Werner''s syndrome: proliferation in vitro of clones of cells bearing chromosome translocations.

Each of several cultures of Werner's syndrome (WS) fibroblasts and lymphoblasts examined was found to be composed of one or several clones of cells with mutated chromosome complements. Two "sister" fibroblasts cell lines (FCLs) that were derived from a mixture of explants cut from the same WS skin biopsy were found to have completely different rearranged chromosome complements. Daily observation of the skin explants from which these two sister FCLs were derived revealed not only that no more than a few fibroblasts ever migrated from a given explant but also that fibroblasts migrated from only a few of the explants. Two of three lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs), each probably developed as an independent clone from a different cell from the same WS blood sample, were mosaic, comprised of cells having both normal and rearranged chromosome complements. The third LCL studied, although nonmosaic, had a rearranged chromosome complement, but one that was completely different from those in the other two lines. Based on the observations described, hypotheses have been formulated to explain both the preponderance in long-term WS cultures of clones with mutated chromosome complements and the abbreviated lifespan characteristic of WS fibroblast cultures.     

Chromosomal instability in B-lymphoblasotoid cell lines from Werner and Bloom syndrome patients

Werner’s syndrome (WS) and Bloom’s syndrome (BS) are rare autosomal genetic diseases that predispose to cancer and are associated with genomic instability. To characterize the genomic instability of WS and BS, we analyzed and compared the cytogenetics of B-lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) from WS and BS patients and healthy donors. Although, similar spontaneous frequencies of micronuclei (MN) and sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) were observed in LCLs from WS patients and healthy donors, they were much higher in BS-LCLs. We also examined the cells’ cytotoxic and cytogenetic formation (MN) response to camptothecin (CAM), etoposide (ETO), 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4NQO), and mitomycin C (MMC). Compared to healthy donor LCLs, BS-LCLs but not WS-LCLs tended to be resistant to cytotoxicity and sensitive to MN induction by 4NQO and MMC. Spectrum karyotyping analysis revealed that most WS- and BS-LCLs generated “variegated translocation mosaicism” at high frequencies during cell culture. These findings support the idea that the basis of genomic instability in WS is different from that in BS.     

In vitro establishment of tumorigenic human B-lymphoblastoid cell lines transformed by Epstein-Barr virus

We studied tumorigenic and phenotypic characteristics of pre- and postimmortal human B-lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) transformed by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV): preimmortal LCLs showed low telomerase activity and a normal diploid karyotype while postimmortal LCLs showed much higher telomerase activity and maintained a clonal aneuploidic state. Among five postimmortal LCLs tested, LCLs N0005 and N6803 formed colonies in agar medium and showed marked aneuploidy, and N6803 was transplantable into nude mice indicating that it had a complete malignant phenotype, but all preimmortal LCLs and the remaining three postimmortal LCLs lacked these characteristics. The products of tumor suppresser genes, p16(INK4A) and pRb, were downregulated in these two LCLs, and the p53 gene was mutated in N0005 LCL. We believe these results showed for the first time that some postimmortal EBV-transformed LCLs can become tumorigenic, contrary to previous reports, and that these LCLs provide an in vitro model of tumorigenesis induced by EBV.     

CD19 signalling improves the Epstein-Barr virus-induced immortalization of human B cell

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection in vitro immortalizes primary B cells and generates B lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs). These EBV-LCLs have been used for several purposes in immunological and genetic studies, but some trials involving these transformations fail for unknown reasons, and several EBV-LCLs do not grow in normal culture. In this study, we improved the immortalization method by CD19 and B-cell receptor (BCR) co-ligation. This method shortens the time required for the immortalization and generation of EBV-LCLs but does not alter the cell phenotype of the LCLs nor the expression of the EBV genes. In particular, the CD19 and BCR co-ligation method was found to be the most effective method examined. EBV-infected B cells induced by CD19 and/or BCR ligation expressed the intracellular latent membrane protein LMP-1 earlier than EBV-infected B cells, and the expression of intracellular LMP-1 was found to be closely related to the time of immortalization. These results suggest that the modified method, using CD19 and/or BCR ligation, may efficiently generate EBV-LCLs, by expressing intracellular LMP-1 at an early stage.     

The Werner syndrome gene: the molecular basis of RecQ helicase-deficiency diseases

Werner syndrome (WS) is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder that is manifested by genetic instability and premature onset of age-related diseases, including atherosclerosis and cancer. The gene that is mutated in WS cells (WRN) has been identified recently. Characterizations of the WRN gene product indicate that WRN encodes both a 3'-->5' DNA helicase, belonging to the Escherichiacoli RecQ helicase family, and a 3'-->5' DNA exonuclease. Studies to define the molecular mechanism of WRN-DNA transactions are currently underway in many laboratories. Preliminary results indicate that WRN functions as a key factor in resolving aberrant DNA structures that arise from DNA metabolic processes such as replication, recombination and/or repair, to preserve the genetic integrity in cells.     

Sustained viral activity of epstein-Barr virus contributes to cellular immortalization of lymphoblastoid cell lines

EBV-transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) are used as a resource for human genetic, immunological, and pharmacogenomic studies. We investigated the biological activity of 20 LCL strains during continuous long-term subculture up to a passage number of 160. Out of 20 LCL strains, 17 proliferated up to a passage number of 160, at which point LCLs are generally considered as “immortalized”. The other three LCL strains lost the ability to proliferate at an average passage number of 41, during which these LCLs may have undergone cellular crisis. These non-immortal LCL strains exhibited no telomerase activity, decreased EBV gene expression, and a lower copy number of the EBV genome and mitochondrial DNA when compared with immortal LCLs. Thus, this study suggests that sustained EBV viral activity as well as telomerase activity may be required for complete LCL immortalization. These authors contributed equally to this work.     

Werner's syndrome cell lines are hypersensitive to camptothecin-induced chromosomal damage

Werner's syndrome (WS) is a recessive human genetic disorder associated with an elevated incidence of many types of cancer. The WS gene product, WRNp, belongs to the RecQ family of DNA helicases and is required for the maintenance of genomic stability in human cells. A possible interaction between helicases and topoisomerases that could co-operate in many aspects of DNA metabolism such as progression of the replication forks, recombination and repair has been recently suggested. In addition, sgs1 gene product in yeast, homologous to WS gene, has been shown to physically interact with topoisomerase types I and II. Earlier data from our laboratory suggested that WRN helicase might play a role in a G2 recombinational pathway of double strand breaks (DSBs) repair, co-operating with topoisomerase II. In this work, the effect of the topoisomerase I inhibitor camptothecin in WS cells has been investigated at the chromosomal level.The data from the present work suggest that the inhibition of topoisomerase I activity by camptothecin results in a higher induction of chromosomal damage in WS cell lines in the G2-phase and in the S-phase of the cell cycle compared to normal cells, perhaps associated with the defects in DNA replication synthesis.     

Reprogramming LCLs to iPSCs Results in Recovery of Donor-Specific Gene Expression Signature

Renewable in vitro cell cultures, such as lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs), have facilitated studies that contributed to our understanding of genetic influence on human traits. However, the degree to which cell lines faithfully maintain differences in donor-specific phenotypes is still debated. We have previously reported that standard cell line maintenance practice results in a loss of donor-specific gene expression signatures in LCLs. An alternative to the LCL model is the induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) system, which carries the potential to model tissue-specific physiology through the use of differentiation protocols. Still, existing LCL banks represent an important source of starting material for iPSC generation, and it is possible that the disruptions in gene regulation associated with long-term LCL maintenance could persist through the reprogramming process. To address this concern, we studied the effect of reprogramming mature LCL cultures from six unrelated donors to iPSCs on the ensuing gene expression patterns within and between individuals. We show that the reprogramming process results in a recovery of donor-specific gene regulatory signatures, increasing the number of genes with a detectable donor effect by an order of magnitude. The proportion of variation in gene expression statistically attributed to donor increases from 6.9% in LCLs to 24.5% in iPSCs (P < 10^-15). Since environmental contributions are unlikely to be a source of individual variation in our system of highly passaged cultured cell lines, our observations suggest that the effect of genotype on gene regulation is more pronounced in iPSCs than in LCLs. Our findings indicate that iPSCs can be a powerful model system for studies of phenotypic variation across individuals in general, and the genetic association with variation in gene regulation in particular. We further conclude that LCLs are an appropriate starting material for iPSC generation.     

Epstein-Barr virus efficiently immortalizes human B cells without neutralizing the function of p53.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) efficiently converts resting human B cells into actively cycling, immortal, lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs). Here we show that LCLs expressing the full complement of latent viral genes are very sensitive to DNA-damaging agents such as cisplatin. The response includes a rapid accumulation of the tumour suppressor protein p53 and induction of the cellular genes mdm2 and WAF1/p21. Although the levels of Bcl2 protein and Bax mRNA appear unaltered by the activation of p53, within 24 h the majority of cells undergo apoptosis. Over-expression of wild-type p53 in an LCL also resulted in apoptosis; this was preceded by the dephosphorylation of the retinoblastoma gene product, pRb. Primary resting B cells showed no response to cisplatin and even after drug treatment, p53 remained undetectable. However, after infection with EBV, p53 gene expression was induced to a similar level to that found in mitogen-activated B cells. When the physiologically activated primary B cells were exposed to cisplatin, although p53 accumulated as in LCLs, the outcome was growth-arrest rather than gross cell death. We conclude that, in contrast to the transformation of fibroblasts by adenovirus, SV40 or HPV, when B cells become activated and immortalized by EBV they are sensitized to the p53-mediated damage response. When the resulting LCLs are treated with genotoxic agents such as cisplatin, they are unable to arrest like normal cells because they are driven to proliferate by EBV and consequently undergo apoptosis.     

Hypothesis: Werner syndrome and biological ageing: A molecular genetic hypothesis

Werner syndrome (WS) is an inherited disorder that produces somatic stunting, premature ageing and early onset of degenerative and neoplastic diseases. Cultured fibroblasts derived from subjects with WS are found to undergo premature replicative senescence and thus provide a cellular model system to study the disorder. Recently, several overexpressed gene sequences isolated from a WS fibroblast cDNA library have been shown to possess the capacity to inhibit DNA synthesis and disrupt many normal biochemical processes. Because a similar constellation of genes is overexpressed in WS and senescent normal fibroblasts, these data suggest the existence of a common molecular genetic pathway for replicative senescence in both types of cell. We propose that the primary defect in WS is a mutation in a gene for a trans-acting repressor protein that reduces its binding affinity for shared regulatory regions of several genes, including those that encode inhibitors of DNA synthesis (IDS). The mutant WS repressor triggers a sequence of premature expression of IDS and other genes, with resulting inhibition of DNA synthesis and early cellular senescence, events which occur much later in normal cells.     

Werner syndrome lymphoblastoid cells are sensitive to camptothecin-induced apoptosis in S-phase

Werner Syndrome (WRN) is an autosomal recessive disorder showing an endogenous mutator phenotype in combination with an elevated risk of predominantly mesenchymal cancer. The gene mutated in WRN patients codes for 3’→5’ DNA helicase and 3’→5’ exonuclease activities. We have found similar S-phase arrest in both WRN and control cells after treatment with the DNA-topoisomerase-I-trapping drug camptothecin; this may be responsible for the drug-exposure-related growth inhibition seen in both cell types. A clearer phenotypic difference between WRN and control immortalized B-cell lines (LCLs) is obtained by examining cell death. The mechanism of camptothecin-induced cell death in WRN-deficient LCLs appears to be through apoptosis, a phenotype that strongly differentiates WRN-deficient from wild-type LCLs. We hypothesize that, in cells deficient for WRN function, a topoisomerase-I-DNA intermediate persists. Conflict with DNA replication may lead to apoptosis, increased mutation rates, and cancer in WRN. Received: 23 September 1998 / Accepted: 26 October 1998     

Comprehensive DNA methylation analysis of human peripheral blood leukocytes and lymphoblastoid cell lines

DNA methylation is involved in development and in human diseases. Genomic DNA derived from lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) is commonly used to study DNA methylation. There are potential confounding factors regarding the use of LCL-derived DNA, however, such as Epstein-Barr (EB) viral infection and artifacts induced during cell culture. Recently, several groups compared the DNA methylation status of peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) and LCLs and concluded that the DNA methylation profiles between them might be consistent. To confirm and extend theses results, we performed a comprehensive DNA methylation analysis using both PBLs and LCLs derived from the same individuals. Using the luminometric methylation assay, we revealed that the global DNA methylation level was different between PBLs and LCLs. Furthermore, the direction of change was not consistent. Comparisons of genome-wide DNA methylation patterns of promoter regions revealed that methylation profiles were largely conserved between PBLs and LCLs. A preliminary analysis in a small number of samples suggested that the methylation status of an LCL may be better correlated with PBLs from the same individual than with LCLs from other individuals. Expectedly, DNA methylation in promoter regions overlapping with CpG islands was associated with gene silencing in both PBLs and LCLs. With regard to methylation differences, we found that hypermethylation was more predominant than hypomethylation in LCLs compared with PBLs. These findings suggest that LCLs should be used for DNA methylation studies with caution as the methylation patterns of promoter regions in LCLs are not always the same as those in PBLs.Key words: DNA methylation, lymphoblastoid cell lines, peripheral blood leukocytes, LUMA, promoter tiling array, gene expression     

Epstein-Barr virus recombinants with specifically mutated BCRF1 genes.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) recombinants with specifically mutated BCRF1 genes were constructed and compared with wild-type BCRF1 recombinants derived in parallel for the ability to initiate and maintain latent infection and growth transformation in primary human B lymphocytes. A stop codon insertion after codon 116 of the 170-codon BCRF1 open reading frame or deletion of the entire gene had no effect on latent infection, B-lymphocyte proliferation into long-term lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs), or virus replication. LCLs infected with the stop codon recombinant were indistinguishable from wild-type recombinant-infected LCLs in tumorigenicity in SCID mice. However, mutant BCRF1 recombinant-infected cells differed from wild-type recombinant-infected cells in their inability to block gamma interferon release in cultures of permissively infected LCLs incubated with autologous human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. This is the first functional assay for BCRF1 expression from the EBV genome. BCRF1 probably plays a key role in modulating the specific and nonspecific host responses to EBV infection.     

Host Genetic Variants and Gene Expression Patterns Associated with Epstein-Barr Virus Copy Number in Lymphoblastoid Cell Lines

Lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) are commonly used in molecular genetics, supplying DNA for the HapMap and 1000 Genomes Projects, used to test chemotherapeutic agents, and informing the basis of a number of population genetics studies of gene expression. The process of transforming human B cells into LCLs requires the presence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a double-stranded DNA virus which through B-cell immortalisation maintains an episomal virus genome in every cell of an LCL at variable copy numbers. Previous studies have reported that EBV alters host-gene expression and EBV copy number may be under host genetic control. We performed a genome-wide association study of EBV genome copy number in LCLs and found the phenotype to be highly heritable, although no individual SNPs achieved a significant association with EBV copy number. The expression of two host genes (CXCL16 and AGL) was positively correlated and expression of ADARB2 was negatively correlated with EBV copy number in a genotype-independent manner. This study shows an association between EBV copy number and the gene expression profile of LCLs, and suggests that EBV copy number should be considered as a covariate in future studies of host gene expression in LCLs.     

Constitutive phosphorylation of ATM in lymphoblastoid cell lines from patients with ICF syndrome without downstream kinase activity

Double strand DNA breaks in the genome lead to the activation of the ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM) kinase in a process that requires ATM autophosphorylation at serine-1981. ATM autophosphorylation only occurs if ATM is previously acetylated by Tip60. The activated ATM kinase phosphorylates proteins involved in arresting the cell cycle, including p53, and in repairing the DNA breaks. Chloroquine treatment and other manipulations that produce chromatin defects in the absence of detectable double strand breaks also trigger ATM phosphorylation and the phosphorylation of p53 in primary human fibroblasts, while other downstream substrates of ATM that are involved in the repair of DNA double strand breaks remain unphosphorylated. This raises the issue of whether ATM is constitutively activated in patients with genetic diseases that display chromatin defects. We examined lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) generated from patients with different types of chromatin disorders: Immunodeficiency, Centromeric instability, Facial anomalies (ICF) syndrome, Coffin Lowry syndrome, Rubinstein Taybi syndrome and Fascioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy. We show that ATM is phosphorylated on serine-1981 in LCLs derived from ICF patients but not from the other syndromes. The phosphorylated ATM in ICF cells did not phosphorylate the downstream targets NBS1, SMC1 and H2AX, all of which require the presence of double strand breaks. We demonstrate that ICF cells respond normally to ionizing radiation, ruling out the possibility that genetic deficiency in ICF cells renders activated ATM incapable of phosphorylating its downstream substrates. Surprisingly, p53 was also not phosphorylated in ICF cells or in chloroquine-treated wild type LCLs. In this regard the response to chromatin-altering agents differs between primary fibroblasts and LCLs. Our findings indicate that although phosphorylation at serine-1981 is essential in the activation of the ATM kinase, serine-1981 phosphorylation is insufficient to render ATM an active kinase towards downstream substrates, including p53.     

The Effect of Freeze-Thaw Cycles on Gene Expression Levels in Lymphoblastoid Cell Lines

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) are a widely used renewable resource for functional genomic studies in humans. The ability to accumulate multidimensional data pertaining to the same individual cell lines, from complete genomic sequences to detailed gene regulatory profiles, further enhances the utility of LCLs as a model system. However, the extent to which LCLs are a faithful model system is relatively unknown. We have previously shown that gene expression profiles of newly established LCLs maintain a strong individual component. Here, we extend our study to investigate the effect of freeze-thaw cycles on gene expression patterns in mature LCLs, especially in the context of inter-individual variation in gene expression. We report a profound difference in the gene expression profiles of newly established and mature LCLs. Once newly established LCLs undergo a freeze-thaw cycle, the individual specific gene expression signatures become much less pronounced as the gene expression levels in LCLs from different individuals converge to a more uniform profile, which reflects a mature transformed B cell phenotype. We found that previously identified eQTLs are enriched among the relatively few genes whose regulations in mature LCLs maintain marked individual signatures. We thus conclude that while insight drawn from gene regulatory studies in mature LCLs may generally not be affected by the artificial nature of the LCL model system, many aspects of primary B cell biology cannot be observed and studied in mature LCL cultures.     

淋巴细胞凋亡与p53蛋白表达关系的研究

培养B95-8细胞,分离EB病毒,转染外周血和扁桃体淋巴细胞,建立永生化的LCLs和TLCL细胞株; 带有wt P₅₃基因的LCLs在DNA损伤剂——顺铂处理前未检出p53蛋白,经顺铂处理后,LCLs随作用时间延长细胞存活率明显下降、p53蛋白水平升高、DNA电泳显出梯状带;含mt P₅₃基因的淋巴瘤细胞在顺铂处理前可检出高浓度的p53蛋白,经顺铂处理后,细胞存活率与p53蛋白并无明显改变.这些结果表明：顺铂引起细胞DNA损伤、激活wt p53蛋白的表达、继而wt p53蛋白又促进了DNA损伤细胞凋亡.     

Comprehensive DNA methylation analysis of human peripheral blood leukocytes and lymphoblastoid cell lines

DNA methylation is involved in development and in human diseases. Genomic DNA derived from lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) is commonly used to study DNA methylation. There are potential confounding factors regarding the use of LCL-derived DNA, however, such as Epstein-Barr (EB) viral infection and artifacts induced during cell culture. Recently, several groups compared the DNA methylation status of peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) and LCLs and concluded that the DNA methylation profiles between them might be consistent. To confirm and extend theses results, we performed a comprehensive DNA methylation analysis using both PBLs and LCLs derived from the same individuals. Using the luminometric methylation assay, we revealed that the global DNA methylation level was different between PBLs and LCLs. Furthermore, the direction of change was not consistent. Comparisons of genome-wide DNA methylation patterns of promoter regions revealed that methylation profiles were largely conserved between PBLs and LCLs. A preliminary analysis in a small number of samples suggested that the methylation status of an LCL may be better correlated with PBLs from the same individual than with LCLs from other individuals. Expectedly, DNA methylation in promoter regions overlapping with CpG islands was associated with gene silencing in both PBLs and LCLs. With regard to methylation differences, we found that hypermethylation was more predominant than hypomethylation in LCLs compared with PBLs. These findings suggest that LCLs should be used for DNA methylation studies with caution as the methylation patterns of promoter regions in LCLs are not always the same as those in PBLs.     

Functional consequences of sequence alterations in the ATM gene

The product of the gene (ATM) mutated in the human genetic disorder ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) is a high molecular weight, protein ( approximately 350kDa) containing a C-terminal protein kinase domain and a number of other putative domains not yet functionally defined. The majority of ATM gene mutations in A-T patients are truncating, resulting in prematurely terminated products that are highly unstable. Missense mutations within the kinase domain and elsewhere in the molecule alter the stability of the protein and lead to loss of protein kinase activity. Only rarely are patients observed with two missense mutations and this gives rise to a milder disease phenotype. Evidence for a dominant interfering effect on normal ATM kinase activity has been reported in cell lines transfected with missense mutant ATM and in cell lines from some A-T heterozygotes. The dominant negative effect of mutant ATM is manifested by an enhancement of cellular radiosensitivity and may be responsible for the cancer predisposition observed in carriers of ATM missense mutations. In this review, we explore the domain structure of the ATM molecule, sites of interaction with other proteins and the consequences of specific amino acid changes on function.