Mitogen activation induces the enhanced synthesis of two heat-shock proteins in human lymphocytes

We have used mitogenic lectin (PHA) and a monoclonal antibody (OKT3) to stimulate human peripheral blood (G0) lymphocytes, in the presence of monocytes, and have found two major preferentially synthesized proteins, 73 and 95 kD, which are induced by the mitogens. The elevated synthesis of both proteins begins approximately 4-6 h after mitogen addition (early to mid G0/G1) before entry into first S phase. Maximum synthesis of both proteins is reached by 12 h after mitogen addition when P95 synthesis represents approximately 4%, and P73 approximately 2%, of the total protein synthesis, compared with less than 0.5% for each protein in cells cultured without mitogen. Thus, the proteins appear to be major components of activated cells. We find that both P73 and P95 are induced by heat stress as well as mitogenic stimulation. The induction of the proteins is not affected by either deleting glucose from the culture media or, alternatively, by supplementing it. Using polyclonal antibodies prepared to each of the proteins isolated from mitogen activated cells and monoclonal antibodies that were raised to heat shock proteins, we are able to show that P95 is electrophoretically and immunologically identical to the HSP 90 induced by heat stress. P73 is one of the 70 kD HSPs, (termed HSC 70; Pelham, H. R. B. 1986. Cell. 46: 959-961), but is different from the most strongly heat inducible form of HSP 70 (72 kD). The distribution of both proteins in subcellular fractions of mitogen activated lymphocytes is similar to the reported localization of the respective HSP's in other cell types. The results suggest that HSP 90 and HSC 70 may have functional roles in stress response and growth processes of human lymphocytes.     

Differential regulation of HSC70, HSP70, HSP90 alpha, and HSP90 beta mRNA expression by mitogen activation and heat shock in human lymphocytes

A subset of heat shock proteins, HSP90 alpha, HSP90 beta, and a member of the HSP70 family, HSC70, shows enhanced synthesis following mitogenic activation as well as heat shock in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. In this study, we have examined expression of mRNA for these proteins, including the major 70-kDa heat shock protein, HSP70, in mononuclear cells following either heat shock or mitogenic activation with phytohemagglutinin (PHA), ionomycin, and the phorbol ester, tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate. The results demonstrate that the kinetics of mRNA expression of these four genes generally parallel the kinetics of enhanced protein synthesis seen following either heat shock or mitogen activation and provide clear evidence that mitogen-induced synthesis of HSC70 and HSP90 is due to increased mRNA levels and not simply to enhanced translation of preexisting mRNA. Although most previous studies have focused on cell cycle regulation of HSP70 mRNA, we found that HSP70 mRNA was only slightly and transiently induced by PHA activation, while HSC70 is the predominant 70-kDa heat shock protein homologue induced by mitogens. Similarly, HSP90 alpha appears more inducible by heat shock than mitogens while the opposite is true for HSP90 beta. These results suggest that, although HSP70 and HSC70 have been shown to contain similar promoter regions, additional regulatory mechanisms which result in differential expression to a given stimulus must exist. They clearly demonstrate that human lymphocytes are an important model system for determining mechanisms for regulation of heat shock protein synthesis in unstressed cells. Finally, based on kinetics of mRNA expression, the results are consistent with the hypothesis that HSC70 and HSP90 gene expression are driven by an IL-2/IL-2 receptor-dependent pathway in human T cells.     

The Constitutive Heat Shock Protein-70 Is Required for Optimal Expression of Myelin Basic Protein During Differentiation of Oligodendrocytes

To further elucidate the role of the constitutive heat shock protein-70 (HSC70) as a chaperone for the synthesis of myelin basic protein (MBP), HSC70 content was decreased in oligodendrocyte precursor cells prior to MBP expression either by transfection with an antisense oligonucleotide specific for HSC70, or by exposure to low levels of quercetin, a bioflavonoid known to decrease synthesis of HSC70. As these cells underwent differentiation in vitro, antisense treatment decreased HSC70 levels to 66% of controls. At the same time, a sharp induction resulted in the stress-inducible heat shock protein-70 (HSP70). Levels of two other stress proteins increased as well, namely, the 25-kDa heat shock protein (HSP25) and the 78-kDa glucose regulated protein (GRP78). MBP synthesis proceeded over a normal time course, but at only 50% of control values. As HSC70 content returned to normal, MBP synthesis was also restored to normal levels. Quercetin reduced the expression of HSC70 to an even greater extent than transfection, and prevented the induction of HSP70. In contrast to antisense-treated cells, MBP synthesis was essentially blocked in quercetin-treated cells even though levels of HSP25 and GRP78 increased. Taken together, these observations (a) indicate that HSP70 partially compensates for decreased chaperoning of nascent MBP by HSC70 (HSC70 and HSP70 are closely related and perform similar functions); (b) preclude the involvement of HSP25 and GRP78 in MBP synthesis; and (c) emphasize the requirement of HSC70 for optimal synthesis of MBP.     

Differences in preferential synthesis and redistribution of HSP70 and HSP28 families by heat or sodium arsenite in Chinese hamster ovary cells

Since both heat and sodium arsenite induce thermotolerance, we investigated the differences in synthesis and redistribution of stress proteins induced by these agents in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Five major heat shock proteins (HSPs; Mr 110, 87, 70, 28, and 8.5 kDa) were preferentially synthesized after heat for 10 min at 45.5 degrees C, whereas four major HSPs (Mr 110, 87, 70, and 28 kDa) and one stress protein (33.3 kDa) were preferentially synthesized after treatment with 100 microM sodium arsenite (ARS) for 1 hr. Two HSP families (HSP70a,b,c, and HSP28a,b,c) preferentially relocalized in the nucleus after heat shock. In contrast, only HSP70b redistributed into the nucleus after ARS treatment. Furthermore, the kinetics of synthesis of each member of HSP70 and HSP28 families and their redistribution were different after these treatments. The maximum rates of synthesis of HSP70 and HSP28 families, except HSP28c, were 6-9 hr after heat shock, whereas those of HSP70b and HSP28b,c were 0-2 hr after ARS treatment. In addition, the maximum rates of redistribution of HSP70 and HSP28 families occurred 3-6 hr after heat shock, whereas that of HSP70b occurred immediately after ARS treatment. The degree of redistribution of HSP70b after ARS treatment was significantly less than that after heat treatment. These results suggest that heat treatment but not sodium arsenite treatment stimulates the entry of HSP70 and HSP28 families into the nucleus.     

Stress-induced release of HSC70 from human tumors

In this study, we demonstrate that the pro-inflammatory cytokine interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) induces the active release of the constitutive form of the 70-kDa heat shock protein (HSC70) from K562 erythroleukemic cells. Treatment of K562 cells with IFN-gamma induced the upregulation of the inducible form of the 70-kDa heat shock protein (HSP70), but not the constitutive form of HSC70 within the cytosol, in a proteasome-dependent manner. In addition, IFN-gamma induced the downregulation of surface-bound HSC70, but did not significantly alter surface-bound HSP70 expression. These findings indicate that HSC70 can be actively released from tumor cells and is indicative of a previously unknown mechanism by which immune modulators stimulate the release of intracellular HSC70. This mechanism may account for the potent chaperokine activity of heat shock proteins recently observed during heat shock protein-based immunotherapy against a variety of cancers.     

Human 60-kDa heat shock protein is a target autoantigen of T cells derived from atherosclerotic plaques

Epidemiological studies suggest the potential importance of an inflammatory component in atherosclerosis and support the hypothesis that immune responses to Ags of pathogens cross-react with homologous host proteins due to molecular mimicry. Protein candidates involved may be the stress-induced proteins known as heat shock proteins (HSP). In this study, we report that atherosclerotic plaques harbor in vivo-activated CD4(+) T cells that recognize the human 60-kDa HSP. Such in vivo-activated 60-kDa HSP-specific T cells are not detectable in the peripheral blood. In patients with positive serology and PCR for Chlamydia pneumoniae DNA, but not in patients negative for both, most of plaque-derived T cells specific for human 60-kDa HSP also recognized the C. pneumoniae 60-kDa HSP. We characterized the submolecular specificity of such 60-kDa HSP-specific plaque-derived T cells and identified both the self- and cross-reactive epitopes of that autoantigen. On challenge with human 60-kDa HSP, most of the plaque-derived T cells expressed Th type 1 functions, including cytotoxicity and help for monocyte tissue factor production. We suggest that arterial endothelial cells, undergoing classical atherosclerosis risk factors and conditioned by Th type 1 cytokines, express self 60-kDa HSP, which becomes target for both autoreactive T cells and cross-reactive T cells to microbial 60-kDa HSP via a mechanism of molecular mimicry. This hypothesis is in agreement with the notion that immunization with HSP exacerbates atherosclerosis, whereas immunosuppression and T cell depletion prevent the formation of arteriosclerotic lesions in experimental animals.     

Altered synthesis of the 26-kDa heat stress protein family and thermotolerance in cell lines with elevated levels of calcium-binding proteins

Using a bovine papilloma virus-based vector, mouse mammary adenocarcinoma cells have been transformed to express elevated amounts of functional calmodulin (CaM) (Rasmussen and Means, 1987) and another Ca2(+)-binding protein, parvalbumin (PV) (Rasmussen and Means, 1989) that is not normally synthesized in these cells. Parental cells (C127) and cells transformed by the vector alone (BPV-1), the vector containing a CaM gene (CM-1), or the vector containing parvalbumin (PV-1) were used to study the effect of increased synthesis of Ca2(+)-binding proteins on heat-stress protein (HSP) synthesis and cell survival following heating at 43 degrees C. The induction, stability, and repression of the synthesis of most HSPs after 43 degrees C heating was not significantly affected by increased amounts of Ca2(+)-binding proteins, but the rate of synthesis of all three isoforms of the 26-kDa HSP (HSP26) was greatly reduced. C127 cells, which have about one half as much CaM as do BPV-1 cells, synthesized the most HSP26. CM-1 cells, which have more than fourfold higher levels of CaM than do BPV-1 cells, had a rate of synthesis of HSP26 approaching that of unheated cells. BPV-1 cells, with a two-fold increase in CaM, were intermediate in HSP26 synthesis. This effect on HSP26 synthesis may be largely related to the Ca2(+)-binding capacity of CaM rather than to a specific CaM-regulated function, since PV-1 cells also showed reduced rates of HSP26 synthesis. Survival experiments showed that reduced HSP26 synthesis in cells with increased amounts of Ca2(+)-binding proteins did not significantly alter intrinsic resistance to continuous 43 degrees C heating. Thermotolerance was not reduced and appeared to develop more rapidly in CM-1 and PV-1 cells. These results suggest that (1) the signal for HSP26 synthesis can be largely abrogated by elevated Ca2+ binding protein levels, and (2) if these HSPs are involved in thermotolerance development, that function may be associated with intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis.     

Tunicamycin inhibits the initiation of DNA synthesis stimulated by prostaglandin F2 alpha in Swiss mouse 3T3 cells

Tunicamycin, an inhibitor of the asparagine-linked protein N-glycosylation, blocks the initiation of DNA synthesis in Swiss 3T3 cells stimulated by prostaglandin F2 alpha alone or with insulin. This effect is exerted only when tunicamycin is added from 0 to 8 h after stimulation and it decreases the rate of entry into S phase. Blocking of labeled sugar incorporation to proteins occurs regardless of the time of PGF2 alpha stimulation. In contrast tunicamycin does not inhibit protein synthesis. These results suggest that N-glycoprotein synthesis early during the prereplicative phase is an important event controlling the mitogenic action of PGF2 alpha.     

Secretion of the heat shock proteins HSP70 and HSC70 by baby hamster kidney (BHK‐21) cells

The HSPs (heat‐shock proteins) of the 70‐kDa family, the constitutively expressed HSC70 (cognate 70‐kDa heat‐shock protein) and the stress‐inducible HSP70 (stress‐inducible 70‐kDa heat‐shock protein), have been reported to be actively secreted by various cell types. The mechanisms of the release of these HSPs are obscure, since they possess no consensus secretory signal sequence. We showed that baby hamster kidney (BHK‐21) cells released HSP70 and HSC70 in a serum‐free medium and that this process was the result of an active secretion of HSPs rather than the non‐specific release of the proteins due to cell death. It was found that the secretion of HSP70 and HSC70 is independent of de novo protein synthesis. BFA (Brefeldin A) did not inhibit the basal secretion of HSPs, indicating that the secretion of HSP70 and HSC70 from cells occurs by a non‐classical pathway. Exosomes did not contribute to the secretion of HSP70 and HSC70 by cells. MBC (methyl‐β‐cyclodextrin), a substance that disrupts the lipid raft organization, considerably reduced the secretion of both HSPs, indicating that lipid rafts are involved in the secretion of HSP70 and HSC70 by BHK‐21 cells. The results suggest that HSP70 and HSC70 are actively secreted by BHK‐21 cells in a serum‐free medium through a non‐classical pathway in which lipid rafts play an important role.     

Human HSP27 is phosphorylated at serines 78 and 82 by heat shock and mitogen-activated kinases that recognize the same amino acid motif as S6 kinase II.

The intracellular concentration of the 27-kDa mammalian heat shock protein, HSP27, increases several-fold after heat and other metabolic stresses and is closely associated with the acquisition of thermotolerance. Posttranslational modifications may also affect the function of HSP27. Heat shock of HeLa cell cultures, or treatment with arsenite, phorbol ester, or tumor necrosis factor, caused a rapid phosphorylation of preexisting HSP27 and the appearance of three phosphorylated isoforms, HSP27 B, C, and D. Digestion with trypsin and fractionation of the peptides by reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography revealed three 32P-labeled phosphopeptides. Microsequence analysis identified peak I as Ala76-Leu77-Ser78-Arg79 and peak II as Gln80-Leu81-Ser82-Ser83-Gly84-Val85- Ser86-Glu87-Ile88-Arg89; peak III contained the undigested peptide pair Ala76-Arg89. Ser82 was the major site and Ser78 the minor site of phosphorylation. Mutant proteins with Ser78 or Ser82 altered to glycine or Ser78-Ser82 double mutants were phosphorylated to reduced extents in vivo after heat or arsenite treatment. Ser78 and Ser82 (and Ser15) occur in the sequence motif RXXS, which is recognized by ribosomal protein S6 kinase II. Mitogenic stimulation of serum-deprived, Go-arrested Chinese hamster cells with serum, thrombin, or fibroblast growth factor also stimulated phosphorylation of HSP27 Ser78 and Ser82, and mitogenic stimulation and heat shock activated protein kinase activities that phosphorylated HSP27 and protein S6 in vitro. These results suggest that HSP27 may exert phosphorylation-activated functions linked with growth signaling pathways in unstressed cells. A homeostatic function at this level could protect cells from adverse effects of signal transduction systems which may be activated inappropriately during stress.     

GTP gamma S inhibits early c-myc protein accumulation but not DNA synthesis in Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts

Quiescent Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts stimulated with epidermal growth factor and insulin showed large transient increases in c-myc mRNA and c-myc protein accumulation which were maximal at about 2 h after addition of the co-mitogens. When the cells were loaded with 0.1 mM of guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (GTP gamma S) by transient permeabilisation immediately before mitogenic stimulation, the increase in c-myc mRNA was similar to that observed in unloaded cells but the corresponding c-myc protein peak was reduced by at least 95%. The GTP gamma S completely blocked incorporation of [35S]methionine into cell proteins for 3-4 h after addition of the mitogens, but not thereafter, and caused a delay in the subsequent onset of DNA synthesis by the same period. The data show that less than 5% of the early increase in c-myc protein normally observed after mitogenic stimulation is required for its obligatory role in the progression of cells to S phase implied by other evidence.     

Developmental changes of heat-shock proteins in porcine testis by a proteomic analysis

Heat-shock proteins (HSPs) are important in spermatogenesis. This study investigated developmental changes in the expression of major HSPs in porcine testis. The testis from five immature (mean age 2.9+/-0.1 months) and five mature boars (35.7+/-14.0 months) were examined. Two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was conducted and proteins were identified by Western blotting and/or matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry. Moreover, the 90, 70, and 60 kDa HSPs, 70 kDa heat-shock cognate protein (HSC 70), tubulin, and actin were quantified on two-dimensional gels. Protein spots were quantified by densitometry, combined with a computer-assisted image analysis system. Immunohistochemistry was performed to analyze the expression pattern of major HSPs and beta-tubulin in testis. One isoform of HSP 90 (HSP 90 alpha), two isoforms of HSC 70 (HSC 70a and HSC 70c), one isoform of HSP70 (HSP 70e), and tubulin increased after sexual maturation (P<0.05). A testis-specific HSP70 (P70t) was markedly increased in the testes of sexually mature boars. Meanwhile, levels of actin and some isoforms of HSPs including 60 kDa HSP remained similar in both groups. These observations were further confirmed by immunohistochemistry; therefore, the upregulation of protein expression in the adult testis could be attributed to a higher level of protein expression and the number of cells that were HSPs-positive already resided in the immature testis. The differential expression of major HSPs suggested that they may be important in porcine spermatogenesis.     

Gangliosides Inhibit Platelet-Derived Growth Factor-Stimulated Receptor Dimerization in Human Glioma U-1242MG and Swiss 3T3 Cells

Abstract: We previously showed that gangliosides inhibit DNA synthesis in Swiss 3T3 cells stimulated with platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) in a dose-responsive manner. This correlated with the inhibitory effects of several gangliosides (except GM3) on tyrosine phosphorylation of the PDGF receptor (PDGFR). [³⁵S]Methionine-labeled Swiss 3T3 cells were incubated either with or without gangliosides and stimulated with PDGF, and proteins were cross-linked with bis(sulfosuccinimidyl) suberate. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed that two protein bands (170 and 350 kDa) were specifically immunoprecipitated with an anti-PDGFR antibody. Using both Swiss 3T3 and human glioma U-1242MG cells, western blots with anti-PDGFR and anti-phosphotyrosine antibodies confirmed that these bands were the PDGFR monomer and dimer, respectively, and that phosphotyrosine was present in these bands only after cells were stimulated with PDGF. Of the gangliosides tested, GM1, GM2, GD1a, GD1b, GD3, and GT1b, but not GM3, inhibited the formation of the 350-kDa band. These results demonstrate that all gangliosides tested, except GM3, probably inhibit PDGF-mediated growth by preventing dimerization of PDGFR monomers. Loss of more complex gangliosides in human gliomas would permit unregulated activation of the PDGFR, contributing to uncontrolled growth stimulation. We propose that ganglioside inhibition of receptor dimerization is a novel mechanism for regulating and coordinating several trophic factor-mediated cell functions.     

Tyrosine phosphorylation of a common 57-kDa protein in growth factor-stimulated and -transformed cells.

Protein tyrosine phosphorylation was studied in macrophages and fibroblasts to identify putative components of post-receptor mitogenic pathways that might be functionally conserved in different cell types. Nondenaturing conditions were established for the approximately quantitative recovery of anti-phosphotyrosine antibody (alpha PY)-reactive proteins from cells. A common, 57-kDa alpha PY-reactive protein was identified by V8 protease peptide mapping in colony-stimulating factor-1 (CSF-1)- or granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)-stimulated BAC1.2F5 macrophages, in platelet-derived growth factor-stimulated NIH-3T3 cells, and in CSF-1-stimulated NIH-3T3 cells expressing the c-fms/CSF-1 receptor. The 57-kDa protein was phosphorylated on serine and tyrosine and was the only alpha PY-reactive protein band whose phosphorylation was reproducibly increased in GM-CSF-stimulated cells. The effect of the growth factors on the tyrosine phosphorylation of the 57-kDa protein could be mimicked by treatment of the cells with orthovanadate, a phosphotyrosine protein phosphatase inhibitor. In the absence of growth factors, tyrosine phosphorylation of the 57-kDa protein was higher in v-fms or c-fms (F969, S301)-transformed NIH-3T3 cells than in untransformed NIH-3T3 (c-fms) and NIH-3T3 (c-fms, F969) cells. These data indicate that the 57-kDa protein is a common target for growth factor-stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation and potentially important for growth factor mitogenic signaling.     

Increase of thermoresistance after growth stimulation of resting Reuber H35 hepatoma cells : Alteration of nuclear characteristics, non-histone chromosomal protein phosphorylation and basal heat shock protein synthesis

In this paper we demonstrate an increase in thermoresistance of resting Reuber H35 cells upon growth stimulation by serum-containing medium: late G1/early S-phase cells were thermoresistant as compared with G0 phase cells. Increase of thermoresistance during early cell cycle runs parallel with increased tolerance of structural and molecular properties of the cell nucleus. Nuclear shape and chromatin structuring became thermotolerant as determined by geometric and densitometric analysis of Feulgen-stained nuclei. Moreover, increased tolerance was demonstrated by means of the capability for endogenous phosphorylation of isolated non-histone chromosomal proteins (NHCPs). We discuss the molecular basis for this increased thermoresistance after growth stimulation and make a comparison with induction of 'acquired thermotolerance' such as has been observed in studies on fractionated hyperthermia. Both after growth stimulation and after heat shock, an increase of endogenous phosphorylation capacity of isolated NHCPs was observed, while a main enhancement of phosphorylation was found for a NHCP of Mr 95,000. Moreover, the basal synthesis of proteins inducible by heat shock (heat shock proteins) and indicated as HSP65, HSP68 and HSP84 was enhanced in thermoresistant late G1/early S phase cells as compared with thermo-sensitive G0 phase cells. A role for chromatin structuring, NHCP phosphorylation and HSPs in the regulation of thermosensitivity and cell cycling is discussed.     

Protein synthesis during the transition from the resting to the growing state in suspension cultures of Paul's Scarlet rose cells

Cells derived from Paul's Scarlet rose ( Rosa sp. ) were grown in the chemically defined medium of Nesius. When a stationary phase culture was diluted with fresh medium, growth was initiated after a pronounced lag period. DNA replication, as revealed by thymidine labeling and autoradiography, did not begin until 36 h, and mitotic figures were not observed until 48 h after dilution. A 10–15 fold increase in the rate of protein synthesis occurred during the lag period. This was brought about by a 3.5 fold increase in the amount of ribosomal RNA per cell, plus a doubling of both the percentage of ribosomes that are present as polyribosomes and the average number of ribosomes per polyribosome. The spectrum of polypeptides synthesized by these cells during the lag and early log periods of growth was examined. Polyribosomes were extracted from the cells at intervals preceding and accompanying the initiation of proliferative growth. The polyribosomes were translated in a wheat germ cell-free protein synthesizing system and the ³⁵S-methionine-labeled translation products were separated on polyacrylamide slab gels and by 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Comparatively few differences were observed between stationary phase, lag phase and log phase cells in terms of the spectrum of polypeptides synthesized in vitro. However, these various phases of the growth cycle could be characterized by a relatively high rate of synthesis of a few specific polypeptides. That is, while most proteins are synthesized throughout the growth cycle and even in non-growing cells at approximately the same relative rates, there are a few variable proteins whose synthesis marks a particular phase of the growth cycle.     

Epidermal growth factor stimulates tyrosine phosphorylation of specific proteins in permeabilized human fibroblasts

We have investigated the epidermal growth factor (EGF)-stimulated tyrosine-specific protein kinase activity in quiescent cultures of diploid human fibroblasts that have a well characterized mitogenic response to EGF. We developed a method of permeabilizing cells with digitonin or other agents that permitted the rapid labeling of cellular proteins with exogenously added [gamma-32P]ATP while allowing only about 25% of marker cytosolic enzymes to escape from the cells. When phosphatases were inhibited with zinc and vanadate, EGF induced up to 8-fold stimulation of the incorporation of radioactivity from [gamma-32P]ATP into a 35-kDa band on sodium dodecyl sulfate gels. Alkali treatment of gels showed that EGF stimulated the phosphorylation of bands with apparent molecular masses of 170, 45, 35, 26, 22, and 21 kDa. Phosphoamino acid analysis was performed on the 170- and 35-kDa bands and revealed that the EGF-stimulated phosphorylation was on tyrosyl residues. The 35-kDa band was resolved into four spots by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. The most acidic form was the most prominent and it was precipitated by an antiserum against a 35-kDa protein from A-431 cells; heretofore, this protein has only been reported to be phosphorylated in an EGF-dependent manner by A-431 membranes in vitro (Fava, R. A., and Cohen, S. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 2636-2645). This antiserum also precipitated a 35-kDa phospho-protein from extracts of intact [32P]orthophosphate-labeled fibroblasts which was phosphorylated on tyrosine in an EGF-dependent manner. None of the forms of the 35-kDa phosphoproteins labeled in permeabilized cells were immunologically related to the 34-kDa protein that is a substrate for the tyrosyl kinase encoded by Rous sarcoma virus. Other mitogens (serum, insulin, platelet-derived growth factor, and thrombin) did not detectably stimulate phosphorylation in permeabilized cells.     

Altered expression of heat shock proteins in embryonal carcinoma and mouse early embryonic cells.

In a previous paper, we have shown that in the absence of stress, mouse embryonal carcinoma cells, like mouse early embryo multipotent cells, synthesize high levels of 89- and 70-kilodalton heat shock proteins (HSP)(O. Bensaude and M. Morange, EMBO J. 2:173-177, 1983). We report here the pattern of proteins synthesized after a short period of hyperthermia in various mouse embryonal carcinoma cell lines and early mouse embryo cells. Among the various cell lines tested, two of them, PCC4-Aza R1 and PCC7-S-1009, showed an unusual response in that stimulation of HSP synthesis was not observed in these cells after hyperthermia. However, inducibility of 68- and 105-kilodalton HSP can be restored in PCC7-S-1009 cells after in vitro differentiation triggered by retinoic acid. Similarly, in the early mouse embryo, hyperthermia does not induce the synthesis of nonconstitutive HSP at the eight-cell stage, but induction of the 68-kilodalton HSP does occur at the blastocyst stage. Such a transition in the expression of HSP has already been described for Drosophila melanogaster and sea urchin embryos and recently for mouse embryos. It may be a general property of early embryonic cells.