Tommy J. McCord

Bio: Tommy J. McCord is an academic researcher from University of Texas at Austin. The author has contributed to research in topics: Benzyl bromide & Lactobacillus plantarum. The author has an hindex of 6, co-authored 13 publications receiving 170 citations.

Synthesis and microbiological properties of 3-amino-1-hydroxy-2-indolinone and related compounds.

Abstract: Aus dem α-Brom-o-nitr0phenylacetat (I) erhalt man mit Phthalimid-kalium das I Substitutionsprodukt (II), das zu (IIIa) bzw. dem Hydrochlorid (IIIb) verseift wird.

Synthesis and antibacterial activities of some chloro analogs of 3 amino-3,4-dihydro-1-hydroxycarbostyril.

Abstract: The effects of a chloro substituent upon the microbiological activities of 3-amino-3,4-dihydro-1-hydroxycarbostyril were determined. The 5-, 6-, and 7-chloro analogs were synthesized by reductive cyclizations of the appropriately chloro-substituted o-nitrophenylalanines, while the 8-chloro analog was obtained from the N-trifluoroacetyl-3-chloro-2-nitrophenylalanine ethyl ester. All of these compounds were observed to inhibit the growth of Escherichia coli 9723, Leuconostoc dextranicum 8086, and Lactobacillus plantarum 8014. The relative inhibitory activities of the chloro analogs were 7-Cl greater than 6-Cl greater than 8-Cl greater than 5-Cl in E. coli and 7-Cl greater than 6-Cl greater than 8-Cl = 5-Cl in L. dextranicum and L. plantarum. In each of the three microorganisms, the 7-Cl analog was a more effective growth inhibitor than the parent unsubstituted compound. The growth inhibitory activities of this class of compounds were demonstrated to be much more effective than those of the four corresponding lactams, the 5-, 6-, 7-, and 8-chloro analogs of 3-amino-3,4-dihydrocarbostyril.

Pyrrole substituted 2-indolinone protein kinase inhibitors

Abstract: The present invention relates to novel pyrrole substituted 2-indolinone compounds and physiologically acceptable salts and prodrugs thereof which modulate the activity of protein kinases and therefore are expected to be useful in the prevention and treatment of protein kinase related cellular disorders such as cancer

Riboswitches as antibacterial drug targets.

Abstract: New validated cellular targets are needed to reinvigorate antibacterial drug discovery. This need could potentially be filled by riboswitches-messenger RNA (mRNA) structures that regulate gene expression in bacteria. Riboswitches are unique among RNAs that serve as drug targets in that they have evolved to form structured and highly selective receptors for small drug-like metabolites. In most cases, metabolite binding to the receptor represses the expression of the gene(s) encoded by the mRNA. If a new metabolite analog were designed that binds to the receptor, the gene(s) regulated by that riboswitch could be repressed, with a potentially lethal effect to the bacteria. Recent work suggests that certain antibacterial compounds discovered decades ago function at least in part by targeting riboswitches. Herein we will summarize the experiments validating riboswitches as drug targets, describe the existing technology for riboswitch drug discovery and discuss the challenges that may face riboswitch drug discoverers.

Fluorinated amino acids: compatibility with native protein structures and effects on protein–protein interactions

Abstract: Fluorinated analogues of the canonical α-L-amino acids have gained widespread attention as building blocks that may endow peptides and proteins with advantageous biophysical, chemical and biological properties. This critical review covers the literature dealing with investigations of peptides and proteins containing fluorinated analogues of the canonical amino acids published over the course of the past decade including the late nineties. It focuses on side-chain fluorinated amino acids, the carbon backbone of which is identical to their natural analogues. Each class of amino acids—aliphatic, aromatic, charged and polar as well as proline—is presented in a separate section. General effects of fluorine on essential properties such as hydrophobicity, acidity/basicity and conformation of the specific side chains and the impact of these altered properties on stability, folding kinetics and activity of peptides and proteins are discussed (245 references).

Eosinophils generate brominating oxidants in allergen-induced asthma

Abstract: Eosinophils promote tissue injury and contribute to the pathogenesis of allergen-triggered diseases like asthma, but the chemical basis of damage to eosinophil targets is unknown. We now demonstrate that eosinophil activation in vivo results in oxidative damage of proteins through bromination of tyrosine residues, a heretofore unrecognized pathway for covalent modification of biologic targets in human tissues. Mass spectrometric studies demonstrated that 3-bromotyrosine serves as a specific “molecular fingerprint” for proteins modified through the eosinophil peroxidase-H2O2 system in the presence of plasma levels of halides. We applied a localized allergen challenge to model the effects of eosinophils and brominating oxidants in human lung injury. Endobronchial biopsy specimens from allergen-challenged lung segments of asthmatic, but not healthy control, subjects demonstrated significant enrichments in eosinophils and eosinophil peroxidase. Baseline levels of 3-bromotyrosine in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) proteins from mildly allergic asthmatic individuals were modestly but not statistically significantly elevated over those in control subjects. After exposure to segmental allergen challenge, lung segments of asthmatics, but not healthy control subjects, exhibited a >10-fold increase in BAL 3-bromotyrosine content, but only two- to threefold increases in 3-chlorotyrosine, a specific oxidation product formed by neutrophil- and monocyte-derived myeloperoxidase. These results identify reactive brominating species produced by eosinophils as a distinct class of oxidants formed in vivo. They also reveal eosinophil peroxidase as a potential therapeutic target for allergen-triggered inflammatory tissue injury in humans.