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Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, August 2002, p. 2470-2476, Vol. 46, No. 8
0066-4804/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AAC.46.8.2470-2476.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Inhibition of Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 1 by Purines and Pyrrolo[2,3-d]Pyrimidines Does Not Correlate with Antiviral Activity

David L. Evers,^1,2 Julie M. Breitenbach,¹ Katherine Z. Borysko,¹ Leroy B. Townsend,² and John C. Drach^1,2*

Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences, School of Dentistry,¹ Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109²

Received 16 October 2001/ Returned for modification 17 January 2002/ Accepted 18 April 2002

We have previously shown that a series of nonnucleoside pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidines selectively inhibit the replication of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and human cytomegalovirus (HCMV). These compounds act at the immediate-early or early stage of HCMV replication and have antiviral properties somewhat similar to those of roscovitine and olomoucine, specific inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases (cdks). In the present study we examine the hypothesis that pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidines exert their antiviral effects by inhibition of cellular cdks. Much higher concentrations of a panel of pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine nucleoside analogs with antiviral activity were required to inhibit recombinant cdk1/cyclin B compared to the submicromolar concentrations required to inhibit HCMV and HSV-1 replication. 4,6-Diamino-5-cyano-7-(2-phenylethyl)pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine (compound 1369) was the best inhibitor of cdk1 and cyclin B, with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀; 14 µM) similar to that of roscovitine; it was competitive with respect to ATP (K_i = 14 µM). The potency of compound 1369 against cdk1 and cyclin B was similar to its cytotoxicity (IC₅₀s, 32 to 100 µM) but not its antiviral efficacy (IC₅₀s, 0.02 to 0.3 µM). Thus, our results indicated the null hypothesis. In contrast, roscovitine was only weakly active against HSV-1 (IC₅₀, 38 µM) and HCMV (IC₅₀, 40 µM). These values were similar to those derived by cytotoxicity and cell growth inhibition assays, thereby suggesting that roscovitine is not a selective antiviral. Therefore, we propose that inhibition of cdk1 and cyclin B is not responsible for selective antiviral activity and that pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidines constitute novel pharmacophores which compete with ATP to inhibit cdk1 and cyclin B.

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* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences, 4222 School of Dentistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1078. Phone: (734) 763-5579. Fax: (734) 764-4497. E-mail: jcdrach{at}umich.edu.

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Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, August 2002, p. 2470-2476, Vol. 46, No. 8
0066-4804/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AAC.46.8.2470-2476.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

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