Characterization of the role of melanoma growth stimulatory activity (MGSA) in the growth of normal melanocytes, nevocytes, and malignant melanocytes

Melanoma growth stimulatory activity (MGSA) was originally described as an endogenous growth factor for human melanoma cells. To test the hypothesis that an MGSA autocrine loop is responsible for the partial freedom from growth control observed in nevocytes and melanoma cells, MGSA growth response and MGSA mRNA/protein levels were examined in these cells compared with normal melanocytes. As a single agent, or in combination with other factors, MGSA stimulated the growth of normal human epidermal melanocytes as well as other growth promoters for melanocytes. Nevocytes were not as responsive to exogenous MGSA as melanocytes. MGSA mRNA was minimal or not detected in cultured normal melanocytes, although the protein was present when the cells were cultured in the presence of serum/growth factors and absent when serum/growth factors were omitted. In contrast, MGSA mRNA was constitutively expressed in the absence of exogenous growth factors in cultures established from benign intradermal and dysplastic nevi and melanoma lesions in different stages of tumor progression. Nevus cultures contained immunoreactive MGSA protein in the presence of serum but were negative or only faintly positive in the absence of serum. Melanoma cell lines were positive for MGSA protein in both the presence and the absence of serum. Thus, continued expression of both MGSA mRNA and MGSA protein in the absence of exogenous hormones or serum factors may correlate with partial freedom from growth control exhibited by malignant melanocytes.     

Models of epidermal wound healing

The spreading of cells across the surface of an epidermal wound enables epidermal migration to be studied independently of the wound contraction that occurs in deeper wounds. In particular, the stimulus for the increase in epidermal mitosis during would healing is uncertain. Our modelling suggests that biochemical regulation of mitosis is fundamental to the process, and that a single chemical with a simple regulatory effect can account for the healing of circular epidermal wounds. The model results compare well with experimental data.     

Partial purification and some properties of rat brain inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate 3-kinase.

An enzyme which catalyses the ATP-dependent phosphorylation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate [Ins(1,4,5)P3] was purified approx. 180-fold from rat brain cytosol by (NH4)2SO4 precipitation, chromatography through hydroxyapatite, anion-exchange fast protein liquid chromatography and gel-filtration chromatography. Gel filtration on Sepharose 4B CL gives an Mr of 200 x 10(3) for the native enzyme. The inositol tetrakisphosphate (InsP4) produced by the enzyme has the chromatographic, chemical and metabolic properties of Ins(1,3,4,5)P4. Ins(1,4,5)P3 3-kinase displays simple Michaelis-Menten kinetics for both its substrates, having Km values of 460 microM and 0.44 microM for ATP and Ins(1,4,5)P3 respectively. When many of the inositol phosphates known to occur in cells were tested, only Ins(1,4,5)P3 was a substrate for the enzyme; the 2,4,5-trisphosphate was not phosphorylated. Inositol 4,5-bisphosphate and glycerophosphoinositol 4,5-bisphosphate were phosphorylated much more slowly than Ins(1,4,5)P3. CTP, GTP and adenosine 5'-[gamma-thio]triphosphate were unable to substitute for ATP. When assayed under conditions of first-order kinetics, Ins(1,4,5)P3 kinase activity decreased by about 40% as the [Ca2+] was increased over the physiologically relevant range. This effect was insensitive to the presence of calmodulin and appeared to be the result of an increase in the Km of the enzyme for Ins(1,4,5)P3. Preincubation with ATP and the purified catalytic subunit of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase did not affect the rate of phosphorylation of Ins(1,4,5)P3 when the enzyme was assayed at saturating concentrations of Ins(1,4,5)P3 or at concentrations close to its Km for this substrate.     

Interesterification selectivity in lipase catalyzed reactions of low molecular weight triglycerides

Summary In the absence of an organic solvent, a buffer to enzyme weight ratio of 1 gives maximum selectivity to interesterification over hydrolysis in a lipase-catalyzed mixture of triacetin and tributyrin. Addition of hexane enhances interesterification as does a reversed micelle configuration.     

Estimation of oxygen penetration depth in immobilized cells

Summary A simple method is proposed for calculating oxygen pentration depth in immobilized cells by assuming zero order kinetics in the presence of several external oxygen transport resistances. Calculations indicate that typical penetration depths of oxygen for immobilized microbial cells are in the range of 50–200 and those for immobilized or encapsulated animal and plant tissue culture are about 500–1000 . Based on calculations, oxygen transport in microencapsulation and microcarriers for tissue cultures are not transport-limited, but a slight limitation is expected for those in a hollow fiber reactor.Nomenclature a_s specific area of a support (cm) - Bi Biot number - dimensionless - C_b oxygen concentration in the bulk liquid (mM) - C _b C _b ^* -C_cr (mM) - C _b ^* bulk oxygen concentration in equilibrium with air (mM) - C_cr critical oxygen concentration (mM) - C_s oxygen concentration in the solid phase (mM) - d_p diameter or thickness of a support (cm) - D_eff effective diffusivity of oxygen in the solid phase (cm²/s) - k_m membrane permeability of oxygen (cm/s) - k _m ^* D_eff/_m - k_La_L liquid phase mass transfer rate coefficient (1/s) - k_sa_s solid phase mass transfer rate coefficient (1/s) - (OUR)_v volumetric oxygen uptake rate (mmol O₂/l) - p geometry parameter, p=0 for slab, p=1 for cylinder, p=2 for sphere - P_d oxygen penetration depth (cm) - P _d oxygen penetration depth in the absence of external diffusion limitation (cm) - Q volumetric oxygen uptake rate, (mmol O₂/l·h) - specific oxygen uptake rate (mmol O₂gm biomass (dry)·h) - r length coordinate (cm) - r_c oxygen penetration depth for sphere (cm) - r _c r_c in the absence of external diffusion limitation (cm) - r _c ^* oxygen penetration depth for cylinder (cm) - r _c ^* r _c ^* in the absence of external diffusion limitation (cm) - r_com combined mass transfer rate resistance (s) - r_d location where C_s becomes zero or C_cr (cm) - r_i radius of cylinder or sphere, half thickness of slab (cm) - U_sg superficial gas velocity (cm/s) - X cell concentration (g/l) Greek letters Thiele modulus, dimensionless - _L, _s liquid and solid phase volume fraction, respectively, dimensionless - effectiveness factor On sabbatical leave from KAIST, Seoul, Korea     

Different patterns of Epstein-Barr virus gene expression and of cytotoxic T-cell recognition in B-cell lines infected with transforming (B95.8) or nontransforming (P3HR1) virus strains

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-negative Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) cell lines have been converted to EBV genome positivity by in vitro infection with the transforming EBV strain B95.8 and with the nontransforming mutant strain P3HR1, which has a deletion in the gene encoding the nuclear antigen EBNA2. These B95.8- and P3HR1-converted lines have been compared for their patterns of expression of EBV latent genes (i.e., those viral genes constitutively expressed in all EBV-transformed lines of normal B-cell origin) and for their recognition by EBV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), in an effort to identify which latent gene products provide target antigens for the T-cell response. B95.8-converted lines on several different EBV-negative BL-cell backgrounds all showed detectable expression of the nuclear antigens EBNA1, EBNA2, and EBNA3 and of the latent membrane protein (LMP); such converts were also clearly recognized by EBV-specific CTL preparations with restriction through selected human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I antigens on the target cell surface. The corresponding P3HR1-converted lines (lacking an EBNA2 gene) expressed EBNA1 and EBNA3 but, surprisingly, showed no detectable LMP; furthermore, these converts were not recognized by EBV-specific CTLs. Such differences in T-cell recognition were not due to any differences in expression of the relevant HLA-restricting determinants between the two types of convert, as shown by binding of specific monoclonal antibodies and by the susceptibility of both B95.8 and P3HR1 converts to allospecific CTLs directed against these same HLA molecules. The results suggest that in the normal infectious cycle, EBNA2 may be required for subsequent expression of LMP and that both EBNA2 and LMP (but not EBNA1 or EBNA3) may provide target antigens for the EBV-specific T-cell response.     

Serum cortisol radioimmunoassay values in the normal ferret and response to ACTH stimulation and dexamethasone suppression tests

Cortisol values were obtained from 39 ferrets, Mustela putorius furo, by using a commercial radioimmunoassay. Sera from 25 males (18 intact, 7 neutered) and 14 females (7 intact, 7 spayed) were assayed. Resting serum cortisol values ranged from 0.13 to 2.70 micrograms/dl for males (mean = 0.93 +/- 0.63 micrograms/dl), and 0.55 to 1.84 micrograms/dl for females (mean = 0.86 +/- 0.29 microgram/dl). The resting cortisol values of both males and females were comparable to those of the cat (1.0 to 3.0 micrograms/dl). A 7 year old male ferret with suspected hyperadrenocorticism and an adrenal mass had a cortisol level of 8.1 micrograms/dl. Adrenal cortical carcinoma was the histologic diagnosis. One adult female ferret had a cortisol level of 3.30 micrograms/dl. This animal also had proliferative colitis upon necropsy. An ACTH stimulation test (1 U/kg IM) and a low-dose dexamethasone suppression test (0.1 mg/kg) were performed on 10 ferrets. Post-ACTH serum cortisol levels increased by an average of 89%. Post-dexamethasone serum cortisol values decreased by an average of 18% 6 hours post-injection.