Therapeutic window of an EpCAM/CD3-specific BiTE antibody in mice is determined by a subpopulation of EpCAM-expressing lymphocytes that is absent in humans

MuS110 is a BiTE antibody bispecific for murine EpCAM (CD326) and murine CD3. A recent study has shown that muS110 has significant anti tumor activity at well-tolerated doses as low as 5 μg/kg in orthotopic breast and lung cancer models (Amann et al. in Cancer Res 68:143–151, 2008). Here, we have explored the safety profile of muS110 at higher doses. Escalation to 50 μg/kg muS110 caused in mice transient loss of body weight, and transient piloerection, hypomotility, hypothermia and diarrhoea. These clinical signs coincided with serum peaks of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-2, IFN-γ and IL-4, and an increase of surface markers for T cell activation. Because activation of T cells in response to BiTE antibodies is typically dependent on target cells, we analyzed mouse blood for the presence of EpCAM⁺ cells. Various mouse strains presented with a subpopulation of 2–3% EpCAM⁺ blood cells, mostly B and T lymphocytes, which was not detected in human blood samples. In vitro experiments in which the number of EpCAM⁺ cells in blood samples was either reduced or increased suggested that both T cell activation and cytokine release in response to muS110 was dependent on the number of target-expressing cells. In support for a role of EpCAM⁺ lymphocytes in the observed side effects, reduction of EpCAM⁺ blood cells in mice via a low-dose pre treatment with muS110 dramatically increased the tolerability of animals up to at least 500 μg/kg of the BiTE antibody. This high tolerability to muS110 occurred in the presence of non-compromised T cells. No damage to EpCAM⁺ epithelial tissues was evident from histopathological examination of animals daily injected with 100 μg/kg muS110 for 28 days. In summary, these observations suggest that side effects of muS110 in mice were largely caused by an acute T cell activation that was triggered by a subpopulation of EpCAM⁺ lymphocytes. Because humans have extremely low numbers of EpCAM⁺ cells in blood, this toxicity of an EpCAM-specific BiTE may be specific for mice. M. Amann and M. Friedrich contributed equally to this work.     

Expression profiling by whole-genome microarray hybridization reveals differential gene expression in breast cancer cell lines after lycopene exposure

The correlation between diet and variation in gene-expression is an important field which could be considered to approach cancer pathways comprehension. We examined the effects of lycopene on breast cancer cell lines using pangenomic arrays. Lycopene is derived predominantly from tomatoes and tomato products and there is some epidemiologic evidence for a preventive role in breast cancer. Previously, we investigated lycopene in breast cancer using a dedicated breast cancer microarray. To confirm these results and explore pathways other than those implicated in breast cancer, for this study we used pangenomic arrays containing 25,000 oligonucleotides. This in vitro study assayed two human mammary cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231), and a fibrocystic breast cell line (MCF-10a) treated or not with 10 μM lycopene for 48 h. A competitive hybridization was performed between Cy3-labeled lycopene treated RNA and Cy5-labeled untreated RNA to define differentially expressed genes. Using t-test analysis, a subset of 391 genes was found to be differentially modulated by lycopene between estrogen-positive cells (MCF-7) and estrogen-negative cells (MDA-MB-231, MCF-10a). Hierarchical clustering revealed 726 discriminatory genes between breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7, MDA-MB-231) and the fibrocystic breast cell line (MCF-10a). Modified gene expression was observed in various molecular pathways, such as apoptosis, cell communication, MAPK and cell cycle as well as xenobiotic metabolism, fatty acid biosynthesis and gap junctional intercellular communication.     

The RNA-binding protein fragile X-related 1 regulates somite formation in Xenopus laevis

Fragile X-related 1 protein (FXR1P) is a member of a small family of RNA-binding proteins that includes the Fragile X mental retardation 1 protein (FMR1P) and the Fragile X-related 2 protein (FXR2P). These proteins are thought to transport mRNA and to control their translation. While FMR1P is highly expressed in neurons, substantial levels of FXR1P are found in striated muscles and heart, which are devoid of FMRP and FXR2P. However, little is known about the functions of FXR1P. We have isolated cDNAs for Xenopus Fxr1 and found that two specific splice variants are conserved in evolution. Knockdown of xFxr1p in Xenopus had highly muscle-specific effects, normal MyoD expression being disrupted, somitic myotomal cell rotation and segmentation being inhibited, and dermatome formation being abnormal. Consistent with the absence of the long muscle-specific xFxr1p isoform during early somite formation, these effects could be rescued by both the long and short mRNA variants. Microarray analyses showed that xFxr1p depletion affected the expression of 129 known genes of which 50% were implicated in muscle and nervous system formation. These studies shed significant new light on Fxr1p function(s).     

Revisiting Plant Plasma Membrane Lipids in Tobacco: A Focus on Sphingolipids

The lipid composition of plasma membrane (PM) and the corresponding detergent-insoluble membrane (DIM) fraction were analyzed with a specific focus on highly polar sphingolipids, so-called glycosyl inositol phosphorylceramides (GIPCs). Using tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) ‘Bright Yellow 2’ cell suspension and leaves, evidence is provided that GIPCs represent up to 40 mol % of the PM lipids. Comparative analysis of DIMs with the PM showed an enrichment of 2-hydroxylated very-long-chain fatty acid-containing GIPCs and polyglycosylated GIPCs in the DIMs. Purified antibodies raised against these GIPCs were further used for immunogold-electron microscopy strategy, revealing the distribution of polyglycosylated GIPCs in domains of 35 ± 7 nm in the plane of the PM. Biophysical studies also showed strong interactions between GIPCs and sterols and suggested a role for very-long-chain fatty acids in the interdigitation between the two PM-composing monolayers. The ins and outs of lipid asymmetry, raft formation, and interdigitation in plant membrane biology are finally discussed.Eukaryotic plasma membranes (PMs) are composed of three main classes of lipids, glycerolipids, sphingolipids, and sterols, which may account for up to 100,000 different molecular species (Yetukuri et al., 2008; Shevchenko and Simons, 2010). Overall, all glycerolipids share the same molecular moieties in plants, animals, and fungi. By contrast, sterols and sphingolipids are different and specific to each kingdom. For instance, the plant PM contains an important number of sterols, among which β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, and campesterol predominate (Furt et al., 2011). In addition to free sterols, phytosterols can be conjugated to form steryl glycosides (SG) and acyl steryl glycosides (ASG) that represent up to approximately 15% of the tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) PM (Furt et al., 2010). As for sphingolipids, sphingomyelin, the major phosphosphingolipid in animals, which harbors a phosphocholine as a polar head, is not detected in plants. Glycosyl inositol phosphorylceramides (GIPCs) are the major class of sphingolipids in plants, but they are absent in animals (Sperling and Heinz, 2003; Pata et al., 2010). Sphingolipidomic approaches identified up to 200 plant sphingolipids (for review, see Pata et al., 2010; Cacas et al., 2013).Although GIPCs belong to one of the earliest classes of plant sphingolipids that were identified in the late 1950s (Carter et al., 1958), only a few GIPCs have been structurally characterized to date because of their high polarity and a limited solubility in typical lipid extraction solvents. For these reasons, they were systematically omitted from published plant PM lipid composition. GIPCs are formed by the addition of an inositol phosphate to the ceramide moiety, the inositol headgroup of which can then undergo several glycosylation steps. The dominant glycan structure, composed of a hexose-GlcA linked to the inositol, is called series A. Polar heads containing three to seven sugars, so-called series B to F, have been identified and appeared to be species specific (Buré et al., 2011; Cacas et al., 2013; Mortimer et al., 2013). The ceramide moiety of GIPCs consists of a long-chain base (LCB), mainly t18:0 (called phytosphingosine) or t18:1 compounds (for review, see Pata et al., 2010), to which is amidified a very-long-chain fatty acid (VLCFA), the latter of which is mostly 2-hydroxylated (hVLCFA) with an odd or even number of carbon atoms. In plants, little is known about the subcellular localization of GIPCs. It is assumed, however, that they would be highly represented in the PM (Worrall et al., 2003; Sperling et al., 2005), even if this remains to be experimentally proven. The main argument supporting such an assumption is the strong enrichment of trihydroxylated LCB (t18:n) in detergent-insoluble membrane (DIM) fractions (Borner et al., 2005; Lefebvre et al., 2007), LCB being known to be predominant in GIPC’s core structure as aforementioned.In addition to this chemical complexity, lipids are not evenly distributed within the PM. Sphingolipids and sterols can preferentially interact with each other and segregate to form microdomains dubbed the membrane raft (Simons and Toomre, 2000). The membrane raft hypothesis suggests that lipids play a regulatory role in mediating protein clustering within the bilayer by undergoing phase separation into liquid-disordered and liquid-ordered phases. The liquid-ordered phase, termed the membrane raft, was described as enriched in sterol and saturated sphingolipids and is characterized by tight lipid packing. Proteins, which have differential affinities for each phase, may become enriched in, or excluded from, the liquid-ordered phase domains to optimize the rate of protein-protein interactions and maximize signaling processes. In animals, rafts have been implicated in a huge range of cellular processes, such as hormone signaling, membrane trafficking in polarized epithelial cells, T cell activation, cell migration, and the life cycle of influenza and human immunodeficiency viruses (Simons and Ikonen, 1997; Simons and Gerl, 2010). In plants, evidence is increasing that rafts are also involved in signal transduction processes and membrane trafficking (for review, see Mongrand et al., 2010; Simon-Plas et al., 2011; Cacas et al., 2012a).Moreover, lipids are not evenly distributed between the two leaflets of the PM. Within the PM of eukaryotic cells, sphingolipids are primarily located in the outer monolayer, whereas unsaturated phospholipids are predominantly exposed on the cytosolic leaflet. This asymmetrical distribution has been well established in human red blood cells, in which the outer leaflet contains sphingomyelin, phosphatidylcholine, and a variety of glycolipids like gangliosides. By contrast, the cytoplasmic leaflet is composed mostly of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylinositol, and their phosphorylated derivatives (Devaux and Morris, 2004). With regard to sphingolipids and glycerolipids, the asymmetry of the former is established during their biosynthesis and that of the latter requires ATPases such as the aminophospholipid translocase that transports lipids from the outer to the inner leaflet as well as multiple drug resistance proteins that transport phosphatidylcholine in the opposite direction (Devaux and Morris, 2004). This ubiquitous scheme encountered in animal cells could apply in plant cells as proposed (Tjellstrom et al., 2010). Indeed, the authors showed that there is a pronounced transverse lipid asymmetry in root at the PM. Phospholipids and galactolipids dominate the cytosolic leaflet, whereas the apoplastic leaflet is enriched in sphingolipids and sterols.From such a high diversity of the plant PM thus arises the question of the respective contribution of lipids to membrane suborganization. Our group recently tackled this aspect by characterizing the order level of liposomes prepared from various plant lipids and labeled with the environment-sensitive probe di-4-ANEPPDHQ (Grosjean et al., 2015). Fluorescence spectroscopy experiments showed that, among phytosterols, campesterol exhibits the strongest ability to order model membranes. In agreement with these data, spatial analysis of the membrane organization through multispectral confocal microscopy pointed to the strong ability of campesterol to promote liquid-ordered domain formation and organize their spatial distribution at the membrane surface. Conjugated sterols also exhibit a striking ability to order membranes. In addition, GIPCs enhance the sterol-induced ordering effect by emphasizing the formation and increasing the size of sterol-dependent ordered domains.The aim of this study was to reinvestigate the lipid composition and organization of the PM with a particular focus on GIPCs using tobacco leaves and cv Bright Yellow 2 (BY-2) cell cultures as models. Analyzing all membrane lipid classes at once, including sphingolipids, is challenging because they all display dramatically different chemical polarity, from very apolar (like free sterols) to highly polar (like polyglycosylated GIPCs) molecules. Most lipid extraction techniques published thus far use a chloroform/methanol mixture and phase partition to remove contaminants, resulting in the loss GIPCs, which remain in the aqueous phase, unextracted in the insoluble pellet, or at the interphase (Markham et al., 2006). In order to gain access to both glycerolipid and sphingolipid species at a glance, we developed a protocol whereby the esterifed or amidified fatty acids were hydrolyzed from the glycerol backbone (glycerolipids) or the LCB (sphingolipids) of membrane lipids, respectively. Fatty acids were then analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) with appropriate internal standards for quantification. We further proposed that the use of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) ensures the extraction of all classes of plant polar lipids. Our results indicate that GIPCs represent up to 40 mol % of total tobacco PM lipids. Interestingly, polyglycolyslated GIPCs are 5-fold enriched in DIMs of BY-2 cells when compared with the PM. Further investigation led us to develop a preparative purification procedure that allowed us to obtain enough material to raise antibodies against GIPCs. Using immunogold labeling on PM vesicles, it was found that polyglycosylated GIPCs cluster in membrane nanodomains, strengthening the idea that lateral nanosegregation of sphingolipids takes place at the PM in plants. Multispectral confocal microscopy was performed on vesicles prepared using GIPCs, phospholipids, and sterols and labeled with the environment-sensitive probe di-4-ANEPPDHQ. Our results show that, despite different fatty acid and polar head compositions, GIPCs extracted from tobacco leaves and BY-2 cells have a similar intrinsic propensity of enhancing vesicle global order together with sterols. Assuming that GIPCs are mostly present in the outer leaflet of the PM, interactions between sterols and sphingolipids were finally studied by the Langmuir monolayer technique, and the area of a single molecule of GIPC, or in interaction with phytosterols, was calculated. Using the calculation docking method, the energy of interaction between GIPCs and phytosterols was determined. A model was proposed in which GIPCs and phytosterols interact together to form liquid-ordered domains and in which the VLCFAs of GIPCs promote the interdigitation of the two membrane leaflets. The implications of domain formation and the asymmetrical distribution of lipids at the PM in plants are also discussed. Finally, we propose a model that reconsiders the intricate organization of the plant PM bilayer.     

The N-Glycan Cluster from Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris: A TOOLBOX FOR SEQUENTIAL PLANT N-GLYCAN PROCESSING*

N-Glycans are widely distributed in living organisms but represent only a small fraction of the carbohydrates found in plants. This probably explains why they have not previously been considered as substrates exploited by phytopathogenic bacteria during plant infection. Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris, the causal agent of black rot disease of Brassica plants, possesses a specific system for GlcNAc utilization expressed during host plant infection. This system encompasses a cluster of eight genes (nixE to nixL) encoding glycoside hydrolases (GHs). In this paper, we have characterized the enzymatic activities of these GHs and demonstrated their involvement in sequential degradation of a plant N-glycan using a N-glycopeptide containing two GlcNAcs, three mannoses, one fucose, and one xylose (N₂M₃FX) as a substrate. The removal of the α-1,3-mannose by the α-mannosidase NixK (GH92) is a prerequisite for the subsequent action of the β-xylosidase NixI (GH3), which is involved in the cleavage of the β-1,2-xylose, followed by the α-mannosidase NixJ (GH125), which removes the α-1,6-mannose. These data, combined to the subcellular localization of the enzymes, allowed us to propose a model of N-glycopeptide processing by X. campestris pv. campestris. This study constitutes the first evidence suggesting N-glycan degradation by a plant pathogen, a feature shared with human pathogenic bacteria. Plant N-glycans should therefore be included in the repertoire of molecules putatively metabolized by phytopathogenic bacteria during their life cycle.     

Intracellular and Extracellular pH and Ca Are Bound to Control Mitosis in the Early Sea Urchin Embryo via ERK and MPF Activities

Studies aiming to predict the impact on marine life of ocean acidification and of altered salinity have shown altered development in various species including sea urchins. We have analyzed how external Na, Ca, pH and bicarbonate control the first mitotic divisions of sea urchin embryos. Intracellular free Ca (Ca_i) and pH (pH_i) and the activities of the MAP kinase ERK and of MPF regulate mitosis in various types of cells including oocytes and early embryos. We found that intracellular acidification of fertilized eggs by Na-acetate induces a huge activation of ERK at time of mitosis. This also stops the cell cycle and leads to cell death, which can be bypassed by treatment with the MEK inhibitor U0126. Similar intracellular acidification induced in external medium containing low sodium or 5-(N-Methyl-N-isobutyl) amiloride, an inhibitor of the Na⁺/H⁺ exchanger, also stops the cell cycle and leads to cell death. In that case, an increase in Ca_i and in the phosphorylation of tyr-cdc2 occurs during mitosis, modifications that depend on external Ca. Our results indicate that the levels of pH_i and Ca_i determine accurate levels of Ptyr-Cdc2 and P-ERK capable of ensuring progression through the first mitotic cycles. These intracellular parameters rely on external Ca, Na and bicarbonate, alterations of which during climate changes could act synergistically to perturb the early marine life.     

Inhibition of the Differentiation of Monocyte-Derived Dendritic Cells by Human Gingival Fibroblasts

We investigated whether gingival fibroblasts (GFs) can modulate the differentiation and/or maturation of monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DCs) and analyzed soluble factors that may be involved in this immune modulation. Experiments were performed using human monocytes in co-culture with human GFs in Transwell® chambers or using monocyte cultures treated with conditioned media (CM) from GFs of four donors. The four CM and supernatants from cell culture were assayed by ELISA for cytokines involved in the differentiation of dendritic cells, such as IL-6, VEGF, TGFβ1, IL-13 and IL-10. The maturation of monocyte-derived DCs induced by LPS in presence of CM was also studied. Cell surface phenotype markers were analyzed by flow cytometry. In co-cultures, GFs inhibited the differentiation of monocyte-derived DCs and the strength of this blockade correlated with the GF/monocyte ratio. Conditioned media from GFs showed similar effects, suggesting the involvement of soluble factors produced by GFs. This inhibition was associated with a lower stimulatory activity in MLR of DCs generated with GFs or its CM. Neutralizing antibodies against IL-6 and VEGF significantly (P<0.05) inhibited the inhibitory effect of CM on the differentiation of monocytes-derived DCs and in a dose dependent manner. Our data suggest that IL-6 is the main factor responsible for the inhibition of DCs differentiation mediated by GFs but that VEGF is also involved and constitutes an additional mechanism.     

Diversity of root-associated arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities in a rubber tree plantation chronosequence in Northeast Thailand

Rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) is of major economic importance in Southeast Asia and for small land holders in Thailand in particular. Due to the high value of latex, plantations are expanding into unsuitable areas, such as the northeast province of Thailand where soil fertility is very low and therefore appropriate management practices are of primary importance. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) contribute to plant growth through a range of mechanisms and could play a key role in a more sustainable management of the rubber plantations. We described the diversity of AMF associated with rubber tree roots in Northeast Thailand in relation to tree age and soil parameters along a chronosequence of rubber tree plantations. Cassava fields were included for comparison. Rubber tree and cassava roots harbored high diversity of AMF (111 Virtual Taxa, VT), including 20 novel VT. AMF VT richness per sample was consistently high (per site mean 16 to 21 VT per sample) along the chronosequence and was not related to soil properties. The composition of AMF communities differed between cassava and rubber tree plantations and was influenced by soil texture and nutrient content (sand, K, P, Ca). AMF community composition gradually shifted with the age of the trees. Our results suggest that the high diversity of AMF in this region is potentially significant for maintaining high functionality of AMF communities.     

T cells contribute to tumor progression by favoring pro-tumoral properties of intra-tumoral myeloid cells in a mouse model for spontaneous melanoma

Tumors affect myelopoeisis and induce the expansion of myeloid cells with immunosuppressive activity. In the MT/ret model of spontaneous metastatic melanoma, myeloid cells are the most abundant tumor infiltrating hematopoietic population and their proportion is highest in the most aggressive cutaneous metastasis. Our data suggest that the tumor microenvironment favors polarization of myeloid cells into type 2 cells characterized by F4/80 expression, a weak capacity to secrete IL-12 and a high production of arginase. Myeloid cells from tumor and spleen of MT/ret mice inhibit T cell proliferation and IFNγ secretion. Interestingly, T cells play a role in type 2 polarization of myeloid cells. Indeed, intra-tumoral myeloid cells from MT/ret mice lacking T cells are not only less suppressive towards T cells than corresponding cells from wild-type MT/ret mice, but they also inhibit more efficiently melanoma cell proliferation. Thus, our data support the existence of a vicious circle, in which T cells may favor cancer development by establishing an environment that is likely to skew myeloid cell immunity toward a tumor promoting response that, in turn, suppresses immune effector cell functions.     

The fast milk acidifying phenotype of Streptococcus thermophilus can be acquired by natural transformation of the genomic island encoding the cell-envelope proteinase PrtS

Background

FAD dependent glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) currently raises enormous interest in the field of glucose biosensors. Due to its superior properties such as high turnover rate, substrate specificity and oxygen independence, GDH makes its way into glucose biosensing. The recently discovered GDH from the ascomycete Glomerella cingulata is a novel candidate for such an electrochemical application, but also of interest to study the plant-pathogen interaction of a family of wide-spread, crop destroying fungi. Heterologous expression is a necessity to facilitate the production of GDH for biotechnological applications and to study its physiological role in the outbreak of anthracnose caused by Glomerella (anamorph Colletotrichum) spp.

Results

Heterologous expression of active G. cingulata GDH has been achieved in both Escherichia coli and Pichia pastoris, however, the expressed volumetric activity was about 4800-fold higher in P. pastoris. Expression in E. coli resulted mainly in the formation of inclusion bodies and only after co-expression with molecular chaperones enzymatic activity was detected. The fed-batch cultivation of a P. pastoris transformant resulted in an expression of 48,000 U L^-1 of GDH activity (57 mg L^-1). Recombinant GDH was purified by a two-step purification procedure with a yield of 71%. Comparative characterization of molecular and catalytic properties shows identical features for the GDH expressed in P. pastoris and the wild-type enzyme from its natural fungal source.

Conclusions

The heterologous expression of active GDH was greatly favoured in the eukaryotic host. The efficient expression in P. pastoris facilitates the production of genetically engineered GDH variants for electrochemical-, physiological- and structural studies.