技术资料

We used primary peripheral blood T cells,a population that exists in G(0) and can be stimulated to enter the cell cycle synchronously,to define more precisely the effects of nicotine on pathways that control cell cycle entry and progression. Our data show that nicotine decreased the ability of T cells to transit through the G(0)/G(1) boundary (acquire competence) and respond to progression signals. These effects were due to nuclear factor of activated T cells c2 (NFATc2)-dependent repression of cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) expression. Growth arrest at the G(0)/G(1) boundary was further enforced by inhibition of cyclin D2 expression and by increased expression and stabilization of p27Kip1. Intriguingly,T cells from habitual users of tobacco products and from NFATc2-deficient mice constitutively expressed CDK4 and were resistant to the antiproliferative effects of nicotine. These results indicate that nicotine impairs T cell cycle entry through NFATc2-dependent mechanisms and suggest that,in the face of chronic nicotine exposure,selection may favor cells that can evade these effects. We postulate that cross talk between nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and growth factor receptor-activated pathways offers a novel mechanism by which nicotine may directly impinge on cell cycle progression. This offers insight into possible reasons that underlie the unique effects of nicotine on distinct cell types and identifies new targets that may be useful control tobacco-related diseases. View Publication

There is a global need to elucidate protective antigens expressed by the SARS-coronavirus (SARS-CoV). Monoclonal antibody reagents that recognise specific antigens on SARS-CoV are needed urgently. In this report,the development and immunochemical characterisation of a panel of murine monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against the SARS-CoV is presented,based upon their specificity,binding requirements,and biological activity. Initial screening by ELISA,using highly purified virus as the coating antigen,resulted in the selection of 103 mAbs to the SARS virus. Subsequent screening steps reduced this panel to seventeen IgG mAbs. A single mAb,F26G15,is specific for the nucleoprotein as seen in Western immunoblot while five other mAbs react with the Spike protein. Two of these Spike-specific mAbs demonstrate the ability to neutralise SARS-CoV in vitro while another four Western immunoblot-negative mAbs also neutralise the virus. The utility of these mAbs for diagnostic development is demonstrated. Antibody from convalescent SARS patients,but not normal human serum,is also shown to specifically compete off binding of mAbs to whole SARS-CoV. These studies highlight the importance of using standardised assays and reagents. These mAbs will be useful for the development of diagnostic tests,studies of SARS-CoV pathogenesis and vaccine development. ?? 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. View Publication

Recent reports link Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) infection of bone marrow cells to bone marrow failure and lymphoproliferative syndromes. The identity of the infected marrow cells,however,remains unclear. Other work has demonstrated that circulating mononuclear cells can harbor KSHV where its detection predicts the onset and severity of Kaposi sarcoma. In either setting,bone marrow precursors may serve as viral reservoirs. Since mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in human bone marrow regulate the differentiation and proliferation of adjacent hematopoietic precursors,we investigated their potential role in KSHV infection. Our results indicate that primary MSCs are susceptible to both cell-free and cell-associated KSHV in culture. Moreover,infection persisted within nearly half of the cells for up to 6 weeks. Thus,MSCs possess a clear capacity to support KSHV infection and warrant further exploration into their potential role in KSHV-related human disease. View Publication

Blebbistatin was recently identified as a selective,cell-permeant inhibitor of myosin II. Because blebbistatin is likely to be used extensively with fluorescence imaging in studies of cytoskeletal dynamics,its compatibility with common excitation wavelengths was examined. Illumination of blebbistatin-treated bovine aortic endothelial cells at 365 and 450-490 nm,but not 510-560 or 590-650 nm,caused dose-dependent cell death. Illumination of blebbistatin alone at 365 and 450-490 nm changed its absorption and emission spectra,but the resultant compounds were not toxic. In addition,photoreacted blebbistatin no longer disrupted myosin distribution in cells,indicating loss of pharmacological activity. Fluorescence microscopy showed that upon illumination,blebbistatin became bound to cells and to protein-coated glass,suggesting that toxicity may arise from light-induced reaction of blebbistatin with cell proteins. Blebbistatin should be used only with careful consideration of these photochemical effects. View Publication

Using whole-cell patch-clamp,fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry,we demonstrate a switch in potassium channel expression during differentiation of human B cells from naive to memory cells. Naive and IgD(+)CD27(+) memory B cells express small numbers of the voltage-gated Kv1.3 and the Ca(2+)-activated intermediate-conductance IKCa1 channel when quiescent,and increase IKCa1 expression 45-fold upon activation with no change in Kv1.3 levels. In contrast,quiescent class-switched memory B cells express high levels of Kv1.3 ( approximately 2000 channels/cell) and maintain their Kv1.3(high) expression after activation. Consistent with their channel phenotypes,proliferation of naive and IgD(+)CD27(+) memory B cells is suppressed by the specific IKCa1 inhibitor TRAM-34 but not by the potent Kv1.3 blocker Stichodactyla helianthus toxin,whereas the proliferation of class-switched memory B cells is suppressed by Stichodactyla helianthus toxin but not TRAM-34. These changes parallel those reported for T cells. Therefore,specific Kv1.3 and IKCa1 inhibitors may have use in therapeutic manipulation of selective lymphocyte subsets in immunological disorders. View Publication

Internal tandem duplications (ITDs) of the FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) receptor tyrosine kinase are found in approximately 30% of patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and are associated with a poor prognosis. FLT3 ITD mutations result in constitutive kinase activation and are thought to be pathogenetically relevant,implicating FLT3 as a plausible therapeutic target. MLN518 (formerly CT53518) is a small molecule inhibitor of the FLT3,KIT,and platelet-derived growth-factor receptor (PDGFR) tyrosine kinases with significant activity in murine models of FLT3 ITD-positive leukemia. Given the importance of FLT3 and KIT for normal hematopoietic progenitor cells,we analyzed the effect of MLN518 on murine hematopoiesis under steady-state conditions,after chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression,and during bone marrow transplantation. In these assays,we show that MLN518 has mild toxicity toward normal hematopoiesis at concentrations that are effective in treating FLT3 ITD-positive leukemia in mice. We also demonstrate that MLN518 preferentially inhibits the growth of blast colonies from FLT3 ITD-positive compared with ITD-negative patients with AML,at concentrations that do not significantly affect colony formation by normal human progenitor cells. In analogy to imatinib mesylate in BCR-ABL-positive acute leukemia,MLN518-induced remissions may not be durable. Our studies provide the basis for integrating this compound into chemotherapy and transplantation protocols. View Publication

Gene therapy for a wide variety of disorders would be greatly enhanced by the development of vectors that could be targeted for gene delivery to specific populations of cells. We describe here high-efficiency targeted transduction based on a novel targeting strategy that exploits the ability of retroviruses to incorporate host cell proteins into the surface of the viral particle as they bud through the plasma membrane. Ecotropic retroviral particles produced in cells engineered to express the membrane-bound form of stem cell factor (mbSCF) transduce both human cell lines and primary cells with high efficiency in a strictly c-kit (SCF receptor)-dependent fashion. The availability of efficient targeted vectors provides a platform for the development of a new generation of therapies using in vivo gene delivery. View Publication

Tetraspanins are thought to facilitate the formation of multiprotein complexes at cell surfaces,but evidence illuminating the biologic importance of this role is sparse. Tetraspanin CD151 forms very stable laminin-binding complexes with integrins alpha3beta1 and alpha6beta1 in kidney and alpha3beta1 and alpha6beta4 in skin. It is encoded by a gene at the same position on chromosome 11p15.5 as the MER2 blood group gene. We show that CD151 expresses the MER2 blood group antigen and is located on erythrocytes. We examined CD151 in 3 MER2-negative patients (2 are sibs) of Indian Jewish origin with end-stage kidney disease. In addition to hereditary nephritis the sibs have sensorineural deafness,pretibial epidermolysis bullosa,and beta-thalassemia minor. The 3 patients are homozygous for a single nucleotide insertion (G383) in exon 5 of CD151,causing a frameshift and premature stop signal at codon 140. The resultant truncated protein would lack its integrin-binding domain. We conclude that CD151 is essential for the proper assembly of the glomerular and tubular basement membrane in kidney,has functional significance in the skin,is probably a component of the inner ear,and could play a role in erythropoiesis. View Publication

Acute myelogenous leukemia 1 (AML1; runt-related transcription factor 1 [Runx1]) is a member of Runx transcription factors and is essential for definitive hematopoiesis. Although AML1 possesses several subdomains of defined biochemical functions,the physiologic relevance of each subdomain to hematopoietic development has been poorly understood. Recently,the consequence of carboxy-terminal truncation in AML1 was analyzed by the hematopoietic rescue assay of AML1-deficient mouse embryonic stem cells using the gene knock-in approach. Nonetheless,a role for specific internal domains,as well as for mutations found in a human disease,of AML1 remains to be elucidated. In this study,we established an experimental system to efficiently evaluate the hematopoietic potential of AML1 using a coculture system of the murine embryonic para-aortic splanchnopleural (P-Sp) region with a stromal cell line,OP9. In this system,the hematopoietic defect of AML1-deficient P-Sp can be rescued by expressing AML1 with retroviral infection. By analysis of AML1 mutants,we demonstrated that the hematopoietic potential of AML1 was closely related to its transcriptional activity. Furthermore,we showed that other Runx transcription factors,Runx2/AML3 or Runx3/AML2,could rescue the hematopoietic defect of AML1-deficient P-Sp. Thus,this experimental system will become a valuable tool to analyze the physiologic function and domain contribution of Runx proteins in hematopoiesis. View Publication

Molecular mimicry between microbial and self-components is postulated as the mechanism that accounts for the antigen and tissue specificity of immune responses in postinfectious autoimmune diseases. Little direct evidence exists,and research in this area has focused principally on T cell-mediated,antipeptide responses,rather than on humoral responses to carbohydrate structures. Guillain-Barré syndrome,the most frequent cause of acute neuromuscular paralysis,occurs 1-2 wk after various infections,in particular,Campylobacter jejuni enteritis. Carbohydrate mimicry [Galbeta1-3GalNAcbeta1-4(NeuAcalpha2-3)Galbeta1-] between the bacterial lipooligosaccharide and human GM1 ganglioside is seen as having relevance to the pathogenesis of Guillain-Barré syndrome,and conclusive evidence is reported here. On sensitization with C. jejuni lipooligosaccharide,rabbits developed anti-GM1 IgG antibody and flaccid limb weakness. Paralyzed rabbits had pathological changes in their peripheral nerves identical with those present in Guillain-Barré syndrome. Immunization of mice with the lipooligosaccharide generated a mAb that reacted with GM1 and bound to human peripheral nerves. The mAb and anti-GM1 IgG from patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome did not induce paralysis but blocked muscle action potentials in a muscle-spinal cord coculture,indicating that anti-GM1 antibody can cause muscle weakness. These findings show that carbohydrate mimicry is an important cause of autoimmune neuropathy. View Publication