T-rosettes in hemodialysis patients and renal allograft recipients

Subcellular fractions, isolated from the lymphoid cell line IM-1, are capable of stimulating a weak proliferative response in allogeneic lymphocytes. They also stimulate the generation of cytotoxic effector lymphocytes. The proliferative response to subcellular fractions, as measured by ³H-thymidine incorporation, is only one-fourth to one-sixth as great as that to intact IM-1 cells, suggesting that a component(s) synthesized during the mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR), or a short-lived cellular constituent, may be responsible for the ability of intact cells to stimulate a lymphocyte proliferative response. This component appears to be lacking or in limiting quantity in subcellular fractions, including the soluble fractions. In contrast to the decreased proliferative response to subcellular fractions, the cytotoxic capacity of the stimulated lymphocytes is comparable to that after stimulation by intact IM-1 cells. The data demonstrate that, in this system, cytotoxic effector lymphocytes can be generated in the absence of the extensive proliferative response normally observed in the MLR. The antigenic stimulus responsible for the generation of cytotoxic effector cells appears to reside on intracellular components as well as on plasma membrane. In these reactions, specificity is shown by the failure of the cytotoxic cells to release ⁵¹Cr from autologous target cells. In fact, reactivity of lymphocytes stimulated by subcellular fractions is more specific than the reactivity of cells stimulated by intact IM-1 as judged by their lytic capacity for another target cell, RPMI 4265.     

Functional activity of enucleated human polymorphonuclear leukocytes

Enucleated human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) were prepared by centrifuging isolated, intact PMN over a discontinuous Ficoll gradient that contained 20 microM cytochalasin B. The enucleated cells (PMN cytoplasts) contained about one-third of the plasma membrane and about one-half of the cytoplasm present in intact PMN. The PMN cytoplasts contained no nucleus and hardly any granules. The volume of the PMN cytoplasts was about one-fourth of that of the original PMN. Greater than 90% of the PMN cytoplasts had an "outside-out" topography of the plasma membrane. Cytoplasts prepared from resting PMN did not generate superoxide radicals (O2-) or hydrogen peroxide. PMN cytoplasts incubated with opsonized zymosan particles or phorbol-myristate acetate induced a respiratory burst that was qualitatively (O2 consumption, O2- and H2O2 generation) and quantitatively (per unit area of plasma membrane) comparable with that of intact, stimulated PMN. Moreover, at low ratios of bacteria/cells, PMN cytoplasts ingested opsonized Staphylococcus aureus bacteria as well as did intact PMN. At higher ratios, the cytoplasts phagocytosed less well. The killing of these bacteria by PMN cytoplasts was slower than by intact cells. The chemotactic activity of PMN cytoplasts was very low. These results indicate that the PMN apparatus for phagocytosis, generation of bactericidal oxygen compounds, and killing of bacteria, as well as the mechanism for recognizing opsonins and activating PMN functions, are present in the plasma membrane and cytosol of these cells.     

Similarities in ornithine decarboxylase regulation in intact and enucleated 3T3 cells

The role of the cytoplasm in the regulation of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) has been examined in enucleated 3T3 cells (cytoplasts). ODC activity can be increased 15–25-fold by a cytoplasmic mechanism(s) in enucleates prepared from growing cells by treatment which lead to 50–75-fold increases in intact growing cells. Since the enzyme activity simultaneously becomes less stable in these cytoplasts as in whole cells, it appears this increase is due either to activation of pre-existing enzyme or increased synthesis. A biphasic increase during the first 20 h after stimulus is seen in cytoplasts prepared from growing cells which have been stimulated for the prior 5 h. The second increase in activity does not appear to be due to decreased degradation or conversion to a more active form. These results are analogous to those reported previously for intact growing cells in experiments which employed metabolic inhibitors, and similarly suggest that there is cytoplasmic control of ODC synthesis. Medium polyamines reduce ODC activity in cytoplasts with kinetics and characteristics similar to those previously reported for intact cells. These data are also most consistent with regulation of synthesis at the translational level.     

Intracellular localization of lactosylceramide, the major human neutrophil glycosphingolipid

The abundance of lactosylceramide (LacCer; Gal beta 1-4Glc beta 1-1Cer) in human polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) (about 10(9) molecules/cell) seemed inconsistent with an exclusive plasma membrane LacCer localization in these cells. Therefore, the distribution of LacCer between plasma membrane and intracellular compartments was analyzed. Binding of 125I-labeled monoclonal anti-LacCer antibody (T5A7) to intact cells indicated that only 0.1-0.2% of total LacCer was accessible to antibody. Chemical and immunochemical comparisons of organic extracts prepared from PMN cytoplasts (i.e. PMN depleted of nucleus and granules) and intact PMN demonstrated that less than 25% of PMN LacCer was plasma membrane-derived. Simultaneous particle volume and surface staining analyses suggested that selective LacCer loss from cytoplasts could not explain this result. Intracellular LacCer was demonstrated by intense staining of PMN frozen thin sections with T5A7 in indirect immunofluorescence tests. Two-color fluorescence studies using frozen thin sections of neutrophils previously surface-stained with saturating concentrations of T5A7 indicated that this staining did not reflect section artifact. Organic extracts of density gradient-fractionated PMN cavitates were analyzed by radioimmunoassay to determine whether LacCer associates with known populations of PMN granules. Antigen predominantly cosedimented with enzyme markers for primary and secondary granules rather than with plasma membrane marker. Thin layer chromatography of glycolipids extracted from these density gradient fractions identified LacCer as the only antigenic species and demonstrated that chemically detectable LacCer was primarily in granule-enriched rather than plasma membrane fractions. These data indicate that human PMN LacCer is predominantly intracellular and that the glycolipid may be a constituent of PMN lysosomal granules.     

Factors influencing chromosome condensation and development of cloned rat embryos

Factors influencing premature chromosome condensation (PCC) in transferred rat nuclei have been examined. Chromosome condensation of rat cumulus cell nuclei did not occur when the cell nuclei were injected into enucleated rat oocytes. By contrast, chromosome condensation did occur after transfer to enucleated mouse oocytes or intact rat oocytes. In the first serial NT experiment, rat somatic cell nuclei were injected into enucleated mouse oocytes, and the reconstructed oocytes were activated by strontium chloride. From these reconstructed embryos, karyoplasts containing pronucleus-like vesicles were transferred into pronuclear zygote-derived cytoplasts by a DC pulse. Transfer of a total of 340 serial NT zygotes into recipient females, including 206 two-cell embryos, resulted in only seven implantation sites. In the second serial NT experiment, rat somatic cell nuclei were injected into intact rat oocytes; the recipient metaphase-plate was then aspirated under UV light from the NT oocytes in which PCC of injected nuclei was observed. After activation of the NT oocytes, karyoplasts were introduced into zygote-derived cytoplasts. Transfer of a total of 115 serial NT zygotes, including 37 two-cell embryos, resulted in four implantation sites but no live offspring. These results establish a mean of inducing chromosome condensation in rat oocytes and demonstrate that reconstructed rat zygotes can be prepared by serial NT procedures. Developmental competence of these embryos remains to be clarified.     

Qa alloantigen expression on functional T lymphocytes from spleen and thymus

The cell-surface expression of the class I alloantigen Qa-2 was analyzed on resting and activated spleen and thymus cells using cytotoxic elimination and immunofluorescence and flow cytometry. Spleen cells activated by mitogens or alloantigen were homogeneously positive for cell surface Qa-2, but activated splenic T cells expressed only about one-third as much Qa-2 per cell as did nonstimulated T cells. These data correlated with the ability to perform cytotoxic elimination with Qa-2-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) in that cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) activity was completely abrogated by pretreatment of spleen cells prior to in vitro culture but was only partially eliminated by treatment of CTL effectors. Qa-2-positive cells constituted only a small subpopulation of fresh normal thymocytes, but were enriched (>40% positive) among cortisone-resistant thymocytes (CRT). These Qa-2-positive CRT contained mature thymocytes as defined by Ly phenotype Ly-2^–, Ly-1^hi. When normal thymocytes were treated with Qa-2-specific mAb and complement prior to in vitro sensitization for generation of allogeneic CTL, CTL activity was completely abrogated despite the fact that the fraction of cells eliminated were undetectable as assessed by cell recovery. CTL effectors from alloantigen-stimulated thymocytes were also susceptible to cytotoxic elimination with Qa-2-specific mAb. These data suggest that the Qa-2 molecule may serve not only as a marker on resting and activated peripheral T cells, but also as a unique marker for functionally mature T cells in the thymus.     

Energy-dependent accumulation of daunorubicin into subcellular compartments of human leukemia cells and cytoplasts.

Anthracycline accumulation was evaluated by flow cytometry or radiolabeled drug assays in cells and cytoplasts (enucleated cells) prepared from parental and multidrug-resistant human K562 leukemia cells. Treatment with energy inhibitors, such as dinitrophenol (DNP) or sodium azide/deoxyglucose, led to a marked decrease in daunorubicin accumulation in parental cells and cytoplasts. Another ionophore, monensin, also caused a significant decrease in daunorubicin accumulation; however, ATPase inhibitors ouabain, vanadate, and N-ethylamaleimide had little or no effect. The lysosomatropic agents chloroquine and methylamine caused a moderate decrease in anthracycline accumulation. Fluorescence microscopy showed that the DNP-sensitive daunorubicin uptake occurred in a nonnuclear subcellular compartment. Studies using increasing daunorubicin concentrations demonstrated fluorescence quenching that occurred in the nonnuclear, DNP-sensitive compartment. The effect of inhibitors on the accumulation of rhodamine 123 and acridine orange strongly implicated lysosomes as the principal compartment of this inhibitable daunorubicin accumulation. Cytoplasts from P-glycoprotein containing multidrug-resistant K562 cells demonstrated a verapamil-reversible, decreased daunorubicin accumulation that was observed in resistant whole cells. Verapamil pretreatment of cytoplasts from resistant cells revealed the subcellular DNP-sensitive uptake present in parental cytoplasts. These studies demonstrate that cytoplasts are an effective means to study drug transport in mammalian cells without nuclear drug binding. Parental K562 cells and cytoplasts exhibit an energy-dependent accumulation of daunorubicin into cytoplasmic organelles that is also present in resistant cells and cytoplasts when P-glycoprotein mediated efflux is inhibited.     

Glucagon regulation of amino acid transport in hepatocytes: Effect of cell enucleation

Glucagon and cAMP analogs stimulate amino acid transport in freshly isolated hepatocytes by inducing the synthesis of new transport proteins. The role of the cell nucleus in the glucagon regulation of amino acid transport has been studied in rat hepatocytes enucleated by centrifugation through a discontinuous Ficoll gradient in the presence of cytochalasin B. Enucleated hepatocytes take up alpha-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB) through a Na⁺-dependent transport component with kinetic properties similar to those found in intact hepatocytes. Cytoplasts prepared from glucagon-stimulated cells retain the increase AIB transport induced by the hormone in the intact cells. The direct addition of glucagon to cytoplasts has no effect on AIB transport, in spite of the fact that the cytoplasts exhibit a higher capacity to bind glucagon than their nucleated counterparts. These data indicate that the nucleus is required for the glucagon stimulation of amino acid transport in isolated hepatocytes.     

Composite response of naive T cells to stimulation with the autologous lymphoblastoid cell line is mediated by CD4 cytotoxic T cell clones and includes an Epstein-Barr virus-specific component.

We have approached the challenge of generating a primary T cell response to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in vitro by stimulating naive T cells with the autologous EBV-transformed lymphoblastoid cell line (LCL), a rich source of EBV-associated cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) epitopes. Responsive T cells from three EBV-seronegative donors were cloned in agarose, phenotyped for T cell markers by flow cytometry, and their cytotoxic properties analyzed in the 51Cr release assay. Most clones (greater than 95%) expressed the CD4 phenotype and 59% of these clones showed cytotoxic properties. The dominant CTL response was specific for FCS-associated epitopes presented by FCS-grown autologous LCL target cells and was restricted by class II HLA antigens. Other clonal components included: (i) an EBV-specific response by HLA-restricted CD4 CTL clones that did not discriminate between A- and B-type EBV transformants; (ii) an EBV-specific response by an HLA-restricted CD4 CTL clone that discriminated between A- and B-type transformants, and (iii) a nonspecific cytotoxic response by CD3+,4+,8-, CD3+,4-,8-, and CD3-,4-,8- clones that were broadly allotypic or restricted to the lysis of K562 target cells. The EBV-specific CTL clones did not lyse the autologous EBV-negative B or T cell blasts and their specificity patterns of lysis were supported by the cold target competition data. These studies highlight the role of CD4 CTL in the establishment in vitro of a primary immune response to a human virus.     

Polyethylene-glycol-mediated cybrid formation: high-efficiency techniques and cybrid formation without enucleation.

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) can be used to promote the fusion of enucleated cytoplasts from chloramphenicol (CAP)-resistant mouse cells with intact cells, resulting in the formation of viable cybrids. The techniques are simple and highly efficient, yielding up to one viable cybrid per 20 intact cells fused. It also seems that PEG can be used to induce cybrid formation without the necessity of prior enucleation of the CAP-resistant cells.     

Requirement of cell nucleus for Sindbis virus replication in cultured Aedes albopictus cells.

The ability of Sindbis virus to grow in enucleated BHK-21 (vertebrate) and Aedes albopictus (invertebrate) cells was tested to determine the dependence of this virus upon nuclear function in these two phylogenetically unrelated hosts. Although both cell types could be demonstrated to produce viable cytoplasts (enucleated cells) which produced virus-specific antigen subsequent to infection. BHK cytoplasts produced a significant number of progeny virions, whereas mosquito cytoplasts did not. The production of vesicular stomatitis virus in mosquito cells was not significantly reduced by enucleation. That such a host function was not essential for vesicular stomatitis virus growth in insect cells is supported by the observation that the production of this virus by mosquito cells is not actinomycin D sensitive. This result agrees with a previously published report in which it was shown that Sindbis virus maturation in invertebrate cells is inhibited by actinomycin D, indicating a possible requirement for host cell nuclear function (Scheefers-Borchel et al., Virology, 110:292-301, 1981).     

Cisplatin induces endoplasmic reticulum stress and nucleus-independent apoptotic signaling

DNA damage is believed to be the main cause of the antiproliferative effect of cisplatin, a cornerstone agent in anticancer therapy. However, cisplatin can be expected to react also with nucleophiles other than DNA. Using enucleated cells (cytoplasts) we demonstrate here that cisplatin-induced apoptotic signaling may occur independently of DNA damage. Cisplatin-induced caspase-3 activation in cytoplasts required calcium and the activity of the calcium-dependent protease calpain. It is known that calpain activation may be associated with endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, suggesting that the ER is a cytosolic target of cisplatin. Consistent with this hypothesis, cisplatin induced calpain-dependent activation of the ER-specific caspase-12 in cytoplasts as well as in intact cells. Cisplatin also induced increased expression of Grp78/BiP, another marker of ER stress. By contrast, the DNA-damaging topoisomerase II inhibitor etoposide did not induce apoptotic signaling in cytoplasts nor ER stress in intact cells. We have thus identified a novel mechanism of action of cisplatin. The results have implications for the understanding of resistance mechanisms as well as the unique efficiency of this drug.     

Isolation of anucleate cells using a fluorescence activated cell sorter (FACS II)

Human fibroblasts or mouse teratocarcinoma cells were enucleated by density gradient centrifugation in the presence of cytochalasin B (CB). The resulting mixed population of nucleated and anucleate cells was further purified by flow sorting, using the dye Hoechst 33342 as a fluorescent label for the nucleated cells. The purity of the anucleate cells obtained with this technique was at least 99%, as was shown by histological staining of the sorted fractions. Sorted enucleated fibroblasts were shown to have an intact cell membrane as indicated by their ability to convert fluorescein diacetate into fluorescein and to accumulate this product. They were found to attach and spread when cultured and showed protein synthesis immediately after enucleation, evidenced by the incorporation of [³H]leucine. Sorted enucleated teratocarcinoma cells also had an intact cell membrane, but they did not attach when cultured.     

Separation of cytoplasts and whole cells using density gradients of renografin.

Cytoplasts prepared from L929 or Hepa-2 cells were separated from whole cells using density gradients of renografin. Using this technique, cytoplasts can be isolated from cell lines which cannot be routinely enucleated with an efficiency of 100%. The purified cytoplasts excluded the vital dye trypan blue and were utilized in nuclear transplantation experiments to reconstruct whole viable cells capable of division. In addition, the renografin gradient technique was used to separate the newly reconstructed cells from any contaminating "non-renucleated" cytoplasts. This will permit immediate biochemical characterization of cytoplasmic-nuclear hybrid cells without interference from contaminating cytoplasts.     

Genome-wide characterization of a viral cytotoxic T lymphocyte epitope repertoire

A genome-wide search using major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I binding and proteosome cleavage site algorithms identified 101 influenza A PR8 virus-derived peptides as potential epitopes for CD8+ T cell recognition in the H-2b mouse. Cytokine-based flow cytometry, ELISPOT, and cytotoxic T lymphocyte assays reveal that 16 are recognized by CD8+ T cells recovered directly ex vivo from infected animals, accounting for greater than 70% of CD8+ T cells recruited to lung after primary infection. Only six of the 22 highest affinity MHC class I binding peptides comprise cytotoxic T lymphocyte epitopes. The remaining non-immunogenic peptides have equivalent MHC affinity and MHC-peptide complex half-lives, eliciting T cell responses when given in adjuvant and with T cell receptor-ligand avidity comparable with their immunogenic counterparts. As revealed by a novel high sensitivity nanospray tandem mass spectrometry methodology, failure to process those predicted epitopes may contribute significantly to the absent response. These results have important implications for rationale design of CD8+ T cell vaccines.     

Cytochrome b, flavins, and ubiquinone-50 in enucleated human neutrophils (polymorphonuclear leukocyte cytoplasts)

Neutrophilic granulocytes contain an oxidase system in their plasma membrane that can be activated to generate superoxide radicals and hydrogen peroxide. Cytochrome b, flavoprotein, and ubiquinone-50 have been proposed as components of this oxidase system. These components have been quantitated, but the results are obscured by different isolation procedures for plasma membranes from resting and activated neutrophils. This problem has now been avoided by the use of enucleated neutrophils (polymorphonuclear leukocyte cytoplasts), which are almost completely devoid of intracellular structures but contain an intact, activatable oxidase system (Roos, D., Voetman, A.A., and Meerhof, L.J. (1983) J. Cell Biol. 97, 368-377). Membranes of resting and phorbol myristate acetate-stimulated cytoplasts contain equal amounts of cytochrome b (4 pmol/milliunit of alkaline phosphatase) and also equal amounts of noncovalently bound FAD (2 pmol/milliunit of alkaline phosphatase). These findings refute the hypothesis that incorporation of cytochrome b and/or a flavoprotein into the plasma membrane constitutes the mechanism of activation of the oxidase system. Ubiquinone-50 is present neither in intact neutrophils nor in cytoplasts, excluding a role for this compound in the generation of bactericidal oxygen species by neutrophils.     

Regulation of cellular immune response against autologous human melanoma. II. Mechanism of induction and specificity of suppression

The cytotoxic immune response in the peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) against an autologous malignant melanoma cell line, PJ-M, was found to be down-regulated in in vitro co-culture (IVC) selectively by unfractionated resident lymph node lymphocytes (derived from a lymph node infiltrated with the PJ-M melanoma cells) and T4+ as well as T8+ fractions of the resident lymph node-derived lymphocytes. In this study, the mechanism involved in, and the specificities of, cytotoxic immune response in this autologous system were examined at population and clonal levels. Resident lymph node lymphocytes were isolated from both involved and uninvolved lymph nodes from the same patient. Resident lymphocytes from both sources regulated the generation of cytotoxic immune response when both types of resident lymph node lymphocytes were further sensitized against the PJ-M cells in IVC and were expanded in interleukin 2 (IL 2). An IL 2-dependent homogeneous lymphocyte line (I-10:1) bearing the phenotype of a helper T cell (T4+) and a T4+ clone (I-10.3) of the I-10:1 line, established by limiting dilution culture, also down-regulated the generation of cytotoxic immune effector cells in the PBL in IVC against the PJ-M targets. The IL 2-dependent T4+ inducer line I-10:1 generated a functionally differentiated T8+ suppressor population(s) that, in turn, could abrogate cytotoxic response in fresh PBL in IVC against PJ-M cells. The inducer line I-10:1 and its subclone I-10.3 suppressed the generation of cytotoxic effector cells in the PBL in IVC selectively against the autologous PJ-M cells. Generation of cytotoxic allo-response in IVC was unaffected by the inducer lines. These results provide further evidence for the involvement of the regulatory network in cytotoxic immune response in an autologous human tumor system, and suggest a potential explanation for cytotoxic unresponsiveness against autologous melanoma cells.