Modulation of endogenous prostaglandins by thymosin-α1 in lymphocytes

The effects of thymosin-α₁ on the stimulation of specific release of prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) from splenic lymphocytes and thymocytes were studied. Experiments were also performed to study in parallel the absolute levels of thymosin-α₁ in the blood and the induction of serum FTS activity and of azathioprine sensitivity of spleen cells from adult thymectomized (ATx) mice. A significant difference in the release of PGE₂ between normal splenocytes and splenocytes from ATx mice was observed. Thymosin-α₁ at certain concentrations was able to stimulate PGE₂ release from lymphocytes of ATx mice while inhibiting release in lymphocytes of normal mice. Also, thymocytes were stimulated to release PGE₂ after incubation with α₁ in a manner similar to that seen in spleen cells of ATx mice. Approximately the same concentration of α₁ was found to also correct the low azathioprine sensitivity of splenocytes from ATx mice. Determinations of FTS-like activity in the blood and the pharmacokinetics of α₁ after administration of this synthetic molecule show a clear dissociation. A maximum peak of α₁ activity was obtained after 1 hr, while maximal FTS-like activity was observed after 24 hr. The inhibition of the induction by α₁ of FTS-like activity and of Thy 1.2 antigen by indomethacin suggests that the action of α₁ requires prostaglandin biosynthesis.     

Changes in the Ceramide Composition of Rat Forebrain Gangliosides with Age

Five major gangliosides (GM1, GD1a, GD1b, GT1b, and GQ1b) were extracted and isolated by normal-phase HPLC from the forebrain of Sprague-Dawley rats of ages ranging from 3 days to 24 months. Each ganglioside was fractionated by reverse-phase HPLC into the molecular species carrying a single long-chain base moiety. At all ages, the C18:1 and C20:1 long-chain base species predominated, whereas the C18:0 and C20:0 ones represented 1-3% of the total. The C18:1 long-chain base species, predominant at 3 days (91-96%), diminished with age and reached, at 2 years, 73%, 65%, 61%, 59%, and 45% of the total for GD1a, GM1, GT1b, GD1b, and GQ1b, respectively. The content of the C20:1 long-chain base species, low at birth (4-9%), increased with age in all gangliosides and reached, at 2 years, 27-55% of the total. The developmental behavior of the ganglioside species containing the C18:1 long-chain base was characterized by the following: (a) a biphasic profile with a maximum around 15 days for GD1a, the most abundant ganglioside at all ages; (b) an increase until 6 months for GM1; (c) a sharp decrease until 30 days, followed by leveling for GT1b; and (d) a low, constant level for GD1b and GQ1b. All the ganglioside species containing the C20:1 long-chain base showed a constant increase during development, the increase being more marked in the first 30 days.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Production of human to mouse xenografts by umbilical cord blood

Utilizing human umbilical cord blood, it has been possible to create in irradiated animals a human to mouse xenograft. To facilitate hematopoietic reconstitution, SJL/J mice, which are functionally low in natural killer (NK) cells, were treated with anti-Asialo GM1 antibodies (anti-NK) and irradiation prior to injection of cord blood mononuclear cells. In contrast, SJL/J mice with the "beige" (bg/bg) mutation, which confers a functional NK cell deficiency, required only irradiation for successful transplantation. Human cells, detected by means of DNA probes, were demonstrated in the lungs and lymph nodes of irradiated animals up to 6 months after injection of the human cord blood cells.     

Screening for mutations in the neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) gene in sporadic meningiomas

Meningiomas are benign tumors of the central nervous system. They are usually sporadic but can also occur associated with the neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) syndrome. The gene responsible for NF2, recently isolated from chromosome 22, encodes a membrane-organizing protein that shows high sequence homology to a protein family thought to link the cytoskeleton with membrane proteins. Mutations of the NF2 gene have been described in sporadic meningiomas, exclusively in tumors that show loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of 22q. These preliminary results indicate that the NF2 gene is involved in the pathogenesis of at least a subset of meningiomas, where it does indeed behave as a tumor suppressor gene. In order to characterize better the role of the NF2 gene in the genesis of meningiomas we have examined the entire coding sequence of the gene in 125 meningiomas by single-strand conformational polymorphism analysis; furthermore, LOH analysis for markers of 22q has been carried out. Inactivating mutations were identified in 30% of our samples, all of which also showed LOH of 22q. The majority of mutations identified were frameshifts and nonsense mutations, which are predicted to produce a truncated or non-functional protein. We also found two missense and three in-frame deletions that may pinpoint specific regions of the protein critical to its function. Furthermore, the distribution of mutations throughout the gene, suggested that exons 2, 3, 5, 11 and 13 are more frequently involved. Our results reconfirm the importance of the NF2 gene in the pathogenesis of meningiomas and also suggest that there may be a nonrandom clustering of mutations throughout the gene.     

“Bacillus thermoantarcticus” sp. nov., from Mount Melbourne,Antarctica: a novel thermophilic species

 A novel thermophilic Gram-positive bacillus, “Bacillus thermoantarcticus”, isolated from geothermal soil near the crater of Mount Melbourne, is described. The organism grows at an optimal temperature of 63^°C at pH 6.0, is oxidase-positive, catalase-negative and produces an exopolysaccharide, an exocellular xylanase, an intracellular alcohol dehydrogenase and exo- and endocellular α-glucosidase(s). The sequence of 16S rDNA is very similar to that of “Bacillus thermoglucosidasius”; however, the guanine-plus-cytosine (G+C) content is 8 mol% higher. The type strain is “Bacillus thermoantarcticus” (DSM 9572). Received : 3 February 1995/Accepted : 12 May 1995     

Timemresolved fluorescence of S-100a protein: effect of Ca, Mg and unilamellar vesicles of egg phosphatidylcholine

Phase-modulation fluorescence lifetime measurements were used to study the single Trp residue of the Ca²⁺-binding protein S-100a both in the absence and in the presence of Ca²⁺ and/or Mg²⁺. Trp fluorescence decay for the protein was satisfactorily described by Lorentzian lifetime distributions centered around two components (approximately 4 ns and 0.5 ns). Lifetime values were unchanged by 2 mM Ca²⁺, but the fractional intensity associated with longer lifetime increased up to 75%. In the presence of Mg²⁺, the Ca²⁺ induced increase of the fractional intensity associated with longer lifetime was only 57%. For the protein in buffer, about the 85% of the recovered anisotropy was associated to a rotational correlation time of 6.7 ns. After the addition of Ca²⁺, this value was increased to 16.08 ns. In the presence of Mg²⁺, Ca⁺² increased the rotational correlation time to 33.75 ns. Similar studies were performed with S-100a interacting with egg phosphatidylcholine vesicles (SUV). Our data suggest that the conformation of the protein may be influenced by structural features of the lipidic membrane. Moreover, data obtained in the presence of Mg²⁺ indicate some interaction between lipids and S-100, likely mediated by this ion.     

Farnesyltransferase inhibition causes morphological reversion of ras-transformed cells by a complex mechanism that involves regulation of the actin cytoskeleton.

A potent and specific small molecule inhibitor of farnesyl-protein transferase, L-739,749, caused rapid morphological reversion and growth inhibition of ras-transformed fibroblasts (Rat1/ras cells). Morphological reversion occurred within 18 h of L-739,749 addition. The reverted phenotype was stable for several days in the absence of inhibitor before the transformed phenotype reappeared. Cell enlargement and actin stress fiber formation accompanied treatment of both Rat1/ras and normal Rat1 cells. Significantly, inhibition of Ras processing did not correlate with the initiation or maintenance of the reverted phenotype. While a single treatment with L-739,749 was sufficient to morphologically revert Rat1/ras cells, repetitive inhibitor treatment was required to significantly reduce cell growth rate. Thus, the effects of L-739,749 on transformed cell morphology and cytoskeletal actin organization could be separated from effects on cell growth, depending on whether exposure to a farnesyl-protein transferase inhibitor was transient or repetitive. In contrast, L-739,749 had no effect on the growth, morphology, or actin organization of v-raf-transformed cells. Taken together, the results suggest that the mechanism of morphological reversion is complex and may involve farnesylated proteins that control the organization of cytoskeletal actin.     

Thermodynamic basis of site-specific cooperativity

Cooperative phenomena in biological macromolecules arise from the interaction of many distinct subsystems, such as structural domains or binding sites. Cooperative properties of the system as a whole, like protein folding or allosteric transitions, are subject to the restrictions imposed by thermodynamic stability. These restrictions, however, do not apply in the case of individual subsystems open to interactions with the rest of the macromolecule. The site-specific properties of such subsystems can be understood in general thermodynamic terms from those of a multicomponent system under particular conditions. The analogy provides a thermodynamic basis for site-specific Cooperativity. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Prevention of Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Lipid Peroxidation in Liver Microsomes from Dehydroepiandrosterone-Pretreated Rats

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a lipid soluble steroid, administered to rats (100 mg/kg b.wt) by a single intraperitoneal injection, increases to twice its normal level in the liver microsomes. Microsomes so enriched become resistant to lipid peroxidation induced by incubation with carbon tetrachloride in the presence of a NADPH-regenerating system: also the lipid peroxidation-dependent inactivation of glucose-6-phosphatase and gamma-glutamyl transpetidase due to the haloalkane are prevented. Noteworthy, the liver microsomal drug-metabolizing enzymes and in particular the catalytic activity of cytochrome P₄₅₀IIE1, responsible for the CCl₄-activation, are not impaired by the supplementation with the steroid. Consistently, in DHEA-pretreated microsomes the protein covalent binding of the trichloromethyl radical (CCl₃°), is similar to that of not supplemented microsomes treated with CCl₄. It thus seems likely that DHEA protects liver microsomes from oxidative damage induced by carbon tetrachloride through its own antioxidant properties rather than inhibiting the metabolism of the toxin.