Failure of wild-type or a mutant form of protein kinase C-alpha to transform fibroblasts

A mutant form of the alpha-isoform of protein kinase C (PKC) was recently isolated from an ultraviolet radiation-induced murine fibrosarcoma cell line and reported to transform mouse BALB/c 3T3 fibroblasts on transfection. Four point mutations in the regulatory domain were assumed to be responsible for its oncogenicity and unusual preference for membrane localization. Here, we report that overexpression of the reported mutant PKC alpha complementary DNA in three fibroblast cell lines, including BALB/c 3T3, does not enable these cells to grow in soft agar or nude mice. In addition, this mutant PKC alpha form seems to be indistinguishable from the wild-type PKC alpha with respect to its dependence on cofactors, phorbol ester binding, subcellular distribution and its effects on growth and morphology. These results fail to confirm the previous study and indicate that overexpression of either the wild-type or the reported mutant form of PKC alpha does not transform rodent fibroblasts.     

Pleiotropic loss of activation pathways in a T-cell receptor alpha-chain deletion variant of a cytolytic T-cell clone

Untransformed T-cell clones maintained in culture are dependent on signals transmitted through their antigen receptors (Ti; alpha and beta chains associated with the CD3 molecules) for growth and effector function. For cytolytic T cells (CTL), Ti stimulation also activates the killing machinery and induces synthesis of gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) messenger RNA and IFN-gamma secretion. The Thy-1 molecule, expressed on all murine cells of the T-cell lineage, has been suggested to function in transmembrane signalling, based on the ability of some anti-Thy-1 monoclonal antibodies (mAb) to activate T cells. Recently, it was suggested that Thy-1 could function as a signal-transduction molecule when expressed in B-cell lymphomas after transfection of the gene, leading to speculation that the molecule was part of an activation pathway independent of the Ti/CD3 structures. Here we report the immunoselection of a variant CTL clone which has lost expression of mRNA for the alpha-chain of the Ti. The Ti- variant was defective in lectin-mediated activation whether measured by increase in intracytoplasmic Ca2+, CTL effector function or IFN-gamma synthesis. The variant, which expressed normal levels of Thy-1, was also unresponsive to Thy-1 mAb activation as measured by IFN-gamma secretion, whereas it responded to calcium ionophore plus phorbol ester. These results indicate that in a non-transformed, functional mature T-cell, Thy-1 mediated signalling is not an alternative to, but might depend on elements associated with the Ti/CD3-mediated T-cell activation pathway.     

Smooth muscle alpha-action is a transformation-sensitive marker for mouse NIH 3T3 and Rat-2 cells

Heteroploid mouse NIH 3T3 fibroblasts and several rat fibroblast strains (Rat-1, Rat-2 and REF-52) are cell lines of special interest in the field of carcinogenesis because of their extensive use as normal cells in transformation assays for putative cancer-causing genes. Exposure of these cells to carcinogenic chemicals or oncogenic DNA produces anchorage-independent cells with retracted cytoplasms that lack actin cables. All human fibroblast strains, normal and transformed, synthesize two electrophoretic forms of actin (beta- and gamma-actin). In contrast, we discovered that early-passage mouse and rat strains synthesize abundant amounts of each of the three electrophoretic forms of actin (alpha-, beta- and gamma-actin) but mouse and rat cancer cells express only beta- and gamma-actins. We now show that in NIH 3T3 and Rat-2 fibroblasts a third actin, the smooth muscle alpha isoform, is abundantly co-expressed with beta- and gamma-actin. In every instance tested following transformation to tumorigenicity, the accumulation of alpha-actin messenger RNA and alpha-actin synthesis was greatly inhibited. Shutdown of alpha-actin expression thus appears to be a reproducible transformation-sensitive marker in rodent fibroblasts.     

Induction by E1A oncogene expression of cellular susceptibility to lysis by TNF

Tumour necrosis factor alpha (ref. 1), synthesized primarily by monocytes in response to various invasive agents, induces a wide variety of biological effects relevant to regulating cell growth and differentiation, including the selective killing of some tumour cells and the growth stimulation of some normal fibroblasts. As tumour necrosis factor (TNF) appears to kill tumour cells preferentially, we asked whether TNF sensitivity correlates with the expression of specific oncogene(s). If so, by examining the cellular target(s) of the oncogene product, it might be possible to identify specific factor(s) which mediate TNF action. By using an in vitro cytotoxicity assay with NIH 3T3 and Fisher BRK-derived cells expressing exogenously introduced oncogenes, we found that adenovirus E1A proteins induce susceptibility to TNF killing.     

TRAPPI tethers COPII vesicles by binding the coat subunit Sec23

The budding of endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-derived vesicles is dependent on the COPII coat complex. Coat assembly is initiated when Sar1-GTP recruits the cargo adaptor complex, Sec23/Sec24, by binding to its GTPase-activating protein (GAP) Sec23 (ref. 2). This leads to the capture of transmembrane cargo by Sec24 (refs 3, 4) before the coat is polymerized by the Sec13/Sec31 complex. The initial interaction of a vesicle with its target membrane is mediated by tethers. We report here that in yeast and mammalian cells the tethering complex TRAPPI (ref. 7) binds to the coat subunit Sec23. This event requires the Bet3 subunit. In vitro studies demonstrate that the interaction between Sec23 and Bet3 targets TRAPPI to COPII vesicles to mediate vesicle tethering. We propose that the binding of TRAPPI to Sec23 marks a coated vesicle for fusion with another COPII vesicle or the Golgi apparatus. An implication of these findings is that the intracellular destination of a transport vesicle may be determined in part by its coat and its associated cargo.     

FGFR2IIIc及其突变型腺病毒对小鼠乳腺癌作用的研究

目的：研究FGFR2IIIc及其突变型腺病毒对小鼠乳腺癌的作用。方法：确定腺病毒颗粒Ad、Ad-FGFR2IIIc及Ad-FGFR2IIIcS252W感染4T1细胞的最佳MOI,并通过RT-PCR检测外源目的基因的表达。建立BALB/c小鼠的4T1乳腺癌模型,在此模型上原位注射重组腺病毒颗粒治疗17天,观察其对小鼠肿瘤的作用。结果：当MOI=60时腺病毒对4T1细胞的感染率可达到95%以上,RT-PCR结果显示,FGFR2IIIc和FGFR2IIIcS252W可在4T1细胞中成功表达。与对照组和Ad组比较,Ad-FGFR2IIIc对小鼠肿瘤无明显作用,Ad-FGFR2IIIcS252W能显著减缓小鼠肿瘤体积和质量的增长。结论：FGFR2IIIc对BALB/c小鼠4T1乳腺癌无显著作用,FGFR2IIIcS252W能够显著抑制BALB/c小鼠4T1乳腺癌的生长。     

Antisense oligodeoxynucleotides to GS protein alpha-subunit sequence accelerate differentiation of fibroblasts to adipocytes.

Fully-differentiated mouse 3T3-L1 fibroblasts accumulate large amounts of lipid at 7-10 days after induction by insulin or by dexamethasone and a methyl xanthine. G proteins mediate transmembrane signalling from a diverse group of cell-surface receptors to effector units that include phospholipase C, adenylyl cyclase and ion channels. They are also targets of regulation themselves. 3T3-L1 fibroblasts display marked changes in levels of G protein when induced to differentiate to adipocytes. Here we show that cholera toxin, which ADP-ribosylates and activates the G protein subunit Gs alpha, blocks the induction of differentiation, whereas increasing intracellular cyclic AMP directly with the dibutyryl analogue or indirectly with pertussis toxin or forskolin does not affect differentiation. Oligodeoxynucleotides antisense to the sequence encoding Gs alpha accelerate differentiation markedly. The time course of adipogenesis declined from 7-10 days in controls to roughly 3 days in cultures treated with antisense-Gs alpha oligodeoxynucleotides, whereas oligodeoxynucleotides, antisense to Gi alpha 1, Gi alpha 3, and sense and missense to Gs alpha, had no such effect. Antisense-Gs alpha alone induced differentiation by day 7, indicating that Gs alpha activity modulates differentiation in 3T3-L1 cells, acting in a new role which is independent of increased intracellular cAMP.     

Phosphorylation of elongation factor 2 by EF-2 kinase affects rate of translation

A new Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase has been recently discovered in mammalian cells. The major substrate of this kinase, a protein of relative molecular mass (Mr) approximately equal to 100,000 (100K), has been identified as elongation factor 2 (EF-2), which participates in protein synthesis. The in vivo activity of the EF-2 kinase depends upon growth factors and other agents affecting the level of Ca2+ and cAMP. Its effect on EF-2 activity, however, remained obscure. This work shows that the phosphorylation of EF-2 by the EF-2 kinase results in a drastic inhibition of polyphenylalanine synthesis in poly(U)-directed translation. Phosphorylated EF-2 is completely inactive in translation and, moreover, inhibits the activity of non-phosphorylated EF-2. Dephosphorylation of EF-2 by phosphatase restores its activity. Hence, the phosphorylation of EF-2 directly affects the elongation stage of translation and thus represents a novel mechanism of translational control.     

A mutant protein kinase C that can transform fibroblasts

Expression of normal protein kinase C (PKC) isoenzymes in fibroblasts has been shown to alter growth regulation but has failed to induce complete transformation of the recipient cells. Here we report on a murine ultraviolet-induced fibrosarcoma cell line which has an unusual PKC subcellular distribution with 87% of the PKC activity associated with the membrane. We have cloned and sequenced the alpha-PKC complementary DNA from ultraviolet-induced-fibrosarcoma cells and from mouse Balb/c brain and found four point mutations in the fibrosarcoma PKC, of which three are in the highly conserved regulatory domain and one is in the conserved region of the catalytic domain. Expression of this mutant alpha-PKC gene in normal Balb/c 3T3 fibroblasts results in a fibrosarcoma-like PKC membrane localization and in cell transformation, as judged by their formation of dense foci, anchorage-independent growth and ability to induce solid tumours when inoculated into nude mice. By contast, transfectants expressing the normal alpha-PKC cDNA do not display a morphology typical of malignant transformed cells and fail to induce tumours in vivo. These findings demonstrate that point mutations in the primary structure of PKC modulate enzyme function and are responsible for inducing oncogenicity.     

The class I major histocompatibility antigen gene activated in a line of SV40-transformed mouse cells is H-2Dd, not Qa/Tla

We have previously described several complementary DNA clones isolated because they correspond to messenger RNAs present at higher levels in the simian virus 40 (SV40)-transformed BALB/c 3T3 cell line SV3T3 Cl38 than in the normal, parental BALB/c 3T3 line. One of these clones, pAG64, hybridizes to RNAs which, while present in BALB/c 3T3 cells, are 10-20-fold more abundant in SV3T3 Cl38 and are found at high levels in a wide variety of transformed cell lines. Nucleotide sequence analysis showed that pAG64 encodes a class I antigen of the major histocompatibility complex. To ascertain the identity of pAG64, we compared its sequence with the available sequences of d haplotype class I antigen genes [K locus, L locus, D locus and the Qa gene defined by genomic clone 27.1] and found that it showed multiple clustered differences from each of these sequences. We therefore concluded that it was not derived from the H-2Kd, H-2Ld or H-2Dd genes and thus must correspond to one of the other class I antigen genes, namely those of the Qa/Tla complex, although it was clearly not the Qa gene defined by the genomic clone 27.1. We now report subsequent findings which indicate that pAG64 in fact corresponds to the H-2Dd gene and not to a Qa/Tla gene.     

Positive and negative selection of an antigen receptor on T cells in transgenic mice

The T-cell repertoire found in the periphery is thought to be shaped by two developmental events in the thymus that involve the antigen receptors of T lymphocytes. First, interactions between T cells and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules select a T-cell repertoire skewed towards recognition of antigens in the context of self-MHC molecules. In addition, T cells that react strongly to self-MHC molecules are eliminated by a process called self-tolerance. We have recently described transgenic mice expressing the alpha beta T-cell receptor from the cytotoxic T lymphocyte 2C (ref. 11). The clone 2C was derived from a BALB.B (H-2b) anti-BALB/c (H-2d) mixed lymphocyte culture and is specific for the Ld class I MHC antigen. In transgenic H-2b mice, a large fraction of T cells in the periphery expressed the 2C T-cell receptor. These T cells were predominantly CD4-CD8+ and were able to specifically lyse target cells bearing Ld. We now report that in the periphery of transgenic mice expressing Ld, functional T cells bearing the 2C T-cell receptor were deleted. This elimination of autoreactive T cells appears to take place at or before the CD4+CD8+ stage in thymocyte development. In addition, we report that in H-2s mice, a non-autoreactive target haplotype, large numbers of CD8+ T cells bearing the 2C T-cell receptor were not found, providing strong evidence for the positive selection of the 2C T-cell receptor specificity by H-2b molecules.     

电化学法检测细胞中的胸腺嘧啶和胞嘧啶

用基于氧化石墨烯量子点/多壁碳纳米管/丝网印刷电极（GOQDs/MWCNTs/SPCE*）的电化学检测方法同时检测小鼠胚胎成纤维（BALB/c 3T3）细胞中的胸腺嘧啶和胞嘧啶， 并考察富集电位、 富集时间、 pH值对胸腺嘧啶和胞嘧啶标准品电化学行为的影响. 实验结果表明： 最佳检测条件为富集电位0， 富集时间150 s，  pH=7.4; 电极对胸腺嘧啶和胞嘧啶的最低检测限分别为0.69，0.95 μmol/L；  该方法可同时灵敏检测BALB/c 3T3细胞中的胸腺嘧啶和胞嘧啶.     

Involvement of targeted proteolysis in plant genetic transformation by Agrobacterium

Genetic transformation of plant cells by Agrobacterium represents a unique case of trans-kingdom DNA transfer. During this process, Agrobacterium exports its transferred (T) DNA and several virulence (Vir) proteins into the host cell, within which T-DNA nuclear import is mediated by VirD2 (ref. 3) and VirE2 (ref. 4) and their host cell interactors AtKAP-alpha and VIP1 (ref. 6), whereas its integration is mediated mainly by host cell proteins. The factors involved in the uncoating of T-DNA from its cognate proteins, which occurs before integration into the host genome, are still unknown. Here, we report that VirF-one of the few known exported Vir proteins whose function in the host cell remains unknown-is involved in targeted proteolysis of VIP1 and VirE2. We show that VirF localizes to the plant cell nucleus and interacts with VIP1, a nuclear protein. VirF, which contains an F-box motif, significantly destabilizes both VIP1 and VirE2 in yeast cells. Destabilization of VIP1 in the presence of VirF was then confirmed in planta. These results suggest that VIP1 and its cognate VirE2 are specifically targeted by the VirF-containing Skp1-Cdc53-cullin-F-box complex for proteolysis. The critical role of proteasomal degradation in Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation was also evident from inhibition of T-DNA expression by a proteasomal inhibitor.     

Prevention of chemical carcinogenesis using glutathine S-transferase-pi (GST-pi)

In order to explore whether the protective function of GST-pi can prevent transformation in vitro, NIH3T3 cells and carcinogen glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) have been used in cell transformation study. NIH3T3 cells have been transfected with GST-pi cDNA inserted retrovirus vector, pXT1, and then G418 resistant clones have been analyzed by Southern and Northern analyses. NIH3T3/pXGST clones that stably express GST-pi and control cells, untransfected NIH3T3 and NIH3T3/pXT1, have been treated three times discontinuously with GMA. 1.287% of untransfected NIH3T3 and 1.197% of NIH3T3/pXT, cells obtained a transformation pheno-type, forming type Ⅲ transformed clones, which could grow in soft agar and form fibrosarcoma in nude mice. In comparison, the transformation rate is only 0.007% in NIH3T3/pXGST cells, which could not grow in soft agar and formed no tumor in vivo. The results showed that expression of exogenous GST-pi in NIH3T3 do protect NIH3T3 cells from GMA induced transformation in vitro, which provides an evidence that GST-pi may play a role in preventing chemical car-cinogenesis.