal that WCR attack induces specific patterns of lateral root growth that are associated with a shift in auxin biosynthesis from indole-3-pyruvic acid to indole-3-aceton…

research product

Synthesis of l -[4-11 C]Asparagine by Ring-Opening Nucleophilic 11 C-Cyanation Reaction of a Chiral Cyclic Sulfamidate Precursor

The development of a convenient and rapid method to synthesize radiolabeled, enantiomerically pure amino acids (AAs) as potential positron emission tomography (PET) imaging agents for mapping various biochemical transformations in living organisms remains a challenge. This is especially true for the synthesis of carbon-11-labeled AAs given the short half-life of carbon-11 (11 C, t1/2 =20.4 min). A facile synthetic pathway to prepare enantiomerically pure 11 C-labeled l-asparagine was developed using a partially protected serine as a starting material with a four-step transformation providing a chiral five-membered cyclic sulfamidate as the radiolabeling precursor. Its structure and absolute…

research product

Characterisation of [11C]PR04.MZ in Papio anubis baboon: A selective high-affinity radioligand for quantitative imaging of the dopamine transporter

N-(4-fluorobut-2-yn-1-yl)-2β-carbomethoxy-3β-(4′-tolyl)nortropane (PR04.MZ, 1) is a PET radioligand for the non-invasive exploration of the function of the cerebral dopamine transporter (DAT). A reliable automated process for routine production of the carbon-11 labelled analogue [11C]PR04.MZ ([11C]-1) has been developed using GMP compliant equipment. An adult female Papio anubis baboon was studied using a test–retest protocol with [11C]-1 in order to assess test–retest reliability, metabolism and CNS distribution profile of the tracer in non-human primates. Blood sampling was performed throughout the studies for determination of the free fraction in plasma (fP), plasma input functions and m…

research product

PET Studies of d-Methamphetamine Pharmacokinetics in Primates: Comparison with l-Methamphetamine and (—)-Cocaine

The methamphetamine molecule has a chiral center and exists as 2 enantiomers, d-methamphetamine (the more active enantiomer) and l-methamphetamine (the less active enantiomer). d-Methamphetamine is associated with more intense stimulant effects and higher abuse liability. The objective of this study was to measure the pharmacokinetics of d-methamphetamine for comparison with both l-methamphetamine and (-)-cocaine in the baboon brain and peripheral organs and to assess the saturability and pharmacologic specificity of binding.d- and l-methamphetamine and (-)-cocaine were labeled with (11)C via alkylation of the norprecursors with (11)C-methyl iodide using literature methods. Six different ba…

research product

Evaluation of [11C]Metergoline as a PET Radiotracer for 5HTR in Nonhuman Primates

Metergoline, a serotonin receptor antagonist, was labeled with carbon-11 in order to evaluate its pharmacokinetics and distribution in non-human primates using positron emission tomography. [{sup 11}C]Metergoline had moderate brain uptake and exhibited heterogeneous specific binding, which was blocked by pretreatment with metergoline and altanserin throughout the cortex. Non-specific binding and insensitivity to changes in synaptic serotonin limit its potential as a PET radiotracer. However, the characterization of [{sup 11}C]metergoline pharmacokinetics and binding in the brain and peripheral organs using PET improves our understanding of metergoline drug pharmacology.

research product

Reinvestigation of the synthesis and evaluation of [N-methyl-11C]vorozole, a radiotracer targeting cytochrome P450 aromatase

Abstract Introduction We reinvestigated the synthesis of [ N -methyl- 11 C]vorozole, a radiotracer for aromatase, and discovered the presence of an N -methyl isomer which was not removed in the original purification method. Herein we report the preparation and positron emission tomography (PET) studies of pure [ N -methyl- 11 C]vorozole. Methods Norvorozole was alkylated with [ 11 C]methyl iodide as previously described and also with unlabeled methyl iodide. A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed to separate the regioisomers. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy ( 13 C and 2D-nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy NMR) was used to identify and assign s…

research product

Whole-body pharmacokinetics of HDAC inhibitor drugs, butyric acid, valproic acid and 4-phenylbutyric acid measured with carbon-11 labeled analogs by PET

The fatty acids, n-butyric acid (BA), 4-phenylbutyric acid (PBA) and valproic acid (VPA, 2-propylpentanoic acid) have been used for many years in the treatment of a variety of CNS and peripheral organ diseases including cancer. New information that these drugs alter epigenetic processes through their inhibition of histone deacetylases (HDACs) has renewed interest in their biodistribution and pharmacokinetics and the relationship of these properties to their therapeutic and side effect profiles. In order to determine the pharmacokinetics and biodistribution of these drugs in primates, we synthesized their carbon-11 labeled analogues and performed dynamic positron emission tomography (PET) in…

research product

CCDC 1415388: Experimental Crystal Structure Determination

Related Article: Youwen Xu, Aylin Sibel Cankaya, Ruma Hoque, So Jeong Lee, Colleen Shea, Lena Kersting, Michael Schueller, Joanna S. Fowler, David Szalda, David Alexoff, Barbara Riehl, Tassilo Gleede, Richard A. Ferrieri, Wenchao Qu|2018|Chem.-Eur.J.|24|6848|doi:10.1002/chem.201801029

research product