Gene gun application in the generation of effector T cells for adoptive immunotherapy

We utilized the gene gun to transfect subcutaneous D5 melanoma and MT-901 mammary carcinoma tumors in situ with a granulocyte/macrophage-colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) plasmid complexed to gold particles. There was diminished tumor growth following bombardment with GM-CSF plasmid, which was apparent only during the period of administration. Transgenic GM-CSF was produced by the skin overlying the tumors and not by the tumors themselves. GM-CSF plasmid bombardment resulted in increased cell yields within tumor-draining lymph nodes (TDLN) with at least a 12-fold increase in the percentage of dendritic cells (8.9%) compared to controls (0.7%). Secondarily activated TDLN cells from animals transfected with GM-CSF demonstrated enhanced cytokine release (interferon γ, GM-CSF and interleukin-10) in response to tumor stimulator cells compared to controls, and had an increased capacity to mediate tumor regression in adoptive immunotherapy. There was a small, but detectable, non-specific immune adjuvant effect observed with gold particle bombardment alone, which was less than with GM-CSF plasmid. The adjuvant effect of GM-CSF plasmid required peri-tumoral transgene expression since gene bombardment away from the tumor was ineffective. Received: 27 April 1999 / Accepted: 27 August 1999     

Differential recognition of response elements determines target gene specificity for p53 and p63

p63 is a member of the p53 tumor suppressor gene family, which regulates downstream target gene expression by binding to sequence-specific response elements similar to those of p53. By using oligonucleotide expression microarray analysis and analyzing the promoters of p63-induced genes, we have identified novel p63-specific response elements (p63-REs) in the promoter regions of EVPL and SMARCD3. These p63-REs exhibit characteristic differences from the canonical p53-RE (RRRCWWGYYY) in both the core-binding element (CWWG) as well as the RRR and/or YYY stretches. Luciferase assays on mutagenized promoter constructs followed by electromobility shift analysis showed that p53 preferentially activates and binds to the RRRCATGYYY sequence, whereas p63 preferentially activates RRRCGTGYYY. Whereas EVPL protein is highly expressed in epithelial cells of the skin and pharynx in the p63+/+ mouse, it is undetectable in these tissues in the p63-/- mouse. Our results indicate that p63 can regulate expression of specific target genes such as those involved in skin, limb, and craniofacial development by preferentially activating distinct p63-specific response elements.     

Kinetic study of the quenching reaction of singlet oxygen by tea catechins in ethanol solution

A kinetic study of the quenching reaction of singlet oxygen ((1)O(2)) with catechins (catechin (CA), epicatechin (EC), epigallocatechin (EGC), epicatechin gallate (ECG), epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)) and related compounds (5-methoxyresorcinol (MR), 4-methylcatechol (MC), and n-propyl gallate (PG)) was performed in ethanol at 35 degrees C. MR, MC, and PG are considered to be a model of resorcinol (A)-, catechol (B)-, and gallate (G)-rings in catechins, respectively. The overall rate constants, k(Q) (= k(q) + k(r), physical quenching + chemical reaction), for the reaction of catechins with (1)O(2) increased in the order of PG < MR < MC < CA < EC < EGC < ECG < EGCG. In a comparison of the rate constants, the relationship between quenching rates and chemical structures is discussed. The catechins which have lower peak oxidation potentials, E(P), show higher reactivities. It was observed that the chemical reaction (k(r)) is almost negligible in the quenching reaction of (1)O(2) by catechins. The k(Q) values of EGCG (1.47 x 10(8) M(-1) s(-1)) and ECG (7.81 x 10(7)) were found to be larger than those of lipids (1.3 x 10(5)-1.9 x 10(5) M(-1) s(-1)), amino acids (<3.7 x 10(7)), and DNA (5.1 x 10(5)). Further, these values are similar to those (1.15 x 10(8)-2.06 x 10(8) M(-1) s(-1)) of alpha- and gamma-tocopherol, ubiquinol-10, and gamma-tocopherol hydroquinone (plastoquinol model). The result suggests that catechins may contribute to the protection of oxidative damage in biological systems, by quenching (1)O(2).     

Arabidopsis RAD51C gene is important for homologous recombination in meiosis and mitosis

Rad51 is a homolog of the bacterial RecA recombinase, and a key factor in homologous recombination in eukaryotes. Rad51 paralogs have been identified from yeast to vertebrates. Rad51 paralogs are thought to play an important role in the assembly or stabilization of Rad51 that promotes homologous pairing and strand exchange reactions. We previously characterized two RAD51 paralogous genes in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) named AtRAD51C and AtXRCC3, which are homologs of human RAD51C and XRCC3, respectively, and described the interaction of their products in a yeast two-hybrid system. Recent studies showed the involvement of AtXrcc3 in DNA repair and functional role in meiosis. To determine the role of RAD51C in meiotic and mitotic recombination in higher plants, we characterized a T-DNA insertion mutant of AtRAD51C. Although the atrad51C mutant grew normally during vegetative developmental stage, the mutant produced aborted siliques, and their anthers did not contain mature pollen grains. Crossing of the mutant with wild-type plants showed defective male and female gametogeneses as evidenced by lack of seed production. Furthermore, meiosis was severely disturbed in the mutant. The atrad51C mutant also showed increased sensitivity to gamma-irradiation and cisplatin, which are known to induce double-strand DNA breaks. The efficiency of homologous recombination in somatic cells in the mutant was markedly reduced relative to that in wild-type plants.     

Pharmacological properties of angiotensin II receptors in cultured rabbit gingival fibroblasts

Certain interspecific hybrids of the fish Xiphophorus spontaneously develop melanoma induced by the derepression of the Xmrk oncogene. Xmrk is a recent duplicate of an orthologue of the mammalian epidermal growth factor receptor gene Egfr. In addition to a specific overexpression in melanoma, amino-acid substitutions in the extracellular domain leading to ligand-independent dimerisation and constitutive autophosphorylation are responsible for the tumorigenic potential of Xmrk. The Xmrk receptor induces several signal transduction pathways mediating cell proliferation and resistance to apoptosis and initiating dedifferentiation. Moreover, Xmrk upregulates the expression of the secreted protein osteopontin, inducing an autocrine loop possibly allowing invasion and survival in the dermis as a first step in malignancy. Hence, Xmrk is able to induce pathways essential for a transformed phenotype. Some of these events are equivalent to those found downstream of the mammalian Egfr, but others have clearly evolved differently or are specific for pigment cells. Xmrk is potentially hazardous, nonessential and located in a very unstable genomic region. Nevertheless, Xmrk has been maintained under purifying selection in divergent Xiphophorus species. Hence, Xmrk has probably a beneficial function under certain conditions. The analysis of this function is a major challenge for future research in the Xiphophorus model.     

Effects of GroESL coexpression on the folding of nicotinoprotein formaldehyde dismutase from Pseudomonas putida F61

The overexpression of fdm, which encodes the formaldehyde dismutase from Pseudomonas putida F61, resulted in the formation of inclusion bodies made up of aggregated enzyme, leaving little activity in the soluble fraction of the transformant cells. On the other hand, coexpression of groESL along with fdm facilitated in vivo solubilization of the enzyme protein in its active form. When coexpressed with groESL, formaldehyde dismutase purified from E. coli had the same crystalline form (i.e., a regular octahedron) as the native enzyme, and like the native enzyme, it bound 1 mol of NAD(H) and 2 mol of zinc in each subunit.     

Determination of captopril in human blood by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

A new method for quantitation of captopril in human blood is described. Captopril was derivatized with N-(4-dimethylaminophenyl)maleimide into the electrochemically active adduct. The derivative was separated and determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with an electrochemical detector on a reversed-phase column. The proposed method was satisfactory for determination of captopril in whole blood with respect to accuracy and precision. The detection limit of captopril thereby obtained was 10 ng/ml. The blood levels of captopril in patients orally given an officinal dose were measured by the present method.     

Two Fatty Acid Elongases Possessing C18-Δ6/C18-Δ9/C20-Δ5 or C16-Δ9 Elongase Activity in Thraustochytrium sp. ATCC 26185

Thraustochytrids, unicellular eukaryotic marine protists, accumulate polyunsaturated fatty acids. Here, we report the molecular cloning and functional characterization of two fatty acid elongase genes (designated tselo1 and tselo2), which could be involved in the desaturase/elongase (standard) pathway in Thraustochytrium sp. ATCC 26185. TsELO1, the product of tselo1 and classified into a Δ6 elongase group by phylogenetic analysis, showed strong C18-Δ6 elongase activity and relatively weak C18-Δ9 and C20-Δ5 activities when expressed in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. TsELO2, classified into a Δ9 elongase subgroup, showed only C16-Δ9 activity. When expressed in Aurantiochytrium limacinum mh0186 using a thraustochytrid-derived promoter and a terminator, TsELO1 exhibited almost the same specificity as expressed in the yeast but TsELO2 showed weak C18-Δ9 activity, in addition to its main C16-Δ9 activity. These results suggest that TsELO1 functions not only as a C18-Δ6 and a C20-Δ5 elongase in the main route but also as a C18-Δ9 elongase in the alternative route of standard pathway, while TsELO2 functions mainly as a C16-Δ9 elongase generating vaccenic acid (C18:1n?7) in thraustochytrids. This is the first report describing a fatty acid elongase harboring C16-Δ9 activity in thraustochytrids.     

The cyanobacterial hepatotoxin microcystin binds to proteins and increases the fitness of microcystis under oxidative stress conditions

Microcystins are cyanobacterial toxins that represent a serious threat to drinking water and recreational lakes worldwide. Here, we show that microcystin fulfils an important function within cells of its natural producer Microcystis. The microcystin deficient mutant ΔmcyB showed significant changes in the accumulation of proteins, including several enzymes of the Calvin cycle, phycobiliproteins and two NADPH-dependent reductases. We have discovered that microcystin binds to a number of these proteins in vivo and that the binding is strongly enhanced under high light and oxidative stress conditions. The nature of this binding was studied using extracts of a microcystin-deficient mutant in vitro. The data obtained provided clear evidence for a covalent interaction of the toxin with cysteine residues of proteins. A detailed investigation of one of the binding partners, the large subunit of RubisCO showed a lower susceptibility to proteases in the presence of microcystin in the wild type. Finally, the mutant defective in microcystin production exhibited a clearly increased sensitivity under high light conditions and after hydrogen peroxide treatment. Taken together, our data suggest a protein-modulating role for microcystin within the producing cell, which represents a new addition to the catalogue of functions that have been discussed for microbial secondary metabolites.