bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identification of the promoter region of human interleukin 1 type I receptor gene: multiple initiation sites, high G+C content, and constitutive expression.
Authors: Ye K , Dinarello C A , Clark B D
Published: May 2006

To better understand the role of interleukin 1 (IL-1) and its receptor in disease, we have isolated a genomic clone of the human IL-1 type I receptor and have identified the promoter region. There are multiple transcriptional initiation sites as demonstrated by primer extension. DNA sequence analysis shows that the promoter region contains neither a TATA nor a CAAT box; however, the 5' upstream regulatory elements contain two AP-1-like binding sites. The internal regulatory sequences found immediately downstream to the 5' transcriptional start site contain four Sp1 binding domains and have a high G+C content of 75%. This portion of the 5' untranslated region of the mRNA can form stable secondary structure as predicted by computer modeling. Base pairs -4 to + 10 share striking resemblance to an initiator sequence that directs basal expression of certain TATA-less genes-e.g., terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase in lymphocytes. The IL-1 receptor promoter directs basal expression of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase in transiently transfected cells. Overall, the promoter of the IL-1 type I receptor gene resembles that of constitutively expressed genes that have housekeeping- and/or growth-related functions. The constitutive nature of the promoter may account for this gene being expressed at low levels in diverse cell types. Our finding sheds more understanding into the mechanisms governing the regulation of the IL-1 receptor in health and disease.
The eukaryotic host factor that activates exoenzyme S of Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a member of the 14-3-3 protein family.
Authors: Fu H , Coburn J , Collier R J
Published: May 2006

Exoenzyme S (ExoS), which has been implicated as a virulence factor of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, catalyzes transfer of the ADP-ribose moiety of NAD+ to many eukaryotic cellular proteins. Its preferred substrates include Ras and several other 21- to 25-kDa GTP-binding proteins. ExoS absolutely requires a ubiquitous eukaryotic protein factor, termed FAS (factor activating ExoS), for enzymatic activity. Here we describe the cloning and expression of a gene encoding FAS from a bovine brain cDNA library and demonstrate that purified recombinant FAS produced in Escherichia coli activates ExoS in a defined cell-free system. The deduced amino acid sequence of FAS shows that the protein (245 residues, calculated molecular mass 27,743 Da) belongs to a highly conserved, widely distributed eukaryotic protein family, collectively designated as 14-3-3 proteins. Various functions have been reported for members of the 14-3-3 family, including phospholipase A2 activity and regulation of tyrosine hydroxylase, tryptophan hydroxylase, and, possibly, protein kinase C activities. Identification of FAS as a 14-3-3 protein establishes an additional function for this family of proteins--the activation of an exogenous ADP-ribosyltransferase. Elucidation of the precise role of FAS in activating ExoS will contribute to understanding the molecular mechanisms by which P. aeruginosa causes disease.
Subcellular localization of T-cell receptor complexes containing tyrosine-phosphorylated zeta proteins in immature CD4+CD8+ thymocytes.
Authors: Kearse K P , Wiest D L , Singer A
Published: May 2006

The T-cell antigen receptor (TCR) is a complex of at least six different proteins (alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon, and zeta) that is assembled in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and transported to the cell surface. Unlike mature T cells, most immature CD4+CD8+ thymocytes retain within the ER and degrade greater than 90% of some of the TCR components they synthesize, resulting in low surface expression of TCR complexes. The few surface TCR complexes that most immature CD4+CD8+ thymocytes do express are only marginally capable of transducing signals mobilizing intracellular calcium. The inverse relationship with TCR expression and function suggested that phosphorylated zeta (P-zeta) molecules might function in CD4+CD8+ thymocytes either as an ER retention signal for newly synthesized TCR complexes or as a negative regulatory modification of TCR complexes present on the cell surface. The present study sought to evaluate these two possibilities by determining the subcellular location of TCR complexes containing P-zeta chains. We found that, unlike unmodified zeta chains, all P-zeta chains in CD4+CD8+ thymocytes existed in assembled TCR complexes and that all TCR complexes containing P-zeta molecules had undergone carbohydrate processing events indicative of transit through the Golgi apparatus. These results demonstrate that P-zeta chains are exclusively associated with mature TCR complexes, excluding the possibility that P-zeta serves as an ER retention signal in immature thymocytes. Although we could not directly determine the representation of P-zeta chains among surface TCR complexes, we found that 60-70% of surface TCR complexes on immature CD4+CD8+ thymocytes were associated with tyrosine-phosphorylated protein(s) and that this percentage was inversely correlated with their signaling competence. These results support the concept that tyrosine phosphorylation serves as a negative regulatory modification of certain TCR-associated proteins.
Resistance to human immunodeficiency virus 1 infection of SCID mice reconstituted with peripheral blood leukocytes from donors vaccinated with vaccinia gp160 and recombinant gp160.
Authors: Mosier D E , Gulizia R J , MacIsaac P D , Corey L , Greenberg P D
Published: May 2006

SCID mice reconstituted with adult human peripheral blood leukocytes (hu-PBL-SCID mice) make antigen-specific human antibody responses following secondary immunization and can be infected with human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1), suggesting that they might prove useful for evaluating protective immunity to HIV-1 following vaccination of PBL donors. HIV-seronegative volunteers were immunized with vaccinia expressing HIV-1LAV-1/Bru 160-kDa envelope glycoprotein (vaccinia gp160) and subsequently given booster injections of recombinant gp160 protein (rgp160). Their PBLs were used at intervals of 4-72 weeks after booster injections to construct hu-PBL-SCID mice, which were then challenged with 10(2)-10(3) minimal animal infectious doses of highly homologous HIV-1IIIB. Control hu-PBL-SCID mice were constructed from donors receiving vaccinia, alum, or hepatitis B vaccine. Protection against virus infection was defined as the absence of HIV-1 by culture and no detection of proviral genomes following PCR amplification. Control animals were highly susceptible to HIV infection. By contrast, hu-PBL-SCID mice reconstituted with cells from three of four donors immunized with vaccinia gp160 and recently injected with rgp160 showed no evidence of HIV-1 infection by culture or PCR assays. With increasing time after rgp160 injection, the ability of vaccine-derived hu-PBL-SCID mice to resist HIV-1 infection diminished. These results demonstrate that a potentially protective human immune response was stimulated by this HIV gp160 immunization protocol and show the utility of the hu-PBL-SCID model in the rapid evaluation of candidate vaccines.
Callatostatins: neuropeptides from the blowfly Calliphora vomitoria with sequence homology to cockroach allatostatins.
Authors: Duve H , Johnsen A H , Scott A G , Yu C G , Yagi K J , Tobe S S , Thorpe A
Published: May 2006

Five neuropeptides with C-terminal amino acid sequence homology to cockroach allatostatins have been identified in the blowfly Calliphora vomitoria. Three have the same pentapeptide C-terminal amino acid sequence as allatostatin 1 of the cockroach Diploptera punctata. A hexadecapeptide designated callatostatin 1, isolated from thoracic ganglia, brains, and heads, has the sequence Asp-Pro-Leu-Asn-Glu-Glu-Arg-Arg-Ala-Asn-Arg-Tyr-Gly-Phe-Gly-Leu-NH2. Callatostatins 2 and 3 have been isolated from heads and thoracic ganglia, respectively; they comprise the last 14 and 8 residues of callatostatin 1. Callatostatin 4, isolated from thoracic ganglia, has the sequence Xaa-Arg-Pro-Tyr-Ser-Phe-Gly-Leu-NH2, where Xaa is either Asp or Asn. This peptide, with a serine substitution for glycine at position 5, has a C-terminal pentapeptide sequence identical to that of allatostatins 3 and 4 of D. punctata. Callatostatin 5, with the sequence Gly-Pro-Pro-Tyr-Asp-Phe-Gly-Met-NH2, was identified from whole flies. All five peptides inhibit juvenile hormone production by the corpora allata of D. punctata in vitro. Callatostatin 5 was the most potent allatostatin so far tested in this species, with maximum inhibition occurring at 1 nM. In contrast, none of the callatostatins or the allatostatins showed allatostatic activity in mature female C. vomitoria when tested at concentrations of 100 to 0.1 microM. In accordance with these results, immunoreactivity to an antiserum directed against the common C terminus of callatostatin 1 and allatostatin 1 was observed in the corpora allata of D. punctata but not in the corpus allatum of C. vomitoria, despite its presence in neurons of the brain. Neurons in the thoracic ganglion of C. vomitoria that are immunoreactive against this antiserum project to the hindgut, rectum, rectal papillae, and oviduct, suggestive of a function different from that of a true allatostatin.
Role of oxygen vs. glucose in energy metabolism in a mammary carcinoma perfused ex vivo: direct measurement by 31P NMR.
Authors: Eskey C J , Koretsky A P , Domach M M , Jain R K
Published: May 2006

The role of glycolysis vs. respiration in tumor energy metabolism has been studied, to date, primarily in vitro by using single cells, multicellular spheroids, or tissue slices. With the advent of in vivo NMR spectroscopy, several investigators have shown that tumor energy status depends on its blood flow. Since manipulation of blood flow alters both oxygen and glucose delivery to a solid tumor, these studies have not been able to separate the relative contribution of oxygen vs. glucose in energy metabolism in vivo. In the present study, we have overcome this problem by combining two methods: the tissue-isolated R3230AC mammary adenocarcinoma perfused ex vivo and 31P NMR spectroscopy. The isolated tumor permits one to control the perfusion pressure as well as the metabolite concentrations in the perfusate. NMR spectroscopy permits one to measure the ratio of nucleoside triphosphate to inorganic phosphate (NTP/Pi) and pH. Our results show that (i) the NTP/Pi ratio ex vivo is similar to that observed in vivo prior to surgery, (ii) the NTP/Pi ratio is insensitive to flow changes at high flow rates but is proportional to flow rate at flows comparable to those found in vivo, (iii) the NTP/Pi ratio of these tumors is resistant to hypoxia and is not maintained when glucose is removed or replaced with glutamine, and (iv) although both O2 and glucose are consumed by these tumors, the effect of perfusate flow rate appears to be mediated largely through glucose delivery. The current approach not only provides information about the role of glycolysis vs. respiration in a rodent tumor but also is general and versatile enough to provide similar data in human tumors perfused ex vivo.
Alteration of the cleavage distance of Fok I restriction endonuclease by insertion mutagenesis.
Authors: Li L , Chandrasegaran S
Published: May 2006

Fok I restriction endonuclease recognizes the nonpalindromic pentadeoxyribonucleotide 5'-GGATG-3'.5'-CATCC-3' in duplex DNA and cleaves 9 and 13 nucleotides away from the recognition site. Recently, we reported the presence of two distinct and separable protein domains within this enzyme--one for the sequence-specific recognition and the other for endonuclease activity. Here, we report the construction of two insertion mutants of Fok I endonuclease. The mutant enzymes were purified, and their cleavage properties were characterized. The mutants have the same DNA sequence specificity as the wild-type enzyme. However, compared with the wild-type enzyme, they cleave one nucleotide further away from the recognition site on both strands of the DNA substrates. Thus, it is possible to alter the cleavage distance of Fok I by protein engineering.
Adenovirus-mediated transfer of low density lipoprotein receptor gene acutely accelerates cholesterol clearance in normal mice.
Authors: Herz J , Gerard R D
Published: May 2006

We have explored the use of adenovirus-mediated gene transfer to transiently elicit production of low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptors in mice. A recombinant adenovirus carrying the human LDL receptor cDNA restored LDL receptor function in receptor-deficient cultured cells. Intravenous injection of recombinant virus acutely lowered plasma cholesterol levels and increased the rate of 125I-labeled LDL clearance from the circulation in normal mice. At 4 days after virus injection, the t1/2 of plasma LDL was reduced up to 10-fold. An estimated 90% of the parenchymal cells in liver expressed the adenovirus-transferred genes as judged by immunofluorescence of LDL receptors or by beta-galactosidase staining. These results demonstrate that adenovirus-mediated transfer of the LDL receptor gene provides an efficient way of augmenting LDL receptor gene function in the liver over the short term.
Endothelial cells are required for the cAMP regulation of cardiac contractile proteins.
Authors: McClellan G , Weisberg A , Lin L E , Rose D , Ramaciotti C , Winegrad S
Published: May 2006

The contractile proteins in mammalian cardiac muscle are regulated by a cAMP-dependent reaction that alters the activity of the actomyosin ATPase. The ATPase activity of cardiac actomyosin has also been shown to depend on factors released by small arteries in the myocardial tissue. Endothelial cells have been implicated in the regulation of the contractile force developed by isolated cardiac tissue. To determine whether endothelial cells are required for the cAMP-dependent regulation of the contractile proteins, the effect of cAMP on the actomyosin ATPase activity was measured in cryostatic sections of isolated, quickly frozen rat ventricular trabeculae. In half of the trabeculae, the endocardial endothelial cells had been damaged by a 1-sec exposure to 0.5% Triton X-100. In trabeculae with intact endothelial cells, cAMP increased actomyosin ATPase activity toward an apparently maximum value. In trabeculae with damaged endothelial cells, cAMP did not change actomyosin ATPase activity. The coronary venous effluent from an isolated heart has already been shown to modify the maximum isometric force developed by an isolated trabecula. The extent to which the force of the isolated trabecula is changed by the coronary venous effluent is closely related to the degree to which cAMP has up-regulated the actomyosin ATPase activity in the isolated heart donating the coronary effluent: the greater the degree of up-regulation of ATPase activity, the greater the increase in force produced by the effluent. These results indicate that endothelial cells are required for the cAMP-dependent regulation of cardiac contractile proteins to function, and these results further suggest that the myocardium autoregulates by modulating the cAMP regulation of contractile proteins with endothelial-derived factors.
Opioid peptides activate phospholipase D and protein kinase C-epsilon in chicken embryo neuron cultures.
Authors: Mangoura D , Dawson G
Published: May 2006

The mu-opioid peptide morphiceptin stimulated a Ca(2+)-independent protein kinase C (PKC-epsilon) that is expressed both in embryonic day 6 chicken telencephalon and in derived neuronal cultures. This activation was seen as a 2-fold increase in the activity and level of cytosolic PKC-epsilon and as a transient increase in membrane-associated PKC-epsilon following morphiceptin treatment. Morphiceptin did not activate phospholipase C-mediated phosphatidylinositol hydrolysis but did transiently activate (2- to 3-fold) phospholipase D (PLD), as measured by phosphatidylethanol formation in neuron cultures derived from embryonic day 6 or day 7 cerebral hemispheres. This PLD activation could provide an alternative source of diacylglycerol for the activation of PKC-epsilon and was naloxone-reversible and at least partially blocked by the tyrosine kinase inhibitor herbimycin A. Addition of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate stimulated both PLD and PKC-epsilon activities to a greater extent than opioids. The phorbol ester and insulin stimulation of PLD was also blocked by herbimycin. Both morphiceptin (in a naloxone-reversible manner) and phorbol ester increased phosphorylation of similar cytosolic proteins in intact cells, demonstrating a functional role for the PKC-epsilon activation by opioids. This is evidence that opioid receptors are transiently coupled to tyrosine kinase, PLD and PKC-epsilon activation and, by implication, to neuronal cell growth during brain morphogenesis.
Epigenetic mechanisms of drug resistance: drug-induced DNA hypermethylation and drug resistance.
Authors: Nyce J , Leonard S , Canupp D , Schulz S , Wong S
Published: May 2006

In a model system employing Chinese hamster V-79 cells, the DNA synthesis inhibitor 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine (BW A509U, AZT) was shown to induce genome-wide DNA hypermethylation, low-frequency silencing of thymidine kinase (TK; EC 2.7.1.21) gene expression, and resistance to AZT. Twenty-four hours of exposure of V-79 cells to 150 microM AZT led to > 2-fold enhancement of genomic 5-methylcytosine levels and produced TK- epimutants at a rate approximately 43-fold above background. Such AZT-induced TK- epimutants were shown to be severely reduced in their capacity to activate AZT to its proximate antiviral form, AZT 5'-monophosphate, as compared with the TK+ parental cell line from which they were derived. TK- clones isolated under these conditions were shown to be 9- to 24-fold more resistant to the cytotoxic effects of AZT than the parental TK+ cell line and showed collateral resistance to 5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridine. Three of four TK- epimutants could be reactivated at very high frequency (8-73%) to the TK+ AZT-sensitive phenotype by 24 hr of exposure to the demethylating agent 5-azadeoxycytidine (5-azadC), implying that drug-induced DNA hypermethylation, rather than classical mutation, was involved in the original gene-silencing event in these three clones. These 5-azadC-induced TK+ revertants concomitantly regained the ability to metabolize AZT to its 5'-monophosphate. RNA slot blot analyses indicated that the four AZT-induced TK- clones expressed 8.9%, 15.6%, 17.8%, and 11.1% of the parental level of TK mRNA. The three clones that were reactivatable by 5-azadC showed reexpression of TK mRNA to levels 84.4%, 51.1%, and 80.0% that of the TK+ parental cell line. These experiments show that one potential mechanism of drug resistance involves drug-induced DNA hypermethylation and resulting transcriptional inactivation of cellular genes whose products are required for drug activation.
Isolation of genetic suppressor elements, inducing resistance to topoisomerase II-interactive cytotoxic drugs, from human topoisomerase II cDNA.
Authors: Gudkov A V , Zelnick C R , Kazarov A R , Thimmapaya R , Suttle D P , Beck W T , Roninson I B
Published: May 2006

Many cytotoxic anticancer drugs act at topoisomerase II (topo II) by stabilizing cleavable complexes with DNA formed by this enzyme. Several cell lines, selected for resistance to topo II-interactive drugs, show decreased expression or activity of topo II, suggesting that such a decrease may be responsible for drug resistance. In the present study, etoposide resistance was used as the selection strategy to isolate genetic suppressor elements (GSEs) from a retroviral library expressing random fragments of human topo II (alpha form) cDNA. Twelve GSEs were isolated, encoding either peptides corresponding to short segments of the topo II alpha molecule (2.4-6.5% of the protein) or 163- to 220-bp-long antisense RNA sequences. Expression of a GSE encoding antisense RNA led to decreased cellular expression of the topo II alpha protein. Both types of GSE induced resistance to several topo II poisons but not to drugs that do not act at topo II. These results provide direct evidence that inhibition of topo II results in resistance to topo II-interactive drugs, indicate structural domains of topo II capable of independent functional interactions, and demonstrate that expression selection of random fragments constitutes an efficient approach to the generation of GSEs in mammalian cells.
Domains of the integrase protein of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 responsible for polynucleotidyl transfer and zinc binding.
Authors: Bushman F D , Engelman A , Palmer I , Wingfield P , Craigie R
Published: May 2006

The integrase protein of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 carries out a set of polynucleotidyl transfer reactions that result in the covalent attachment of the retroviral cDNA to host DNA. We have analyzed the activities of a set of deletion derivatives of the integrase protein. The analysis reveals that a central domain of only 137 amino acids is sufficient in vitro to catalyze a subset of the reactions carried out by the complete protein. This polypeptide contains an amino acid sequence motif, Asp-Xaa39-58-Asp-Xaa35-Glu (DX39-58DX35E, where X and the subscript indicate the intervening amino acids between the invariant acidic residues), that is found in the integrases of retroviruses and retrotransposons and also the transposase proteins of some bacterial transposable elements. We also find that the integrase protein can bind Zn2+, and the histidine and cysteine residues of another conserved motif (HX3-7HX23-32CX2C) are required for efficient Zn2+ binding. The activities displayed by deletion mutants suggest to us possible functions for the various parts of integrase.
A dual role for the cAMP-dependent protein kinase in tyrosine hydroxylase gene expression.
Authors: Kim K S , Park D H , Wessel T C , Song B , Wagner J A , Joh T H
Published: May 2006

Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) catalyzes the conversion of L-tyrosine to 3,4-dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine, the first and rate-limiting step in catecholamine biosynthesis. The cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) phosphorylates and activates the TH enzyme and is thought to mediate transcriptional induction of the TH gene. To better understand the functional role of PKA in TH gene regulation, we studied TH gene expression at the transcriptional, translational, and post-translational levels in several PKA-deficient cell lines derived from rat PC12 pheochromocytoma cells. Strikingly, all PKA-deficient cell lines analyzed in this study showed substantial deficits in basal TH expression as measured by TH enzymatic activity, level of TH immunoreactivity, TH protein level, and steady-state mRNA level. Interestingly, the steady-state level of mRNA correlated well with levels of TH activity, immunoreactivity, and protein. In addition, PKA-deficient cell lines lacked transcriptional induction of the TH gene following treatment with dibutyryl cAMP. Cotransfection of PKA-deficient cells with an expression plasmid for the catalytic subunit of PKA fully reversed transcriptional defect, as indicated by robust transcriptional induction of a reporter construct containing 2400 bp of TH upstream sequence in all PC12 cells tested. These data indicate that the PKA system regulates both the basal and the cAMP-inducible expression of the TH gene primarily at the transcriptional level in PC12 cells.
Enzymatic modification of plasma low density lipoproteins in rabbits: a potential treatment for hypercholesterolemia.
Authors: Labeque R , Mullon C J , Ferreira J P , Lees R S , Langer R
Published: May 2006

Phospholipase A2 (EC 3.1.1.4) hydrolyzes certain phospholipids of low density lipoprotein (LDL). Plasma clearance of phospholipase A2-modified human LDL is up to 17 times faster than that of native human LDL in hypercholesterolemic rabbits. Modification of blood lipoproteins of hypercholesterolemic rabbits was performed by using an extracorporeal circuit containing immobilized phospholipase A2. After 90-min treatments, nearly 30% decreases in plasma cholesterol concentrations were observed. Erythrocyte, leukocyte, and platelet counts showed no net change after treatment. This technique does not require any fluid replacement or sorbent regeneration and offers a potential approach for lowering serum cholesterol and LDL levels.
A homeobox gene of the Antennapedia class is required for human adult erythropoiesis.
Authors: Takeshita K , Bollekens J A , Hijiya N , Ratajczak M , Ruddle F H , Gewirtz A M
Published: May 2006

In this report we investigate the role of homeobox genes of the Antennapedia class in adult erythropoiesis, the process by which erythrocytes are formed in the bone marrow. We initially identified Hox genes expressed in mouse erythroleukemia cells by a PCR technique using degenerate primers capable of detecting most of the known genes in Hox clusters 1-4. Four different transcripts, Hox-3.3, -3.5, -3.6, and -4.3 were identified. An antisense oligonucleotide directed against HOX3C (human homologue of Hox-3.3) was used to study the effect of the colony formation by human erythroid progenitor cells. The oligonucleotide inhibited the formation of colony-forming unit erythroid-derived colonies but did not affect the size or degree of hemoglobinization. The more primitive erythroid burst-forming unit colonies or myeloid colonies were not affected. These results show that Hox-3.3 is involved in an early step in the proliferation of the erythroid colony-forming unit subset of progenitor cells.
A bacterially expressed single-chain Fv construct from the 2B4 T-cell receptor.
Authors: Kurucz I , Jost C R , George A J , Andrew S M , Segal D M
Published: May 2006

A single-chain Fv construct of the 2B4 T-cell receptor has been made and expressed in Escherichia coli as bacterial inclusion bodies. After solubilization in 6 M guanidine hydrochloride and formation of mixed disulfides with glutathione, the protein was refolded by diluting out the denaturant and allowing intramolecular disulfide bridges to form by disulfide exchange. Approximately 65-100 mg of refolded protein was obtained from 1 liter of bacterial culture, an appreciable fraction of which was monomeric in nondenaturing solvents. This protein bound to three monoclonal antibodies specific for allotypic or idiotypic determinants on the native 2B4 variable region but did not bind several other anti-T-cell-receptor monoclonal antibodies that lacked such specificity. These experiments show that T-cell-receptor variable regions, like the V regions of antibodies, can form a well-behaved single-chain Fv molecule and provide large amounts of recombinant single-chain Fv T-cell receptor that can be used to study T-cell function.
Predicting protein diffusion coefficients.
Authors: Brune D , Kim S
Published: May 2006

Diffusion coefficients for proteins in water are predicted. The numerical method developed is general enough to be applied to a wide range of protein surface shapes, from rodlike to globular. Results are presented for lysozyme and tobacco mosaic virus, and they are compared with actual data and with predictions made by less general methods.
Evidence for virus-encoded glycosylation specificity.
Authors: Wang I N , Li Y , Que Q , Bhattacharya M , Lane L C , Chaney W G , Van Etten J L
Published: May 2006

Four spontaneously derived serologically distinct classes of mutants of the Paramecium bursaria chlorella virus (PBCV-1) were isolated using polyclonal antiserum prepared against either intact PBCV-1 or PBCV-1-derived serotypes. The oligosaccharide(s) of the viral major capsid protein and two minor glycoproteins determined virus serological specificity. Normally, viral glycoproteins arise from host-specific glycosylation of viral proteins; the glycan portion can be altered only by growing the virus on another host or by mutations in glycosylation sites of the viral protein. Neither mechanism explains the changes in the glycan(s) of the PBCV-1 major capsid protein because all of the viruses were grown in the same host alga and the predicted amino acid sequence of the major capsid protein was identical in the PBCV-1 serotypes. PBCV-1 antiserum resistance is best explained by viral mutations that block specific steps in glycosylation, possibly by inactivating glycosyltransferases.
Long-term treatment of human immunodeficiency virus-infected cells with antisense oligonucleotide phosphorothioates.
Authors: Lisziewicz J , Sun D , Metelev V , Zamecnik P , Gallo R C , Agrawal S
Published: May 2006

The antiviral activity of antisense oligodeoxynucleotide phosphorothioates complementary to the tat gene, the gag mRNA, and the rev mRNA were studied in a long-term infection model. Three antisense oligonucleotides directed to the splice-acceptor site of the tat gene failed to suppress human immunodeficiency virus type 1 replication at 1 microM concentration in long-term culture. In contrast, two oligodeoxynucleotide phosphorothioates (28-mer) complementary to the gag and the rev mRNAs inhibited viral replication for > 80 days, and the antiviral activity was sequence- and length-dependent. In addition, after pretreatment of cells we could reduce the concentration of the antisense oligodeoxynucleotides by > 10-fold and still maintain the inhibition of viral replication. These results suggest that chemotherapy for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection with antisense oligodeoxynucleotide phosphorothioates may be achieved by an initial high-dose treatment followed by a lower maintenance dose.
Arachidonic acid stimulates glucose uptake in cerebral cortical astrocytes.
Authors: Yu N , Martin J L , Stella N , Magistretti P J
Published: May 2006

Arachidonic acid (AA) has recently been shown to influence various cellular functions in the central nervous system. Here we report that AA increases, in a time- and concentration-dependent manner, 2-deoxy-D-[1-3H]glucose ([3H]2DG) uptake in primary cultures of astrocytes prepared from the cerebral cortex of neonatal mice. This effect is mimicked by an unsaturated fatty acid such as linolenic acid, while palmitic and arachidic acids, two saturated fatty acids, are inactive. Pharmacological agents that increase the endogenous levels of AA by stimulating AA release (melittin) or by inhibiting its reacylation (thimerosal) also promote [3H]2DG uptake by astrocytes. We also report that norepinephrine (NE) stimulates the release of [3H]AA from membrane phospholipids, with an EC50 of 3 microM; this effect is accompanied, with a temporal delay of approximately 4 min, by the stimulation of [3H]2DG uptake, for which the EC50 of NE is 1 microM. Since the cerebral cortex, the brain region from which astrocytes used in this study were prepared, receives a massive noradrenergic innervation, originating from the locus coeruleus, the effects of NE reported here further stress the notion that certain neurotransmitters may play a role in the regulation of energy metabolism in the cerebral cortex and point at astrocytes as the likely targets of such metabolic effects.
Evasion of protective immunity by Borrelia burgdorferi by truncation of outer surface protein B.
Authors: Fikrig E , Tao H , Kantor F S , Barthold S W , Flavell R A
Published: May 2006

We analyzed variability in outer surface protein B (OspB) from Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb), the causative agent of Lyme disease, to determine how Bb escapes immune destruction. We have shown that vaccination with OspB from Bb strain B31 protected mice from infection with Bb B31 but not against Bb N40. The present study demonstrates that Bb N40 spirochetes which evade vaccination immunity to OspB have a truncated form of OspB, due to a TAA stop codon at nucleotide 577. In contrast, Bb N40 spirochetes that express full-length OspB are unable to infect mice immunized with OspB, analogous to our previous studies with Bb B31. Mapping of the OspB antibody response shows that epitopes in the C terminus of OspB are surface-exposed and bind protective monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies. This suggests that the C terminus of OspB is important for eliciting a protective immune response to OspB. Truncation or modification of outer surface proteins that do not bind protective antibody may be a means by which Bb evades host defenses.
Inhibition of a reductive function of the plasma membrane by bacitracin and antibodies against protein disulfide-isomerase.
Authors: Mandel R , Ryser H J , Ghani F , Wu M , Peak D
Published: May 2006

Evidence had been provided that a disulfide-linked [125I]iodotyramine/poly(D-lysine) conjugate was reductively cleaved when bound nonspecifically to the surface of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and that this cleavage was abolished by membrane-impermeant sulfhydryl blockers. The same blockers were subsequently found to inhibit the cytotoxicity of diphtheria toxin, a disulfide-linked heterodimer that binds to a specific surface receptor and must undergo chain separation to exert its cytotoxicity. This suggested that the disulfides of both macromolecules might be cleaved by a thiol-disulfide interchange reaction, possibly mediated by protein disulfide-isomerase (PDI, EC 5.3.4.1). We tested whether inhibitors of PDI--in particular, bacitracin and anti-PDI antibodies--might mimic the two effects of sulfhydryl blockers. Both bacitracin and anti-PDI antibodies were effective in inhibiting both reductive processes. This strongly suggests that the disulfide cleavage in the two membrane-bound macromolecules is mediated by PDI and that this enzyme, besides its known retention in the endoplasmic reticulum, must also be exposed at the plasma membrane. This paper points to other potentially important disulfide reductions that might be catalyzed by surface-associated PDI. It thereby broadens the known functions of an enzyme already known for its multifunctional properties.
Rates of spontaneous mutation among RNA viruses.
Authors: Drake J W
Published: May 2006

Simple methods are presented to estimate rates of spontaneous mutation from mutant frequencies and population parameters in RNA viruses. Published mutant frequencies yield a wide range of mutation rates per genome per replication, mainly because mutational targets have usually been small and, thus, poor samples of the mutability of the average base. Nevertheless, there is a clear central tendency for lytic RNA viruses (bacteriophage Q beta, poliomyelitis, vesicular stomatitis, and influenza A) to display rates of spontaneous mutation of approximately 1 per genome per replication. This rate is some 300-fold higher than previously reported for DNA-based microbes. Lytic RNA viruses thus mutate at a rate close to the maximum value compatible with viability. Retroviruses (spleen necrosis, murine leukemia, Rous sarcoma), however, mutate at an average rate about an order of magnitude lower than lytic RNA viruses.
Expression of complete keratin filaments in mouse L cells augments cell migration and invasion.
Authors: Chu Y W , Runyan R B , Oshima R G , Hendrix M J
Published: May 2006

Intermediate filament proteins have been used to diagnose the origin of specific cells. Classically, vimentin is found in mesenchymal cells, and keratins are present in epithelial cells. However, recent evidence suggests that the coexpression of these phenotype-specific proteins augments tumor cell motility, and hence, metastasis. In the present study, we used the mouse L-cell model to determine if a direct correlation exists between the expression of additional keratins in these cells, which normally express only vimentin, and their migratory ability. Mouse L cells were transfected with human keratins 8, 18, and both 8 and 18. The results indicate that the cells expressing complete keratin filaments have a higher migratory and invasive ability (through extracellular matrix-coated filters) compared with the parental and control-transfected clones. Furthermore, there is an enrichment of keratin-positive cells from a heterogeneous population of L clones selected over serial migrations. This migratory activity was directly correlated with the spreading ability of the cells on Matrigel matrix, in which the keratin-positive transfectants maintain a round morphology for a longer duration, compared with the other L-cell populations. Collectively, these data suggest that keratins may play an important role(s) in migration, through a special interaction with the extracellular environment, thereby influencing cell shape.
Differential regulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase by fibroblast growth factors and transforming growth factor beta in bovine retinal pigmented epithelial cells: inverse correlation with cellular proliferation.
Authors: Goureau O , Lepoivre M , Becquet F , Courtois Y
Published: May 2006

Bovine retinal pigmented epithelial (RPE) cells express, after activation with interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS), an inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS). Experiments were done to investigate the effects of the transforming growth factor beta 1, epidermal growth factor, and fibroblast growth factors (FGFs), which are abundant in the retina, on NOS activity. Transforming growth factor beta 1 slightly increases the production of nitrite, an oxidation product of NO, induced by LPS plus IFN-gamma, whereas acidic and basic FGFs markedly inhibit the nitrite release due to LPS/IFN-gamma in a concentration-dependent manner, and epidermal growth factor did not modify LPS/IFN-gamma-induced NOS activity. The growth factors alone did not stimulate nitrite release. We have attempted to elucidate the mechanism of FGF inhibition. Results with heparin, suramin, and tyrphostin suggest involvement of the high-affinity receptor for FGF in its inhibition of LPS/IFN-gamma-stimulated NOS activity. Continued stimulation of RPE cells with LPS/IFN-gamma was essential for the induction of NO synthesis, and maximal inhibition was obtained when FGF was present during stimulation with LPS/IFN-gamma, suggesting that FGF inhibits NOS induction. Furthermore, an antiproliferative action of NO was demonstrated by an inverse correlation between the amounts of nitrite or citrulline produced in response to different stimuli (LPS/IFN-gamma or LPS/IFN-gamma with growth factors) and the level of cellular proliferation. Similar inhibition of growth was obtained when RPE cells were incubated with an NO donor, sydnonimide. Because NO acts as a cytotoxic compound in the retina, FGF, by inhibiting the induction of NOS in RPE cells, may have beneficial effects in protecting the retina from cytokine and endotoxin-mediated tissue damage.
Anti-CD3 antibody induces long-term remission of overt autoimmunity in nonobese diabetic mice.
Authors: Chatenoud L , Thervet E , Primo J , Bach J F
Published: May 2006

Anti-CD3 monoclonal antibodies suppress immune responses by transient T-cell depletion and antigenic modulation of the CD3/T-cell receptor complex. Anti-CD3 treatment of adult nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice, a spontaneous model of T-cell-mediated autoimmune insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, significantly inhibits the autoimmune process. Short-term low-dose anti-CD3 treatment (5 micrograms/day i.v. for 5 consecutive days) prevented the occurrence of an accelerated form of the disease induced by cyclophosphamide. More unexpectedly, when applied to adult NOD females within 7 days of the onset of full-blown diabetes, the same anti-CD3 regimen induced a complete remission of overt disease (i.e., a return to permanent normoglycemia) in 64-80% of mice. This remission was durable (> 4 months) and was not associated with the disappearance of insulitis (mononuclear cell infiltration of the islets). The immunosuppression was apparently specific for beta-cell-associated antigens, since mice showing anti-CD3-induced remission rejected histoincompatible skin grafts normally, whereas they did not destroy syngeneic islet grafts, unlike control untreated overtly diabetic NOD females. These results open major therapeutic perspectives. They strongly suggest that self-tolerance can be restored in adult mice once autoimmunity is fully established and confirm that this effect can be obtained by transient targeting of the CD3/T-cell receptor without massive T-cell debulking.
Characterization of an incompletely assembled major histocompatibility class I molecule (H-2Kb) associated with unusually long peptides: implications for antigen processing and presentation.
Authors: Joyce S , Kuzushima K , Kepecs G , Angeletti R H , Nathenson S G
Published: May 2006

We have identified two forms of a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecule, H-2Kb, distinguishable by specific antibodies through a study of a genetically engineered mouse cell line that overexpresses these molecules. One form, a complex associated with beta 2-microglobulin (native, beta 2m+ class I), is detectable by conformation-dependent antibodies. The other form, which remains after preclearing cell lysates of native class I, is only poorly, if at all, associated with beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2m- class I) and is detectable by an antiserum against the cytoplasmic tail region of H-2K molecules. Both forms are also present in normal cell lines. The affinity-purified native class I molecules bind short peptides (8 or 9 residues) and assemble tightly with beta 2-microglobulin. In striking contrast, the beta 2m- class I molecules bind peptides that are longer (> 15 residues) than those bound to native class I molecules. This finding is consistent with the recent evidence that peptides longer than 8-10 amino acid residues are transported into the endoplasmic reticulum and suggests the possibility of a control step for peptide presentation by MHC in which the incompletely processed peptides bind to the heavy chain and a selected fraction undergoes final processing and presentation on the cell surface.
Protein synthesis elongation factor EF-1 alpha expression and longevity in Drosophila melanogaster.
Authors: Shikama N , Ackermann R , Brack C
Published: May 2006

It has been proposed that the decline in protein synthesis observed in aging organisms may result from a decrease in elongation factor EF-1 alpha. Transgenic Drosophila melanogaster flies carrying an additional copy of the EF-1 alpha gene under control of a heat-inducible promoter have an extended lifespan, further indicating that the EF-1 alpha gene may play an important role in determining longevity. To test this hypothesis, we have quantitated EF-1 alpha mRNA, EF-1 alpha protein, and the EF-1 alpha complex-formation activity in these transgenic flies. Furthermore, we have tested whether the transgene construct is functional--i.e., whether transgenic mRNA is induced when flies are grown at higher temperature. The results show that although there is a clear difference in mean lifespan between the EF-1 alpha transgenic (E) flies and the control transgenic (C) flies, E flies do not express more EF-1 alpha protein or mRNA than C flies kept at the same experimental conditions. Although the transgene can be induced when E flies are heat-shocked at 37 degrees C, transgenic mRNA is not detectable in E flies aged at 29 degrees C. In both lines, the loss in catalytic activity with age is the same. We conclude that the E flies examined here do not live longer because of overexpressing the EF-1 alpha gene.
Life in a ligand sphere.
Authors: Wächtershäuser G
Published: May 2006

The most fundamental divide in biology is that between heterotrophic and autotrophic ways of life. Two of the leading proponents of a heterotrophic origin of life ("hetero-origin") in a prebiotic broth, C. de Duve and S. L. Miller, have criticized my theory of a pyrite-pulled chemo-autotrophic origin of life ("auto-origin") [De Duve, C. & Miller, S. L. (1991) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88, 10014-10017]. This criticism is now answered.
The two-receptor model of lipoprotein clearance: tests of the hypothesis in "knockout" mice lacking the low density lipoprotein receptor, apolipoprotein E, or both proteins.
Authors: Ishibashi S , Herz J , Maeda N , Goldstein J L , Brown M S
Published: May 2006

Apolipoprotein E (apoE) is hypothesized to mediate lipoprotein clearance by binding to two receptors: (i) the low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) and (ii) a chylomicron remnant receptor. To test this hypothesis, we have compared plasma lipoproteins in mice that are homozygous for targeted disruptions of the genes for apoE [apoE(-/-)], the LDLR [LDLR(-/-)], and both molecules [poE(-/-); LDLR(-/-)]. On a normal chow diet, apoE(-/-) mice had higher mean plasma cholesterol levels than LDLR(-/-) mice (579 vs. 268 mg/dl). Cholesterol levels in the apoE(-/-); LDLR(-/-) mice were not significantly different from those in the apoE(-/-) mice. LDLR(-/-) mice had a relatively isolated elevation in plasma LDL, whereas apoE(-/-) mice had a marked increase in larger lipoproteins corresponding to very low density lipoproteins and chylomicron remnants. The lipoprotein pattern in apoE(-/-); LDLR(-/-) mice resembled that of apoE(-/-) mice. The LDLR(-/-) mice had a marked elevation in apoB-100 and a modest increase in apoB-48. In contrast, the apoE(-/-) mice had a marked elevation in apoB-48 but not in apoB-100. The LDLR(-/-); apoE(-/-) double homozygotes had marked elevations of both apolipoproteins. The observation that apoB-48 increases more dramatically with apoE deficiency than with LDLR deficiency supports the notion that apoE binds to a second receptor in addition to the LDLR. This conclusion is also supported by the observation that superimposition of a LDLR deficiency onto an apoE deficiency [apoE(-/-); LDLR(-/-) double homozygotes] does not increase hypercholesterolemia beyond the level observed with apoE deficiency alone.
Voltage-dependent sodium channels develop in rat retinal pigment epithelium cells in culture.
Authors: Botchkin L M , Matthews G
Published: May 2006

Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings were made from isolated cells of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) of neonatal rats. After 24 hr in cell culture, RPE cells developed a transient, voltage-activated inward current that was never observed in acutely isolated cells. The kinetics, voltage-dependence, and reversal potential of the current and its dependence on external sodium demonstrated that the current was due to the expression of voltage-activated Na+ channels in cultured RPE cells. The current was partly blocked by tetrodotoxin at low concentrations (< 100 nM), but a second component of Na+ current was unblocked by tetrodotoxin at concentrations up to 10 microM. Na+ channels were present in cultured RPE cells at sufficient density to support regenerative action potentials in voltage recordings. Both the epithelial cells of the RPE and the neurons of the retina derive embryonically from neural origin, and it is known that under certain circumstances, nonmammalian RPE cells retain the ability to take on neuronal characteristics. The development of voltage-activated Na+ channels and the presence of action potentials demonstrate that neonatal mammalian RPE cells are also capable of expressing neuronal characteristics in cell culture.