Isolation and characterization of human placenta fibronectin

Fibronectin was isolated from human placenta tissues and compared with human plasma fibronectin. Placenta and plasma fibronectins had similar amino acid compositions, immunological properties, and cell attachment-promoting activities, but differed in apparent molecular weight on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, which could be accounted for at least partly by the difference in carbohydrate composition. Unlike plasma fibronectin, placenta fibronectin failed to form a precipitin line with concanavalin A in a double diffusion system. The non- or low-reactivity of placenta fibronectin with this lectin was also demonstrated by affinity chromatography with concanavalin A-agarose, in which more than 90% of the radiolabeled glycopeptides derived from placenta fibronectin was not retained on the gel. The two fibronectins also differed in the reactivity with Lens culinaris agglutinin of their glycopeptide fractions. These data indicate that placenta and plasma fibronectins are different in their carbohydrate structures and, therefore, suggest the presence of a tissue- or cell-specific mechanism for processing the carbohydrates of this glycoprotein.     

Modulation induction of the T3 antigen by OKT3 antibody is monocyte dependent

We investigated the influence of monocytes on the susceptibility of the T3 antigen on human T cells to modulation induction by OKT3 antibody. In the absence of monocytes, the T3 antigen was only minimally susceptible to modulation. After the addition of 20% monocytes to the culture, however, complete modulation was readily observed. Furthermore, we found that even in the absence of OKT3 antibody, monocytes were able to down-regulate the expression of the T3 antigen, although to a lesser extent. The ability of monocytes to enhance antigenic modulation proved to be a more general phenomenon. Each individual T cell antigen, however, differed in its susceptibility to modulation by antibody, monocytes, or both, thereby establishing its own characteristic pattern. In addition, after complete modulation of the T3 antigen, the addition of monocytes to the culture thereafter had a distinct inhibitory effect on the reexpression of the T3 antigen. Monocyte enhancement of T3 modulation is significantly reduced when using the OKT3 F(ab')2 fragment, as is OKT3 mitogenesis. After pulsing the monocytes with OKT3 antibody before adding them to the culture, T3 modulation became nearly complete even in the absence of added OKT3 antibody. Monocyte-induced modulation proved not to be MHC restricted, thus allowing for comparative analysis of this effect between monocytes and other cell types. A moderate, however, incomplete modulation enhancement was observed with the human monocyte cell line U937 and with Daudi cells. This finding proved to coincide with the distinct ability of these cell lines to bind OKT3 antibody by their Fc receptors, as was the case with monocytes. In contrast, neither Fc receptor binding nor T3 modulation enhancement was observed with the cell lines Cess and G7. In addition, no effective T3 modulation was observed with glutaraldehyde-fixed monocytes. The overall results seem to indicate that effective modulation of the T3 antigen by OKT3 antibody requires the active participation of Fc receptors on monocytes.     

Direct analysis of growth factor requirements for isolated human fetal hepatocytes

Summary Hepatocytes were isolated from human fetal liver in order to analyze the direct effects of growth factors and hormones on human hepatocyte proliferation and function. Mechanical fragmentation and then dissociation of fetal liver tissue with a collagenase/dispase mixture resulted in high yield and viability of hepatocytes. Hepatocytes were selected in arginine-free, ornithine-supplemented medium and defined by morphology, albumin production and ornithine uptake into cellular protein. A screen of over twenty growth factors, hormones, mitogenic agents and crude organ and cell extracts for effect on the stimulation of hepatocyte growth revealed that EGF, insulin, dexamethasone, and factors concentrated in bovine neural extract and hepatoma cell-conditioned medium supported attachment, maintenance and growth of hepatocytes on a collagen-coated substratum. The population of cells selected and defined as differentiated hepatocytes had a proliferative potential of about 4 cumulative population doublings. EGF and insulin synergistically stimulated DNA synthesis in the absence of other hormones and growth factors. Although neural extracts enhanced hepatocyte number, no effect on DNA synthesis of neural extracts or purified heparin-binding growth factors from neural extracts could be demonstrated in the absence or presence of defined hormones, hepatoma-conditioned medium or serum. Hepatoma cell-conditioned medium had the largest impact on both hepatocyte cell number and DNA synthesis under all conditions. Dialyzed serum protein (1 mg/ml) at 10 times higher protein concentration had a similar effect to hepatoma cell-conditioned medium (100 μg/ml). The results suggest that hepatoma cell conditioned medium may be a concentrated and less complicated source than serum for purification and characterization of additional normal hepatocyte growth factors. This work was supported by NIH grant DK35310. Editor’s statement Many investigators have struggled with the special problems associated with culture of differentiated hepatocytes. In this paper attention is given to the specific growth factor requirements for fetal human hepatocytes. The observation that factors from hepatoma conditioned medium or neural extracts enhanced the growth of the cells may indicate that additional growth factors are to be identified that are important in the survival and proliferation of hepatocytes, and may also indicate that the malignant transformation of these cells may involve the production of autocrine growth stimulators.     

Nuclear magnetic resonance study on the exchange behavior of the NH-N protons of a ribonucleic acid miniduplex

The exchange behavior of the guanine N(1) and uracil N(3) protons in the self-complementary hexanucleotide r(ApApGpCpUpU) has been studied at 5 degrees C in 80% H2O/20% D2O by proton NMR. Under these conditions, the hexanucleotide forms a stable miniduplex. The exchange rate of all Watson-Crick NH protons is unaffected by addition of trifluoroethylamine up to 0.07 M. On the other hand, addition of phosphate buffer, pH 6.9, enhances the exchange rate of the uracil N(3) protons of both terminal and internal A X U base pairs but does not influence the exchange rate of the guanine N(1) protons of the central G X C base pairs. Catalysis by increased phosphate concentrations results in an open-limited rate of the internal A X U base pairs with kex = 233 s-1, equivalent to a lifetime of 4.3 ms. The proton exchange of the central G X C is regulated by the opening rate of the central core of the miniduplex. On the other hand, the sensitivity of the exchange rate of internal as well as of terminal A X U base pairs can be explained by their reduced lifetime due to end "fraying" and a subsequent catalysis of the exchange process from the opened state. These results suggest that it may be possible to probe labilized parts of RNAs such as tRNA by gradual addition of the exchange catalyst phosphate and to monitor their exchange rates by proton NMR.     

Expression and function of the UM4D4 antigen in human thymus

UM4D4 is a newly identified T cell surface molecule, distinct from the Ag receptor and CD2, which is expressed on 25% of peripheral blood T cells, resting or activated. Monoclonal anti-UM4D4 is mitogenic for T cells and T cell clones. Since alternative activation pathways independent of Ag/MHC recognition may be important in thymic differentiation, the expression and function of UM4D4 was examined in human thymus. UM4D4 was found on the surface of 6% of thymocytes. All thymocyte subsets contained UM4D4+ cells but expression was greatest on thymocytes that were CD1- (12%), CD3+ (11%) and especially CD4-CD8- (18%). CD3+CD4- CD8- cells, most of which bear the gamma delta-receptor, were greater than or equal to 50% + for UM4D4. Moreover, anti-UM4D4 was comitogenic for thymocytes together with PMA or IL-2. Anti-UM4D4 also reacted strongly with a subset of thymic epithelial cells in both cortex and medulla. Dual color fluorescence microscopy, with anti-UM4D4 and antibodies to other thymic epithelial Ag, showed UM4D4 expression on neuroendocrine thymic epithelium but not on thymic fibrous stroma. Thus, UM4D4 is expressed on, and represents an activation pathway for, a subset of thymic T cells. In addition, this determinant, initially identified as a novel T cell activating molecule, is broadly expressed by neuroendocrine thymic epithelium. Although the function of UM4D4 on the thymic epithelial cells is not yet clear, it is possible that UM4D4 represents a pathway for the functional activation of a subset of the thymic epithelium as well as a subset of thymocytes, thus playing a dual role in T cell differentiation.     

Menadione increases hepatic tight-junctional permeability. Its effect can be decreased by butylated hydroxytoluene and verapamil.

Infusion of menadione at two different doses [2.7 mg and 5.5 mg in 100 microliters of dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO)] into perfused rat livers for 30 min caused no or a 6-fold increase respectively in junctional permeability to horseradish peroxidase as compared with controls receiving 100 microliters of DMSO alone. The total glutathione (GSH) contents in these livers measured at the end of the experiments were 115% and 53%, compared with the controls. The free-radical scavenger butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) (final concn. 5 microM) protected against the GSH depletion caused by the higher dose of menadione and partially decreased the menadione-induced increase in junctional permeability. Verapamil, a Ca2(+)-channel blocker which was added into the perfusion medium (final concn. 40 microM) 10 min before the infusion of 5.5 mg of menadione, completely abolished the effect of menadione on junctional permeability. Menadione exposure therefore increases tight-junctional permeability in the liver; this may involve a depletion of GSH and a subsequent increase in intracellular Ca2+.     

Protein synthesis and secretion in the human epididymis and immunoreactivity with sperm antibodies

The synthesis and secretion of proteins in the different regions of the human epididymis were studied in vitro. Epididymal tissues obtained from patients undergoing castration for prostatic carcinoma or from cadavers were incubated in the presence of [35S]methionine, and the resulting radiolabeled proteins were analysed on SDS-PAGE. The corpus region was found to be the most active segment in total protein synthesis. Significant qualitative and quantitative changes were observed in the pattern of proteins secreted from the different epididymal regions. To establish those epididymal proteins that interact with maturing sperm, the secreted products were immunoreacted with antibodies raised against a Triton X-100 extract of ejaculated human sperm heads. The antibodies react mainly with the head region of ejaculated spermatozoa as judged by indirect immunofluorescence. Protein A-gold labeling of freeze-fracture images showed gold particle distribution on the sperm plasma membrane. Western blot analysis of the secreted proteins revealed four bands (66, 37, 32, and 29 kDa) in the proximal regions and six additional bands (80, 76, 48, 27, 22, and 17 kDa) in the distal part of the epididymis. Immunoprecipitation of the secreted proteins with these antibodies revealed six radioactive bands of 170, 80, 76, 60, 48, and 37 kDa, which indicates that certain proteins of epididymal origin bind to the sperm plasma membrane.     

Fibronectin,not laminin,mediates heparin-dependent heparin-binding growth factor type I binding to substrata and stimulation of endothelial cell growth

Summary Fibronectin and heparin-binding growth factors (HBGF) are essential for growth of cultured endothelial cells. The stimulation of endothelial cell growth by HBGF type one (HBGF-1) in particular requires heparin or a similar glycosaminoglycan. The requirement for fibronectin and heparin for HBGF-1-stimulated endothelial cell growth may be related. HBGF-1 absorbed to the natural subcellular matrix of endothelial cells supports cell growth. [¹²⁵I]HBGF-1 specifically associates with a sequentially reconstituted matrix of collagen-fibronectin-heparin, and HBGF-1 absorbed to the reconstituted matrix supports growth of the endothelial cells. A reconstituted matrix of collagen-laminin-heparin neither supported binding of [¹²⁵I]HBGF-1 nor HBGF-1-stimulated endothelial cell growth. Association kinetics of [¹²⁵I]HBGF-1 to heparinlike sites and membrane receptor sites on endothelial cell monolayers suggest that fibronectin-heparinlike binding sites in the subcellular matrix may be an obligatory reservoir of active HBGF-1 that binds to specific cell membrane receptors. This work was carried out in the laboratory of Dr. W. L. McKeehan and supported in part by grants CA37589, DK35310 and DK38639 from the Public Health Service, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC.     

Bisphenol S induces oxidative stress-mediated impairment of testosterone synthesis by inhibiting the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway

Bisphenol S (BPS) is an environmental endocrine disruptor widely used in industrial production. BPS induces oxidative stress and exhibits male reproductive toxicity in mice, but the mechanisms by which BPS impairs steroid hormone synthesis are not fully understood. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2(Nrf2)/HO-1 signaling is a key pathway in improving cellular antioxidant defense capacities. Therefore, this study explored the effects of exposure to BPS on testosterone synthesis in adult male mice and its mechanisms with regard to the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway. Adult male C57BL/6 mice were orally exposed to BPS (2, 20, and 200 mg/kg BW) with sesame oil as a vehicle (0.1 ml/10 g BW) per day for 28 consecutive days. The results showed that compared with the control group, serum testosterone levels were substantially reduced in the 20 and 200 mg/kg BPS treatment groups, and testicular testosterone levels were reduced in all BPS treatment groups. These changes were accompanied by a prominent decrease in the expression levels of testosterone synthesis-related enzymes (STAR, CYP11A1, CYP17A1, HSD3B1, and HSD17B3) in the mouse testis. In addition, BPS induced oxidative stress in the testis by upregulating the messenger RNA and protein levels of Keap1 and downregulating the levels of Nrf2, HO-1, and downstream antioxidant enzymes (CAT, SOD1, and Gpx4). In summary, our results indicate that exposure of adult male mice to BPS can inhibit Nrf2/HO-1 signaling and antioxidant enzyme activity, which induces oxidative stress and thereby may impair testosterone synthesis in testicular tissues, leading to reproductive damage.