Mitogenic,immunoadjuvancy, and genetic studies on fatty acyl maltose

Summary Three synthetic glycolipids, maltose tetrapalmitate (MTP), maltose hexastearate (MHS), and maltose hexalinoleate (MHL) prepared as nontoxic lipid A analogs, and Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were assayed for their mitogenic activity using spleen lymphocytes in nine inbred mouse strains and three F1 hybrids. The MTP and LPS were also assayed for their ability to enhance plaque-forming cell (PFC) responses using sheep red blood cells as the antigen in th same inbred mouse strains and F1 hybrids, The mitogenic activity of synthetic glycolipids was several fold lower than that of LPS and MHL was inferior to MTP and MHS. DBA/2J was the most responsive strain for MTP and DBA/1J and C3H/HeJ the least. The mitogenic activity of MTP was generally in agreement with the PFC response stimulation by it. Lowdose cyclophosphamide treatment of mice synergized MTP for PFC response augmentation. Genetic studies on MTP mitogenicity revealed that 90% of responder DBA/2J X nonresponder C3H/HeJ F1 hybrids had intermediate mitogenic activity. Among F2, 73% had intermediate-high activity and 27% were nonmitogenic. Among F1 X C3H/HeJ backcrosses 11% had high, 56% intermediate, and 33% had no mitogenic activity, whereas, for the F1 X DBA/2J backcross, 14% had high, 36% intermediate, and 50% low or negligible activity. The data favored a single gene for MTP activation of immune cells.This work was supported, in part, by a grant from the National Cancer Institute of Canada, and by grant from the Cancer Research Society Inc.     

v-mos oncoproteins affect the nuclear retention and reutilization of glucocorticoid receptors

Expression of the p85gag-mos oncoprotein in temperature sensitive transformed 6m2 cells results in desensitization of glucocorticoid induction of metallothionein-1 mRNA. Indirect immunofluorescence analyses demonstrate that hormone insensitivity in v-mos transformed cells is associated with inefficient nuclear retention of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) protein. Desensitized receptors that accumulate in the cytoplasm of transformed 6m2 cells do not regain the capacity for hormone-dependent nuclear translocation after turnover of the thermo-labile p85gag-mos oncoprotein. Although ligand induced down-regulation of immunoreactive GR protein occurs in transformed 6m2 cells, desensitized receptors appear to retain some capacity to bind hormone in vivo. Thus alterations in the intracellular partitioning of GR protein in v-mos-transformed cells result in the generation of a novel desensitized receptor that is apparently trapped in the cytoplasm and incapable of being reutilized.     

Detergent solubilization, purification, and separation of specificities of HLA antigens from a cultured human lymphoblastoid line, RPMI 4265.

HLA antigens have been purified to homogeneity after detergent solubilization from RPMI 4265, a human lymphoblastoid line. The inhibition of cytotoxicity assay for HLA antigen was modified, using preincubation with bovine serum albumin of antigen samples containing detergent to prevent lysis of target cells by detergent. Solubilization was tested with many types of detergents. A polyethyleneglycol oleyl ether nonionic detergent mixture, Brij 99:Brij 97 (2:1) was selected for solubilization, since it selectively solubilized HLA antigens, had a low absorbance at 280 nm and was uncharded. HLA antigens were then purified by Lens culinaris lectin affinity chromatography and Bio-Gel A-5m filtration. The antigen specifity HLA-A2 was separated from specificities HLA-B7,12 by isoelectric focusing. Purified HLA antigens contained a subunit of Mr=44,000 with NH2-terminal glycine, and a subunit of Mr=12,000, beta2-microglobulin, with NH2-terminal isoleucine.     

Mutational analysis of antigen receptor regulation of B lymphocyte growth. Evidence for involvement of the phosphoinositide signaling pathway.

Stimulation of the antigen receptor of WEHI-231 B lymphoma cells with anti-receptor antibodies (anti-IgM) induces irreversible growth arrest. Anti-IgM stimulates two kinds of transmembrane signaling events, phosphorylation of proteins on tyrosyl residues and breakdown of inositol phospholipids, which results in increases of inositol phosphates, diacylglycerol, and calcium. The roles of these reactions in mediating the growth arrest of the B lymphoma cells have not been established. To examine this issue, we took a genetic approach. Mutants of WEHI-231 cells were isolated that were resistant to anti-IgM-induced growth arrest. Five out of seven independent mutants analyzed had normal cell-surface expression of antigen receptors. Although each of these five mutants had tyrosine protein phosphorylation patterns comparable to wild-type cells, they exhibited alterations in the phosphoinositide signaling pathway. Four of the mutants had decreased phosphoinositide breakdown, probably due to an alteration in phospholipase C. Decreased second messenger production may be responsible for the growth-resistant phenotype. Full growth arrest was restored upon addition of the calcium ionophore ionomycin, suggesting that the limiting second messenger was intracellular free calcium. The final mutant appeared to be altered in a component(s) that responds to diacylglycerol and calcium. Taken together, these results provide further evidence that the phosphoinositide pathway is at least partly responsible for mediating antigen receptor regulation of B lymphoma cell growth.     

Bacterial lipopolysaccharide induces tyrosine phosphorylation and activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases in macrophages.

Bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a potent activator of antibacterial responses by macrophages. Following LPS stimulation, the tyrosine phosphorylation of several proteins is rapidly increased in macrophages, and this event appears to mediate some responses to LPS. We now report that two of these tyrosine phosphoproteins of 41 and 44 kDa are isoforms of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase. Each of these proteins was reactive with anti-MAP kinase antibodies and comigrated with MAP kinase activity in fractions eluted from a MonoQ anion-exchange column. Following LPS stimulation, column fractions containing the tyrosine phosphorylated forms of p41 and p44 exhibited increased MAP kinase activity. Inhibition of LPS-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of these proteins was accompanied by inhibition of MAP kinase activity. Additionally, induction of p41/p44 tyrosine phosphorylation and MAP kinase activity by LPS appeared to be independent of activation of protein kinase C, even though phorbol esters also induced these responses. These results demonstrate that LPS induces the tyrosine phosphorylation and activation of at least two MAP kinase isozymes. Since MAP kinases appear to modulate cellular processes in response to extracellular signals, these kinases may be important targets for LPS action in macrophages.