技术资料

HIV-1 replication in simian cells is restricted at an early postentry step because of the presence of an inhibitory cellular factor. This block reduces the usefulness of HIV-1-based lentiviral vectors in primate animal models. Here,we demonstrate that substitution of the cyclophilin A (CyPA) binding region in the capsid of an HIV-1-based lentiviral vector (LV) with that of the macrophage tropic HIV-1 Ba-L resulted in a vector that was resistant to the inhibitory effect and efficiently transduced simian cells. Notably,the chimeric gag LV efficiently transduced primary simian hematopoietic progenitor cells,a critical cellular target in gene therapy. The alterations in the CyPA binding region did not affect CyPA incorporation; however,transduction by the gag chimeric LV seemed to be relatively insensitive to cyclosporin A,indicating that it does not require CyPA for early postentry steps. In dual infection experiments,the gag chimeric LV failed to remove the block to transduction of the WT LV,suggesting that the gag chimeric LV did not saturate the inhibitory simian cellular factor. These data suggest that the CyPA binding region of capsid contains a viral determinant involved in the postentry restriction of HIV-1-based lentiviral vectors. Overall,the findings demonstrate that the host range of HIV-1-based LV can be altered by modifications in the packaging construct. View Publication

We have previously examined the specificities of 28 commercially available compounds,reported to be relatively selective inhibitors of particular serine/threonine-specific protein kinases [Davies,Reddy,Caivano and Cohen (2000) Biochem. J. 351,95-105]. In the present study,we have extended this analysis to a further 14 compounds. Of these,indirubin-3'-monoxime,SP 600125,KT 5823 and ML-9 were found to inhibit a number of protein kinases and conclusions drawn from their use in cell-based assays are likely to be erroneous. Kenpaullone,Alsterpaullone,Purvalanol,Roscovitine,pyrazolopyrimidine 1 (PP1),PP2 and ML-7 were more specific,but still inhibited two or more protein kinases with similar potency. Our results suggest that the combined use of Roscovitine and Kenpaullone may be useful for identifying substrates and physiological roles of cyclin-dependent protein kinases,whereas the combined use of Kenpaullone and LiCl may be useful for identifying substrates and physiological roles of glycogen synthase kinase 3. The combined use of SU 6656 and either PP1 or PP2 may be useful for identifying substrates of Src family members. Epigallocatechin 3-gallate,one of the main polyphenolic constituents of tea,inhibited two of the 28 protein kinases in the panel,dual-specificity,tyrosine-phosphorylated and regulated kinase 1A (DYRK1A; IC(50)=0.33 microM) and p38-regulated/activated kinase (PRAK; IC(50)=1.0 microM). View Publication

Cellular immune responses play a critical role in the control of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1); however,the breadth of these responses at the single-epitope level has not been comprehensively assessed. We therefore screened peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 57 individuals at different stages of HIV-1 infection for virus-specific T-cell responses using a matrix of 504 overlapping peptides spanning all expressed HIV-1 proteins in a gamma interferon-enzyme-linked immunospot (Elispot) assay. HIV-1-specific T-cell responses were detectable in all study subjects,with a median of 14 individual epitopic regions targeted per person (range,2 to 42),and all 14 HIV-1 protein subunits were recognized. HIV-1 p24-Gag and Nef contained the highest epitope density and were also the most frequently recognized HIV-1 proteins. The total magnitude of the HIV-1-specific response ranged from 280 to 25,860 spot-forming cells (SFC)/10(6) PBMC (median,4,245) among all study participants. However,the number of epitopic regions targeted,the protein subunits recognized,and the total magnitude of HIV-1-specific responses varied significantly among the tested individuals,with the strongest and broadest responses detectable in individuals with untreated chronic HIV-1 infection. Neither the breadth nor the magnitude of the total HIV-1-specific CD8+-T-cell responses correlated with plasma viral load. We conclude that a peptide matrix-based Elispot assay allows for rapid,sensitive,specific,and efficient assessment of cellular immune responses directed against the entire expressed HIV-1 genome. These data also suggest that the impact of T-cell responses on control of viral replication cannot be explained by the mere quantification of the magnitude and breadth of the CD8+-T-cell response,even if a comprehensive pan-genome screening approach is applied. View Publication

Detailed equilibrium binding studies were conducted on a monoclonal antibody directed against Pb(II) complexed with a protein conjugate of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA). Binding curves obtained with DTPA and a cyclohexyl derivative of DTPA in the presence and absence of metal ions were consistent with the anticipated one-site homogeneous binding model. Binding curves obtained with aminobenzyl-DTPA or its complexes with Ca(II),Sr(II),and Ba(II) were highly sigmoidal,characterized by Hill coefficients of 2.3-6.5. Binding curves obtained with the Pb(II) and In(III) complexes of aminobenzyl-DTPA were hyperbolic,but in each case the apparent affinity of the antibody for the chelator-metal complex was higher in the presence of excess chelator than it was in the presence of excess metal ion. In the presence of excess chelator,the equilibrium dissociation constant for the binding of aminobenzyl-DTPA-Pb(II) to the antibody was 9.5 x 10(-)(10) M. Binding curves obtained with the Hg(II) and Cd(II) complexes of aminobenzyl-DTPA were biphasic,indicative of negative cooperativity. Further binding studies demonstrated that aminobenzyl-DTPA-Hg(II) opposed the binding of additional chelator-metal complexes to the antibody more strongly than did aminobenzyl-DTPA-Cd(II). The Fab fragment differed from the intact antibody only in that the apparent affinity of the Fab was generally lower for a given chelator-metal complex. These data are interpreted in terms of a model in which (i) aminobenzyl-DTPA and its complexes bind both to the antigen binding site and to multiple charged sites on the surface of the compact immunoglobulin; and (ii) the bound,highly charged ligands interact in a complicated fashion through the apolar core of the folded antibody. View Publication

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T lymphocytes are exposed to hypoxia during their development and also when they migrate to hypoxic pathological sites such as tumors and wounds. Although hypoxia can affect T cell development and function,the mechanisms by which immune cells sense and respond to changes in O(2)-availability are poorly understood. K(+) channels encoded by the Kv1.3 subtype of the voltage-dependent Kv1 gene family are highly expressed in lymphocytes and are involved in the control of membrane potential and cell function. In this study,we investigate the sensitivity of Kv1.3 channels to hypoxia in freshly isolated human T lymphocytes and leukemic Jurkat T cells. Acute exposure to hypoxia (20 mmHg,2 min) inhibits Kv1.3 currents in both cell types by 20%. Prolonged exposure to hypoxia (1% O(2) for 24 h) selectively decreases Kv1.3 protein levels in Jurkat T cells by 47%,but not Kvbeta2 and SK2 Ca-activated K(+) channel subunit levels. The decrease in Kv1.3 protein levels occurs with no change in Kv1.3 mRNA expression and is associated with a significant decrease in K(+) current density. A decrease in Kv1.3 polypeptide levels similar to that obtained during hypoxia is produced by Kv1.3 channel blockage. Our results indicate that hypoxia produces acute and long-term inhibition of Kv1.3 channels in T lymphocytes. This effect could account for the inhibition of lymphocyte proliferation during hypoxia. Indeed,we herein present evidence showing that hypoxia selectively inhibits TCR-mediated proliferation and that this inhibition is associated with a decrease in Kv1.3 proteins. View Publication

Natural killer (NK) cell differentiation from pluripotent CD34(+) human hematopoietic stem cells or oligopotent lymphoid progenitors has already been reported. In the present study,long-term cultures of the CD56(-)/CD34(-) myeloid-like adherent cell fraction (ACF) from umbilical cord blood (UCB),characterized by the expression of CD14(+) as well as other myeloid markers,were set up with flt3 ligand (FL) and interleukin-15 (IL-15). The UCB/ACF gradually expressed the CD56 marker,which reached fairly high levels (approximately 90% of the cells were CD56(+)) by day 15. FL plus IL-15-driven ACF/CD56(+) cells progressively expressed a mature NK functional program lysing both NK- and lymphokine-activate killer (LAK)-sensitive tumor targets and producing high levels of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma),granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor,tumor necrosis factor alpha,and IL-10 upon stimulation with IL-12 and IL-18. Similar results were obtained when highly purified CD14(+) cells from UCB were cultured with FL and IL-15. In contrast,UCB/CD34(+) cells cultured under the same conditions showed a delayed expression of CD56 and behaved functionally differently in that they exhibited NK but not LAK cytotoxicity and produced significantly fewer cytokines. Kinetic studies on the phenotype of UCB/ACF or UCB/CD14(+) cells cultured in the presence of FL and IL-15 showed a rapid decrease in CD14 expression after day 5,which reached levels of zero by day 20. Approximately 60% of the CD56(+) derived from the UCB/ACF or the UCB/CD14(+) cells coexpressed CD14 by day 5. Taken together,our data support the role of CD14(+) myeloid-like cells within UCB as a novel progenitor for lymphoid NK cells. View Publication

Liver becomes the predominant site of hematopoiesis by 11.5 dpc (days after coitus) in the mouse and 15 gestational weeks in humans and stays so until the end of gestation. The reason the liver is the major hematopoietic site during fetal life is not clear. In this work,we tried to define which of the fetal liver microenvironmental cell populations would be associated with the development of hematopoiesis and found that a population of cells with mixed endodermal and mesodermal features corresponded to hematopoietic-supportive fetal liver stroma. Stromal cells generated from primary cultures or stromal lines from mouse or human fetal liver in the hematopoietic florid phase expressed both mesenchymal markers (vimentin,osteopontin,collagen I,alpha smooth muscle actin,thrombospondin-1,EDa fibronectin,calponin,Stro-1 antigens,myocyte-enhancer factor 2C) and epithelial (alpha-fetoprotein,cytokeratins 8 and 18,albumin,E-cadherin,hepatocyte nuclear factor 3 alpha) markers. Such a cell population fits with the description of cells in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT),often observed during development,including that of the liver. The hematopoietic supportive capacity of EMT cells was lost after hepatocytic maturation,induced by oncostatin M in the cell line AFT024. EMT cells were observed in the fetal liver microenvironment during the hematopoietic phase but not in nonhematopoietic liver by the end of gestation and in the adult. EMT cells represent a novel stromal cell type that may be generated from hepatic endodermal or mesenchymal stem cells or even from circulating hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) seeding the liver rudiment. View Publication

RET/papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) oncogenes,generated by recombination of the tyrosine kinase-encoding domain of RET with different heterologous genes,are prevalent in papillary carcinomas of the thyroid. Point mutations of RET cause multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN2) familial cancer syndrome and are found in sporadic medullary thyroid carcinomas. Here,we show that ZD6474,a low molecular weight tyrosine kinase inhibitor,blocks the enzymatic activity of RET-derived oncoproteins at a one-half maximal inhibitory concentration of 100 nM. ZD6474 blocked in vivo phosphorylation and signaling of the RET/PTC3 and RET/MEN2B oncoproteins and of an epidermal growth factor (EGF)-activated EGF-receptor/RET chimeric receptor. RET/PTC3-transformed cells-treated ZD6474 lost proliferative autonomy and showed morphological reversion. ZD6474 prevented the growth of two human PTC cell lines that carry spontaneous RET/PTC1 rearrangements. Finally,it blocked anchorage-independent growth of RET/PTC3-transformed NIH3T3 fibroblasts and the formation of tumors after injection of NIH-RET/PTC3 cells into nude mice. Thus,targeting RET oncogenes with ZD6474 might offer a potential treatment strategy for carcinomas sustaining oncogenic activation of RET. View Publication

Bacterial lipopeptides (bLPs) are increasingly used as adjuvants to activate cell-mediated immune responses to foreign Ags. To explore mechanisms whereby bLPs adjuvant T cell responses,we stimulated human PBMCs with bLPs. We found that bLPs stimulate T cells to proliferate and produce IFN-gamma in an accessory cell-dependent manner and in the absence of exogenous protein Ags. The ability of bLPs to stimulate T cell proliferation was Toll-like receptor 2 dependent and required IL-12,interaction with costimulatory molecules,and MHC proteins. Our data suggest that bLPs adjuvant adaptive Th1 responses by enhancing Ag presentation of endogenous peptides. View Publication

Caveolae,specialized flask-shaped lipid rafts on the cell surface,are composed of cholesterol,sphingolipids,and structural proteins termed caveolins; functionally,these plasma membrane microdomains have been implicated in signal transduction and transmembrane transport. In the present study,we examined the role of caveolin-1 in multiple myeloma cells. We show for the first time that caveolin-1,which is usually absent in blood cells,is expressed in multiple myeloma cells. Analysis of myeloma cell-derived plasma membrane fractions shows that caveolin-1 is co-localized with interleukin-6 receptor signal transducing chain gp130 and with insulin-like growth factor-I receptor. Cholesterol depletion by beta-cyclodextrin results in the loss of caveola structure in myeloma cells,as shown by transmission electron microscopy,and loss of caveolin-1 function. Interleukin-6 and insulin-like growth factor-I,growth and survival factors in multiple myeloma,induce caveolin-1 phosphorylation,which is abrogated by pre-treatment with beta-cyclodextrin. Importantly,inhibition of caveolin-1 phosphorylation blocks both interleukin-6-induced protein complex formation with caveolin-1 and downstream activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt-1 pathway. beta-Cyclodextrin also blocks insulin-like growth factor-I-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of insulin-responsive substrate-1 and downstream activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt-1 pathway. Therefore,cholesterol depletion by beta-cyclodextrin abrogates both interleukin-6- and insulin-like growth factor-I-triggered multiple myeloma cell survival via negative regulation of caveolin-1. Taken together,this study identifies caveolin-1 and other structural membrane components as potential new therapeutic targets in multiple myeloma. View Publication

The WT1 tumor-suppressor gene is expressed by many forms of acute myeloid leukemia. Inhibition of this expression can lead to the differentiation and reduced growth of leukemia cells and cell lines,suggesting that WT1 participates in regulating the proliferation of leukemic cells. However,the role of WT1 in normal hematopoiesis is not well understood. To investigate this question,we have used murine cells in which the WT1 gene has been inactivated by homologous recombination. We have found that cells lacking WT1 show deficits in hematopoietic stem cell function. Embryonic stem cells lacking WT1,although contributing efficiently to other organ systems,make only a minimal contribution to the hematopoietic system in chimeras,indicating that hematopoietic stem cells lacking WT1 compete poorly with healthy stem cells. In addition,fetal liver cells lacking WT1 have an approximately 75% reduction in erythroid blast-forming unit (BFU-E),erythroid colony-forming unit (CFU-E),and colony-forming unit-granulocyte macrophage-erythroid-megakaryocyte (CFU-GEMM). However,transplantation of fetal liver hematopoietic cells lacking WT1 will repopulate the hematopoietic system of an irradiated adult recipient in the absence of competition. We conclude that the absence of WT1 in hematopoietic cells leads to functional defects in growth potential that may be of consequence to leukemic cells that have alterations in the expression of WT1. View Publication