The role of apoptosis in the development and function of T lymphocytes

Apoptosis plays an essential role in T cell biology. Thymocytes expressing nonfunctional or autoreactive TCRs are eliminated by apoptosis during development. Apoptosis also leads to the deletion of expanded effector T cells during immune responses. The dysregulation of apoptosis in the immune system results in autoimmunity, tumorogenesis and immunodeficiency. Two major pathways lead to apoptosis： the intrinsic cell death pathway controlled by Bcl-2 family members and the extrinsic cell death pathway controlled by death receptor signaling. These two pathways work together to regulate T lymphocyte development and function.     

RNA folding: thermodynamic and molecular descriptions of the roles of ions

The stability of a compact RNA tertiary structure is exquisitely sensitive to the concentrations and types of ions that are present. This review discusses the progress that has been made in developing a quantitative understanding of the thermodynamic parameters and molecular detail that underlie this sensitivity, including the nature of the ion atmosphere, the occurrence of specific ion binding sites, and the importance of the ensemble of partially unfolded states from which folding to the native structure occurs.     

Identification of N-(2-propenal) serine as a urinary metabolite of malondialdehyde

N-2-(Propenal) serine (S-MDA) was synthesized by reacting serine with malondialdehyde (MDA) and was shown to be a 1:1 adduct of the starting materials. The synthetic compound was found to be identical to a metabolite of MDA excreted in rat and human urine. The identity of the metabolite was confirmed by isolation and hydrolysis to yield equimolar quantities of serine and MDA. The presence of S-MDA in urine constitutes direct evidence for oxidative decomposition of phospholipids by lipid peroxidation in vivo.     

Impaired secretion and fluid-phase endocytosis in the End4 mutant of Chinese hamster ovary cells

Mutant V.24.1 defines the End4 complementation group of temperature-sensitive Chinese hamster ovary cell mutants selected for resistance to protein toxins. We investigated the secretory pathway in the mutant cells and found: 1) The hemagglutinin of influenza virus failed to reach the plasma membrane and was retained in a form sensitive to endoglycosidase H at the restrictive temperature. 2) Transferrin receptors synthesized at the restrictive temperature remained sensitive to endoglycosidase H. 3) Secretion of total soluble protein into the medium was strongly reduced at high temperature. These data indicate that V.24.1 cells are defective in secretion at the restrictive temperature. To see what effect the lesion had on the endocytic pathway, we measured the accumulation and recycling of the fluid-phase marker horseradish peroxidase. Accumulation was inhibited by 50% while recycling was barely affected, suggesting that the rate of fluid-phase endocytosis was reduced. We previously showed that the clathrin-coated pit pathway of endocytosis was not affected in the mutant, indicated by a normal transferrin cycle (Colbaugh, P. A., Stookey, M., and Draper, R. K. (1989) J. Cell Biol. 108, 2211-2219). Thus, the secretory lesion correlates with reduced fluid-phase endocytosis without impairing the clathrin-dependent pathway of receptor-mediated endocytosis. We also investigated the delivery of endocytosed material to lysosomes and found that delivery was partially, but not completely, impaired in the mutant. This suggests that endocytosed material can enter lysosomes, although slowly, in the absence of a functional secretory pathway.