Loss of tumorigenic potential by human lung tumor cells in the presence of antisense RNA specific to the ectopically synthesized alpha subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin

A clonal strain of human lung tumor cells in culture (ChaGo), derived from a bronchogenic carcinoma, synthesizes and secretes large amounts of alpha (alpha) and a comparatively lower level of beta (beta) subunit of the glycoprotein hormone, human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG). ChaGo cells lost their characteristic anchorage-independent growth phenotype in the presence of anti-alpha-HCG antibody. The effect of the antibody was partially reversed by addition of alpha-HCG to the culture medium. ChaGo cells were transfected with an expression vector (pRSV-anti-alpha-HCG), that directs synthesis of RNA complementary to alpha-HCG mRNA. The transfectants produced alpha-HCG antisense RNA which was associated with the reduced level of alpha-HCG. Transfectants also displayed several altered phenotypic properties, including altered morphology, less mitosis, reduced growth rate, loss of anchorage-independent growth, and loss of tumorigenicity in nude mice. Treatment of transfectants with 8,bromo-cAMP resulted in increased accumulation of alpha-HCG mRNA, no change in the level of alpha-HCG antisense RNA, release of the inhibition of [3H]thymidine incorporation, and restoration of anchorage-independent growth phenotype. The overexpression of c-myc, observed in ChaGo cells, was unaffected by the reduced level of alpha-HCG. These results suggest that ectopic synthesis of the alpha subunit of HCG plays a functional role in the transformation of these human lung cells.     

Studies on lactic dehydrogenase and sorbitol dehydrogenase release in relation to deep freezing of buffalo semen in certain extenders

Forty seminal ejaculates from five mature buffalo bulls (n=8 from each bull), exhibiting more than 70% initial sperm motility, were frozen in the following three extenders: egg-yolk sodium citrate glycerol (EYCG); tris-egg yolk glycerol (TYG); and citric acid whey glycerol (CAWG). The extenders were evaluated for the release of intracellular enzymes, lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) and sorbitol dehydrogenase (SODH) from the spermatozoa during freezing (in fresh semen, after dilution and after equilibration) and post freezing (24 h and 7 d after freezing. It was found that the release of LDH and SODH enzymes was significantly lower in TYG than in EYCG and CAWG extenders. The most critical stage, at which the enzyme release was maximal, was between equilibration and 24 h post freezing in all three extenders.     

Influenza virus polymerase basic protein 1 interacts with influenza virus polymerase basic protein 2 at multiple sites.

Three polymerase proteins of influenza type A virus interact with each other to form the active polymerase complex. Polymerase basic protein 1 (PB1) can interact with PB2 in the presence or absence of polymerase acidic protein. In this study, we investigated the domains of PB1 involved in complex formation with PB2 in vivo, using coexpression and coimmunoprecipitation of the PB1-PB2 complex with monospecific antibodies. Results show that PB1 possesses at least two regions which can interact independently and form stable complexes with PB2. Both of these regions are located at the NH2 terminus of PB1; the COOH-terminal half of PB1 is not involved in interacting with PB2. Deletion analysis further demonstrated that the interacting regions of PB1 encompass amino acids (aa) 48 to 145 and aa 251 to 321. Linker insertions throughout the PB1 sequences did not affect complex formation with PB2. Deletion and linker-insertion mutants of PB1 were tested for polymerase activity in vivo. For this analysis, we developed a simplified assay for viral polymerase activity that uses a reporter chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene containing the 5' and 3' ends of influenza viral promoter and nontranslating regions (minus sense) of the NS gene joined to a hepatitis delta virus ribozyme at its 3' end. This assay demonstrated that all deletion mutants of PB1 exhibited either background or greatly reduced polymerase activity irrespective of the ability to interact with PB2 and that all linker-insertion mutants except one at the extreme COOH end (L-746) of PB1 were also negative for viral polymerase activity. These results show that compared with complex formation of PB1 with PB2, the polymerase activity of PB1 was extremely sensitive to structural perturbation.     

Cytokine-mediated induction of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) expression and cell death in chronically infected U1 cells: do tumor necrosis factor alpha and gamma interferon selectively kill HIV-infected cells?

Infection with several DNA or RNA viruses induces a state of increased sensitivity to cell lysis mediated by tumor necrosis factor (TNF), particularly in the presence of gamma interferon (IFN-gamma). Infection of human cells with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) may induce a similar phenomenon. However, TNF and IFN-gamma are known upregulators of HIV replication, raising the question of the potential role of these cytokines in the selective elimination of cells infected with this virus. The present study demonstrates that chronically infected U1 cells were killed with much greater efficiency by costimulation with TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma than their uninfected parental cell line U937. However, synergistic induction of viral expression also occurred in U1 cells as a consequence of treatment with the two cytokines. Cell death in U1 cells was not caused by the massive production of virions, in that costimulation with glucocorticoid hormones and TNF-alpha or IFN-gamma resulted in high levels of virion production without cytopathicity. To investigate the nature of the selective cytotoxic effect observed in U1 cells costimulated with TNF-alpha plus IFN-gamma, a panel of uninfected cell clones was generated by limiting dilution of U937 cells and tested for response to TNF-alpha and/or IFN-gamma. In contrast to the uncloned bulk parental U937 cell line, most uninfected cell clones showed a very high susceptibility to being killed by TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma. Similar findings were obtained when both infected U1 cells and several uninfected U937 cell clones were costimulated with an anti-Fas monoclonal antibody in the presence of IFN-gamma, although, unlike cells stimulated with TNF-alpha, cells treated with anti-Fas antibody did not express virus. Therefore, the increased susceptibility to cytokine-mediated lysis observed in cell lines infected with HIV is likely due to the selection of preexisting cell clones rather than viral infection.     

High-efficiency gene inactivation and replacement system for gram-positive bacteria.

A system for high-efficiency single- and double-crossover homologous integration in gram-positive bacteria has been developed, with Lactococcus lactis as a model system. The system is based on a thermosensitive broad-host-range rolling-circle plasmid, pG+host5, which contains a pBR322 replicon for propagation in Escherichia coli at 37 degrees C. A nested set of L. lactis chromosomal fragments cloned onto pG+host5 were used to show that the single-crossover integration frequency was logarithmically proportional to the length of homology for DNA fragments between 0.35 and 2.5 kb. Using random chromosomal 1-kb fragments, we showed that homologous integration can occur along the entire chromosome. We made use of the reported stimulatory effect of rolling-circle replication on intramolecular recombination to develop a protocol for gene replacement. Cultures were first maintained at 37 degrees C to select for a bacterial population enriched for plasmid integrants; activation of the integrated rolling-circle plasmid by a temperature shift to 28 degrees C resulted in efficient plasmid excision by homologous recombination and replacement of a chromosomal gene by the plasmid-carried modified copy. More than 50% of cells underwent replacement recombination when selection was applied for the replacing gene. Between 1 and 40% of cells underwent replacement recombination when no selection was applied. Chromosomal insertions and deletions were obtained in this way. These results show that gene replacement can be obtained at an extremely high efficiency by making use of the thermosensitive rolling-circle nature of the delivery vector. This procedure is applicable to numerous gram-positive bacteria.     

Expression of gonococcal transferrin-binding protein 1 causes Escherichia coli to bind human transferrin.

The gene for gonococcal transferrin-binding protein 1 (TBP1) was cloned behind an inducible promoter in Escherichia coli. The resultant strain was capable of binding human transferrin with the same specificity as that of the gonococcus. E. coli expressing TBP1 did not internalize transferrin-bound iron or grow on transferrin as a sole iron source.     

Membrane orientation of laminin binding protein.

Earlier we presented several lines of evidence that a 67-kDa laminin binding protein (LBP) in Leishmania donovani, that is different from the putative mammalian 67-kDa laminin receptor, may play an important role in the onset of leishmaniasis, as these parasites invade macrophages in various organs after migrating through the extracellular matrix. Here we describe the membrane orientation of this Leishmania laminin receptor. Flow cytometric analysis using anti-LBP Ig revealed its surface localization, which was further confirmed by enzymatic radiolabeling of Leishmania surface proteins, autoradiography and Western blotting. Efficient incorporation of LBP into artificial lipid bilayer, as well as its presence in the detergent phase after Triton X-114 membrane extraction, suggests that it may be an integral membrane protein. Limited trypsinization of intact parasite and subsequent immunoblotting of trypsin released material using laminin as primary probe revealed that a major part of this protein harbouring the laminin binding site is oriented extracellularly. Carboxypeptidase Y treatment of the whole cell, as well as the membrane preparation, revealed that a small part of the C-terminal is located in the cytosol. A 34-kDa transmembrane part of LBP could be identified using the photoactive probe, 3-(trifluoromethyl)-3-(m-iodophenyl)diazirine (TID). Partial sequence comparison of the intact protein to that with the trypsin-released fragment indicated that N-terminal may be located extracellularly. Together, these results suggest that LBP may be an integral membrane protein, having significant portion of N-terminal end as well as the laminin binding site oriented extracellularly, a membrane spanning domain and a C-terminal cytosolic end.     

Sphingolipid profile in the CNS of the twitcher (globoid cell leukodystrophy) mouse: a lipidomics approach.

Globoid cell leukodystrophy (Krabbe disease) is caused by mutations in galactosylceramidase, a lysosomal enzyme that acts to digest galactosylceramide, a glycolipid concentrated in myelin, and psychosine (galactosylsphingosine). Globoid cell leukodystrophy has been identified in many species including humans and twitcher mice. Several studies on human tissue have examined the lipid profile in this disease by gas, liquid or thin layer chromatography. Electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry combined with reverse phase HPLC has become a powerful alternative strategy, used here to compare the sphingolipid profile of pons/medulla tissue from twitcher mice with control tissue. In this lipidomics LC-MS approach, we scanned for precursors of m/z 264 to obtain a semi-quantitative profile of ceramides and galactosylceramides. Sphingosine-1-phosphate, C18:0 ceramide, C22:0 ceramide and C24:0 ceramide levels were reduced in the pons/medulla of twitcher mice compared to levels in control mice at 31 and 35-37 days of age. The levels of C22:0 and C24:0 galactosylceramide were similar between twitcher and control specimens and there was a trend toward reduced levels of C24:1 galactosylceramide and C24:1 hydroxy-galactosylceramide in twitcher specimens. Psychosine, C 16:0 ceramide and C 18:0 galactosylceramide levels were increased in the CNS of twitcher mice compared to levels in control mice. These data indicate that there is a trend toward decreased levels of long chain fatty acids and increased levels of shorter chain fatty acids in galactosylceramides and ceramides from twitcher mice compared with control mice, and such changes may be due to demyelination characteristic of acute pathology.     

A modeling study of anaerobic biofilm systems: II. Reactor modeling

A rigorous steady-state model of anaerobic biofilm reactors taking into account acid-base and gas-phase equilibria in the reactor in conjunction with detailed chemical equilibria and mass transfer in acetate-utilizing methanogenic biofilms is presented. The performances of ideal completely stirred tank reactors (CSTRs) and plug-flow reactors, as well as reactors with nonideal hydraulic conditions, are simulated. Decreasing the surface loading rate increases the acetate removal efficiency, while decreasing the influent pH and increasing the buffering capacity improves the removal efficiency only if the bulk pH of the reactor shifts toward more optimal values between 6.8 to 7.0. The reactor can have negative or positive removal efficiencies depending on the start-up conditions. The respiration coefficient plays a critical role in determining the minimum influent pH required for reactor recovery after failure. Having multiple CSTRs-in-series generally increases the overall removal efficiency for the influent conditions investigated. Monitoring of the influent feed quality is critical for plug-flow reactors, becasue failure of the initial sections of the reactor may cause a cascading effect that may lead to a rapid reactor failure. (c) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.